Taylor not tailor-made for Bills

By Anthony Bialy  |   Tuesday, February 24, 2009  |  Comments( 96 )

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Running back Marshawn Lynch isn’t the only one exhaling gladly over his misdemeanor charges: The Buffalo Bills can breathe easier, too, as lighter charges mean they might not have to plan for a short life without him. Further, it puts them in a stronger position when it comes to free agent Fred Taylor, who visited the Bills on Tuesday. Even if Lynch is suspended, signing Taylor would be an unnecessary move for Buffalo, which already owns the NFL’s best rushing backup.

The former Jacksonville Jaguar has two huge numbers against him: His age, 33, and his number of carries, 2,428, both of which serve as evidence of tremendous wear. While he has amassed an astounding 11,271 career ground yards, good for 16th all time, those past gains mean Taylor may not have many left in the future. That’s especially true for a physical back with a history of missed time; being elderly by running back standards serves as more data against him.

That said, he could be a good fill-in for the Bills in that regard if Lynch ends up suspended for not committing an assault; Taylor could then spend much more time on the sidelines when Lynch returned to active status. He could provide depth and starts if the usual guy misses time for the aforementioned arrest or gets injured.

But would Taylor be fine with that? While he said the politically correct things during his visit about being part of the team, serving as a mentor, and such, deep down he might desire another shot to prove he’s a starter. He only made 143 attempts last season while sharing the rushing load with Maurice Jones-Drew, and the Florida product may not be content to settle for fading away. If he instead wants a chance at a renaissance and the accompanying high carry number, Buffalo isn’t the place for him.

On top of where Taylor might stand, Buffalo currently has a fine backup in another Fred. Current Bill Fred Jackson acquitted himself finely not only when spelling Lynch but also when filling in for him during the season finale against the New England Patriots. Meaningless game or not, Jackson’s 134 yards on 26 carries reflected a sublime performance by a back who didn’t loaf through a largely spiritless contest.

If Lynch gets banished for one-eighth or one-quarter of the season, the Bills would be better off leaning on Jackson for those games instead of devoting resources to Taylor. Jackson took 130 carries in 2008, and he’s capable of bumping that total with a few games as the primary back. He’s an exclusive-rights free agent, and Buffalo’s focus should be on getting a multiyear deal done with him and finding a solid third-stringer instead of looking for a big name like Taylor.

True help would be provided by commissioner Roger Goodell, who shouldn’t be guided by dubious headlines classifying Lynch as a repeat offender for one accident and a current legal matter where he injured nobody. The Bills should hope that, for once, the league doesn’t act like irritable schoolmarms and instead considers whether Lynch willingly inflicted harm upon others; that should be the punishment standard.

Even if the league succumbs to moral panic and orders Lynch mothballed, the Bills are already prepared thanks to Jackson, assuming they don’t find a way to lose a completely restricted free agent. Taylor has been a great back and seems like a great guy, but signing him would only be a very weak way of seeking revenge on the Jaguars, as he was taken with one of the picks Buffalo sent their way for the horridly odious Rob Johnson.

But Jacksonville has already released him, so it’s not as if the Bills would be stealing the player away; feeble spite is poor justification for adding a player, especially with a weak case otherwise in his favor.
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CommentsComments: 96  |  Sign Up  View all comments
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No.1
ddd		07:30 AM
02/25/2009
The Bills have two good backs in Lynch and Jackson so I agree with AB that the Taylor signing would be silly. If I was GM, I ...
No.2
bflobob8		07:45 AM
02/25/2009
ddd, Birk and Saturday have been good players but they are 32 and 33 respectively. For a center that is like being 52 in human ...
No.3
Alan		08:46 AM
02/25/2009
Bflobob, I have to completely agree w/ you about birk and saturday. Even if we were to take one of these guys, and the only way ...
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