The Bills' New Backfield

The Bills have made exciting changes to their run game that will help to push their offense to the next level in 2008. Not only have they added a blocking fullback in Darian Barnes, but the emergence of Fred Jackson as an effective player will give the Bills a very real one-two punch this season. 

Of course, Marshawn Lynch will remain the real star of this offense. He should be expecting 1,300+ yards of rushing this season, but also look for him to have a serious impact in the passing game. He will see plenty underneath and screen passes out of the backfield, but you get those looks from every half-back in the league. Marshawn Lynch has a unique skill-set that will allow offensive coordinator Turk Schonert to, in addition to everything else, use him as a slot receiver with agility, hands, and a very serious run-after-catch ability. Marshawn's versatility is the foundation for this offense, the effectiveness of which depends a lot on all the different of looks it can throw at a defense in any situation.

Fred Jackson is important to the team because, not only can he run the ball well in his own right, but his presence will greatly increase Marshawn Lynch's chances of staying healthy. Running backs like Adrian Peterson and Ryan Grant who don't have great backups usually end up missing multiple games due to injuries that happen when they are fatigued, and don't have the option of taking a breather. On the other hand, one-two combinations such as Jacobs/Bradshaw in NY and Barber/Jones in Dallas produced week in and week out in 2007. Look for that kind of success from Jackson and Lynch this season.

Fullback Darian Barnes adds 240 lbs of pure blocking power to the run game. He won't get all the glory, but look for him to quietly pick up defenders at key times and turn the negative yards of 2007 into positive yards in 2008. We haven't seen him very much so far in the preseason, but trust that the Bills have a plan to put him to good use. 

The impact these 3 players will have in 2008 is something for Bills fans to get excited about. Their consistent production will make all the difference in that inevitable wild-card race come December.