The Bills have good depth behind Lynch, and a good one-two punch when paired with Fred Jackson. Jackson (6'1" 215 lbs) a former Coe College and Sioux City Bandit of the United Indoor Football League, came on strong last year in his first season after spending 2006 on the practice squad. He ran for 300 yards on 58 carries, a 5.5 yards per carry average. He had his first 100-yard game against Miami, running for 115 yards. He had his breakout game against the Redskins with 82 yards rushing and another 69 receiving for a total of 151 yards from scrimmage.
The third running back will probably be Dwayne Wright, a fourth-round pick (111th overall) last year out of Fresno State. Wright is a big back (5'11" 228 lbs) who isn't going to run away from too many people, but is a strong, between the tackles runner. He is also a good blocker, which could allow him to see the field in some situations and on special teams.
Xavier Omon, the team's sixth-round pick (179th overall) this year should end up on the practice squad, unless he beats out Wright for the third running back spot. Omon is a big (5'11 227 lbs), one cut back, who ran all over Division II last year, scoring 37 touchdowns last year, and 98 total touchdowns in four years. The Bills should keep three running backs on the 53-man roster, and maybe a practice squad player.
Fullback: The Bills will go with a fullback this year after a failed attempt to go with a H-back last season. Shortly after the season ended (Jan. 17 to be exact) the Bills signed Darian Barnes to the team. He is a big (6'2" 240 lbs) veteran fullback. He played for Tampa, Dallas, Miami, and most recently for the Jets, before landing in Buffalo. He will be in his seventh pro season. He is one of the few pure, blocking fullbacks in the league at a dieing position.
With the Bills going back to a power-run game with Barnes leading the way for Marshawn Lynch, defenses will be sore after games. He should also help on special teams.
Mike Viti, an undrafted free agent out of Army, is a small (5'9" 236 lbs) but compact player with a chance to make the practice squad if he can stay healthy. He holds an Army record for benching 470 pounds, and is said to have "muscles coming out of muscles". He was also a team captain at Army, and could see time on special teams. We will keep one fullback on the 53-man roster
Wide Receiver: This is arguably the most improved position on the team. Last season the team lacked height and depth, and both are areas that the Bills improved upon via the draft. They added James Hardy with the 41st-overall pick in the second round, and at 6'6" and 220 pounds, the former basketball player will provide height and playmaking ability in the red zone.
This will allow Josh Reed (5'10" 210 lbs) to move back to the slot where he can be a playmaker and a chain mover, while also allowing them to have more designed packages for Roscoe Parrish (5'9" 171 lbs) their most electrifying player.
They also added Steve Johnson in the seventh round. A 6'2" 2000-pound receiver out of Kentucky who will compete with Justin Jenkins, a good special teams player, and Felton Huggins, a practice-squad player last year. Of course, this unit isn't complete without their No. 1 receiver Lee Evans.
Evans (5'10" 197 lbs), their first-round pick (13th pick) in 2004 out of Wisconsin has become their go-to guy, a player who commands double teams because of his great speed and play-making ability. Evans is coming off of a down season where he only caught 55 balls for 849 yards and only five touchdowns.
He was the product of inconsistent quarterbacking and a conservative offense. He also had nobody else that really scared defenses, causing him to be double and triple teamed a lot. With the addition of Hardy, and a devastating ground game, Evans should breakout again in 2009, and have over 1,000 yards and almost double his scoring output from last season.
We're going to send you the most entertaining Buffalo Bills articles, videos, and podcasts from around the web.
10 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete