Not running Lynch enough keeps the Bills from running well

By Anthony Bialy  |   Thursday, November 13, 2008  |  Comments( 71 )

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One of the big three for the Buffalo Bills sets up the other two, and when that doesn’t happen the team ends up near zero. Suddenly, the most prominent members of the offense are unable to rush, pass or catch, and the collective failure centers on that no running part. Coaches are impatiently refusing to let Marshawn Lynch get to work, which hurts both him and his teammates: Aside from the folly of having a player like Lynch and not using him, it’s of course hurting the passing game in general and the quarterback and best receiver in particular.

Everything starts on the ground; or, in Buffalo’s case recently, it doesn’t. Lynch has totaled 36 carries in the Bills’ three consecutive divisional games, an amount he should be approximately getting in two: 18 carries per contest is a fine total for a featured back, while 12 is a waste of both his talent and this team’s hopes. Letting him run for only 13, nine and 14 carries in each individual game is a recipe for three straight losses.

If the coaches aren’t even going to provide him with the chance to have chances, they may as well call Anthony Thomas and see if he’s willing to take a dozen handoffs a week. He’s cheaper than Lynch, and they may as well underutilize someone who wouldn’t be wasting potential. Dwayne Wright is available, too.

Even worse than those personnel-related thoughts is the knowledge that the passing game is destined to fail when opposing defenses don’t have to constantly fear Lynch. That’s especially so when it comes to long-distance attempts, and even more specifically so when referring to Lee Evans’ sudden inability to attack deep ground.

Evans did manage to get 116 yards against the Miami Dolphins, more than half of the 227 the Bills gained by air that day. But he then fell to 41 yards against the New York Jets, an accumulation that only looks good compared to the humiliating 22 yards on two grabs he picked up while facing the New England Patriots.

Buffalo got away with voluntarily taking away Lynch for exactly one game before opponents adjusted and took away Evans from them, too. Defenses sort of notice things like that, particularly clever divisional foes who somehow find ways to learn about what Buffalo is or is not doing when it has the ball.

And it hurts the quarterback, too. Trent Edwards has thrown for two touchdowns against five interceptions over the course of the last three games; his passer rating in each individual contest of 67.2, 79.3 and 49.2 would be considered bad, mediocre and shameful, respectively. It’s redundant to point out that he’s put forth some dull showings, yet what’s certainly not helping Edwards find Evans is that Lynch is going unused.

Any hopes of this offense reaching its full effectiveness begin at the back. Crummy line or not, Lynch must be permitted to at least try and crunch bones close to 20 times. Offensive coordinator Turk Schonert is panicking and giving up on the ground plan; that essentially means that all three big-ticket players are suffering, not just the rusher he bizarrely won’t commit to rushing. Even if he gets off to a slow start, Lynch must be allowed to get going for the sake of him, his fellow skilled teammates and everyone else who’s tired of stop mode.
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CommentsComments: 71  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
Kegman		10:35 AM
11/13/2008
Dick, Turk and Perry - You have a chance to redeem yourselves Monday night. Help fans forget the last miserable month of Bills...
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No.2
ddd		10:48 AM
11/13/2008
Today is the 20th anniversary of my greatest sports memory of all-time. Any guesses? Twenty years ago today the Bills beat the...
No.3
11:04 AM
11/13/2008
DDD, I was at that game and I watched them carry the goal posts past me towards Ralph's box. Twenty years ago? Man, time does...
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