Tag: Buffalo Bills (Page 10 of 32)

      Marshawn Lynch back on the trade market?

      September 28, 2010 /
      Buffalo Bills running back Marshawn Lynch charges into a hole on a carry in the first quarter against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts on September 26, 2010. UPI/Matthew Healey Photo via Newscom

      Apparently a 0-3 start has turned Bills GM Buddy Nix into Brian Cashman.

      ESPN Milwaukee’s Jason Wilde is reporting that the Bills have put the word out that Marshawn Lynch is available for trade. This comes a day after Trent Edwards was released, so it appears that Nix is starting to get more aggressive in his decision-making.

      Too bad he wasn’t this aggressive six months ago when he could have actually helped the Bills build a more competitive team. I don’t understand why he would wait until now to try and get something in return for Lynch. He likely had the opportunity to trade him around draft time and he never did. Now he’s stuck with three starting-caliber running backs (Lynch, Fred Jackson, C.J. Spiller) on his roster and is trying to trade one if them when teams know he has three starting-caliber running backs on his roster.

      It just doesn’t make any sense. If the intention was to eventually deal Lynch (and don’t kid yourself – as soon as the Bills drafted Spiller, the intention was to deal Lynch), then Nix should have gotten something before the draft when teams were more motivated to buy. Don’t wait until the season kicks off and teams have had the chance to fall in love with some of their own players that they had throughout training camp and preseason.

      Nix will be fortunate to get a fifth round pick in return for Lynch if he winds up trading him now. If he had traded him back in April like he should have, then maybe he would have gotten a third or fourth rounder in return.

      Just more bad timing from a bad organization.

      External Sports, NFL

      The Bills continue to lack direction

      September 27, 2010 /
      TORONTO, CANADA - AUGUST 19: Trent Edwards of the Buffalo Bills looks on during a break in game action against the Indianapolis Colts on August 19, 2010 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Brad White/Getty Images)

      This was the first thing I wrote about the Bills in their 2010 team preview back in late August:

      There’s no doubt that the Bills are moving in the right direction now that Buddy Nix is their new general manager.

      One month later and I already feel myself searching for the delete button when it comes to the above statement.

      What was the Bills’ plan of attack here with quarterback Trent Edwards? Instead of signing a veteran in free agency or drafting a signal caller in April, they decided to stick by Edwards and give him all the first team snaps this offseason. Then they named him the regular season starter and after two bad games, they benched him in favor of Ryan Fitzpatrick and then flat out released him on Monday.

      Benching Edwards for Fitzpatrick isn’t the problem. Fitzpatrick isn’t great, but he proved yesterday in New England that he can keep the Bills competitive and gives them a better chance to win than Edwards did.

      Releasing Edwards isn’t the problem either. He clearly lacks the physical and mental tools to be a starting quarterback in the NFL and he hasn’t played with any confidence in over a year and a half.

      The problem is the lack of direction that the Bills organization continues to display. They should have acquired a quarterback when they had the opportunity earlier this offeason, or at the very least made an attempt to acquire one. If you remember correctly, Buffalo was mentioned repeatedly as a possible landing spot for Michael Vick and had Nix gotten aggressive, maybe Vick would be running around making plays for the Bills instead of the Eagles right now. There’s no guarantee that he would have had the same success in Buffalo as he’s having now in Philadelphia, but the point is the Bills did nothing to address their quarterback situation when they had the chance five months ago.

      It’s staggering to think that Nix and Chan Gailey actually believed that Edwards was the answer at quarterback based on what he’s shown over the past two years. And even if they did truly believe he could run the offense, they still should have drafted a quarterback to develop just in case Edwards didn’t pan out (which was the more likely scenario all along).

      Now what? Is Fitzpatrick their long-term answer? Is Brian Brohm? If it’s Brohm, then they might as well play him now so he can get some experience. If neither of them are the answer, then the Bills are going to waste another year without having their quarterback of the future on their roster.

      This is how bad teams stay bad.

      External Sports, NFL

      Randy Moss reaches 150 career touchdowns in win over Bills

      September 26, 2010 /
      FOXBORO, MA - SEPTEMBER 26: Randy Moss of the New England Patriots greets teammates during drills before a game against the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium on September 26, 2010 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

      Randy Moss only caught two passes on Sunday, but they went for touchdowns in the Patriots’ 38-30 win over the Bills in Week 2.

      His first TD of the day allowed him to join Jerry Rice (197) as the second player in NFL history to reach 150 touchdown receptions in a career. Moss added another score midway through the third quarter just to show off. (Actually, he made the catch with about 60 people around him to give New England the lead again at 24-16.)

      And wait, how have we not talked about this yet? The Bills hung with the Patriots? In New England? With Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback?

      Outside of the two interceptions he threw, Fitzpatrick turned in a pretty solid effort. He completed 20-of-28 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns, while showing remarkably better awareness and pocket presence than Trent Edwards while nearly leading the Bills to the upset. He’s not Jim Kelly, but he at least gives Buffalo a fighting chance every week.

      The Patriots have to do something about their pass rush. They got to Fitzpatrick only once today and produced only three QB hits. That’s not going to get it done on a weekly basis.

      External Sports, NFL

      Are the Bills trying to showcase Marshawn Lynch for a trade?

      September 24, 2010 /
      ORCHARD PARK, NY - SEPTEMBER 12: Marshawn Lynch of the Buffalo Bills runs against the Miami Dolphins during the NFL season opener at Ralph Wilson Stadium on September 12, 2010 in Orchard Park, New York. Miami won 15-10. (Photo by Rick Stewart/Getty Images)

      Unless you feel the need to break down the differences between Trent Edwards and Ryan Fitzpatrick’s throwing mechanics, about the only intriguing storyline in Buffalo these days is what intentions the Bills have for running back Marshawn Lynch.

      Lynch received an increased workload in the team’s loss to the Packers last week and head coach Chan Galiey has already said that the former Cal product “will play a lot” this Sunday against the Patriots depending on the offensive package.

      That begs the question: Are the Bills trying to showcase Lynch so they can deal him before the October trade deadline or do they really want to involve him more in the offense?

      I don’t want to draw concussions off of 17 carries (which is what Lynch had in Week 2) and one vague quote from Gailey, but it stands to reason that the Bills are apt to play Lynch more so that they can showcase him in a trade. C.J. Spiller is the future and Fred Jackson has already proven that he can handle a full rushing load, so why keep Lynch?

      That said, it’s not a bad idea for the Bills to get Lynch more involved anyway, regardless of whether or not they’re going to trade him. Spiller is only a rookie and while he dazzled in preseason, he’s proved in the early going that he’s going to need time to develop. Jackson was also limited this offseason and in Week 1 due to a hand injury.

      In the meantime, the Bills don’t have a quarterback so they need to rely on the running game to keep them in games (or at least, try to keep them in games). And only giving a running back (any running back) three carries (which was Lynch’s total in a Week 1 loss to the Dolphins) isn’t going to help him get into a rhythm on Sundays. Thus, upping Lynch’s carries helps the Bills whether they intend to trade him or not.

      I did find it a tad ironic, however, that Lynch received three carries in Week 1 against the Dolphins and 17 against the Packers in Week 2, seeing as how Green Bay may be in the market for a running back. Again, it’s hard to draw conclusions from the information that is at hand, but would anyone be surprised if Lynch is dealt sometime over the next couple of weeks? I certainly wouldn’t.

      External Sports, NFL

      Why is Marshawn Lynch still a Bill?

      September 16, 2010 /
      Aug. 06, 2010 - Pittsford, New York, United States of America - August 6, 2010: Buffalo Bills running back MARSHAWN LYNCH.

      Does anyone else find it interesting that the Bills have three starting running backs on their roster and no starting quarterbacks?

      I get C.J. Spiller’s role – he was the team’s No. 1 draft pick in April that the Bills have high hopes for.

      I get Fred Jackson’s role – he rushed for 1,062 yards last year while averaging 4.5 yards per carry behind an inexperienced offensive line.

      I get Marshawn Lynch’s role – he…

      Actually, I don’t get what Lynch’s role is in Buffalo. Why is he still on the Bills’ roster? Furthermore, why wasn’t he traded a millisecond after Spiller’s name was called in April?

      I’m a little confused as to what Buddy Nix and Chan Gailey’s game plan is here. Having two running backs is the norm now in the NFL. But the No. 3 back on the depth chart is usually a change-of-pace option or a developmental project for down the road. He’s not a former No. 1 pick that has embarrassed the franchise on several occasions by running into trouble with the law and whose trade value is dwindling by the day.

      I could see if Gailey was going to use all three backs in some hybrid triple-option attack. But he called only 17 running plays in the team’s 15-10 loss to the Dolphins last Sunday and I highly doubt we’re going to see much variation off that in the upcoming weeks.

      Why pay Lynch first round money to only carry the ball three times when Jackson has earned the right for more carries (he only received four carries last week) and Spiller is the future? It makes zero sense.

      The Packers just lost Ryan Grant for the season. Nix should pick up the phone and get Ted Thompson on the line immediately. If Thompson is willing to part with a fifth or sixth round pick for Lynch, then the former Cal product should be on a one-way trip to Green Bay tonight.

      If the Packers aren’t interested, then Nix needs to find a team that is. It makes you scratch your head when the Patriots were able to ship Laurence Maroney (another former first round running back) to Denver in exchange for a fourth round pick, while Lynch continues to rot in Buffalo for no reason.

      External Sports, NFL

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