Read the opposing arguments from Babe Ruthless and Bleacher Fan.
NFL training camps start across the country over the next few days (the loud noise you hear is the sound of the four TSD writers screaming). As you’ll read in today’s debate, there are going to be some interesting training camp position battles. I’m going off the radar a bit – well, off the national radar anyway – and am going to zero in on the ever exciting Buffalo Bills with a review of what the team has going on at the running back position.
Unless you live in the northeastern part of the country, then you probably know very little about the Buffalo Bills. Join the crowd! Not even Buffalo knows much about the Bills. After all, there’s a reason the Bills play a game in Canada every season. But what you should know is that the new coach, Chan Gailey, has a strong background in the running game as a college coach, NFL offensive coordinator, and NFL head coach. Gailey isn’t a flashy name, but he could be the perfect guy for this team because he likes for his teams to run the ball. With three capable running backs, that’s certainly going to be a main focus, especially with a lack of star power at the quarterback position (depending on who wins that battle, it will be Trent Edwards, Ryan Fitzpatrick, or Brian Brohm).
What makes this an interesting battle is that Gailey picks a starter and he usually rides that starter the entire season if he remains effective. Gailey is not much of a “running back by committee” guy. He committed to one back in Dallas with Emmitt Smith (a no-brainer). He did it in Miami with Lamar Smith, and he did it in Kansas City with Larry Johnson. He freely admits he’s never had three backs like he does right now.
It will be a tricky decision, though. Can you name the 1,000 yard rusher from last season’s team? It was Fred Jackson. He quietly rushed for over 1,000 yards for the first time in his career, including 212 rushing yards against the Colts last season in Week 17. Along with his receiving and return skills, he achieved a combined 2,516 yards… which is the fourth highest total in NFL history. It’s tough to not have this guy as the favorite at this point.
But let’s not count out former Pro Bowl running back Marshawn Lynch. His legal problems have been well-documented, and they eventually led to a league-imposed three game suspension last year. That put him behind early on and he lost a lot of ground to Jackson. Perhaps in 2010 Lynch will play with a chip on his shoulder and try to prove his critics wrong.
The real wild card in this battle is rookie C.J. Spiller. Drafting Spiller caught many by surprise, but Gailey apparently likes what he sees so far. He saw Spiller first-hand for two years when Gailey was head coach at Georgia Tech and Spiller was 127 miles away by I-85 at Clemson. Spiller possibly fits the mold of a Percy Harvin or a Reggie Bush, but he’s capable of getting a lot of carries, too. With his speed there’s a potential for a lot of mismatches on the field. Make no mistake about it, though. Spiller wants that starting running back spot.
I know it’s not the sexy and high-profile battle. But the running back battle in Buffalo is definitely one to watch, and will go a long way toward helping the Bills right the ship. We always hear that healthy competition is both good for the team and the individuals involved. Let’s see if that is the case here.
