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Inside Slant: Bills Report
The selection of Marshawn Lynch with the 12th overall pick in the draft was a sure sign to many long-time observers that the Bills are getting serious about finally involving the running back in their passing game again.
It's been years since the Bills had a true receiving threat out of the backfield. In 2002, Travis Henry caught 43 balls for 309 yards and one touchdown, but his successor, Willis McGahee, was never prolific as a pass catcher.
In his three years as a starter, he wound up with 68 catches and no touchdowns. Last year, McGahee caught a mere 18 passes for 156 yards and never found the end zone.
Compare that to the reign of Thurman Thomas, who finished as Buffalo's third all-time receiver with 456 catches for 4,341 yards and 22 touchdowns when he played for the Bills from 1988-99. In 1991, when Thomas was named NFL MVP, he rushed for 1,407 yards but he also caught 62 passes.
Nobody's expecting Lynch to be Thomas in his rookie year, but he has that kind of potential to catch the ball.
Those skills were on display during the club's recent rookie orientation camp, with Lynch catching everything in sight and making it look easy.........
~The Answer
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