I'm convinced that Fred Jackson will be the starter for the entire year in 2009.

[HHURRICANE]

I got alot of flack last year when I propsed that Jackson should be the starter and that Lynch should be brought in to pound the ball later in the game.

Well with a 3 game suspension Jackson is going to see alot of snaps in camp and in the pres-season with the first string.

I ulitmately believe that Jauron knows the start of this season is critical so he's going to treat Jackson as if he was the starter.

I think Jackson will play well enough that Lynch will be playing behind him for the entire year.

[Saratoga Slim]

I don't.

It's possible that Jackson plays himself into more of a true 50/50 split if he performs well. But Lynch is more of an all around workhorse back. And not to take anything away from Freddie, but Lynch is the better player.

[WeAreArthurMoates]

I'm not Lynch is a better. What I hope to see is him and Lynch on the field together more. I would really like to see Lynch in the backfield and freddy in the slot. That could create some serious mismatches, with the WR's freeing up the running game Lynch is gonna have a great season despite missing 2 games (I think he gets his suspension reduced a game).

[seanbillsfan]

i love freddie but i highly doubt he will be the starter for the whole season. Whoever we play in the 4th game of the season is gonna get run-the-f**k-over by beastmode

[HHURRICANE]

I don't.

It's possible that Jackson plays himself into more of a true 50/50 split if he performs well. But Lynch is more of an all around workhorse back. And not to take anything away from Freddie, but Lynch is the better player.

You are a good poster here and I trust your football IQ.

But Freddie has proven that he can find the holes quicker on an o-line that isn't that good in the run game. Lynch might be a better player but not necessarily on this team.

The momentum that Jackson carries into the season is going to make it hard to yank him unless of course he's struggling while Lynch is out.

[THATHURMANATOR]

I do think Jackson could make himself a co starter with great play.

[trapezeus]

i think there is some truth to that. In some games last year, it seemed obvious that Jackson could squirm through the tiny openings that our line would create where as marshawn was going through broad shouldered. I thought that Jackson was harder to get down in the beginning and that Lynch's powerful running style was the perfect late 3rd quarter all of fourth quarter punishment an opposing d couldn't really stop.

I said this last year too, but jackson's running style is very thurman like. How many runs did thurman have where he turned backwards and just kept going running backwards? Jackson does the same thing. He's very shifty. Lynch is just a beast who loves contact.

[bigbub2352]

Jackson is 28 that is not a good age for a RB, i wouldnt want to take anything away fomr his ability but Lynch just turned 23, and has alot of career ahead of him, he needs to get his act together and we got a top 5 RB on our hands
that being said Freddie's value to this team is huge, most teams have 2 RBs and if it ends up 1a and 1b then i think no one will have a problem with that
The days of 1 Rb and thats it on offense are done, u have to utulize the talent u have on the roster and Turk struggles to do that so far

I think freddies contract situtation needs to get done and Lets use them both to throw defense off

[HHURRICANE]

Jackson is 28 that is not a good age for a RB, i wouldnt want to take anything away fomr his ability but Lynch just turned 23, and has alot of career ahead of him, he needs to get his act together and we got a top 5 RB on our hands
that being said Freddie's value to this team is huge, most teams have 2 RBs and if it ends up 1a and 1b then i think no one will have a problem with that
The days of 1 Rb and thats it on offense are done, u have to utulize the talent u have on the roster and Turk struggles to do that so far

I think freddies contract situtation needs to get done and Lets use them both to throw defense off

1) I agree with the age but Jackson has not taken the pounding because of the path his career had followed.

2) Lynch is the future and I think this would be a scenario for 2009 only.

3) Lynch isn't just going to show up after 4 weeks off and be ready to start.

4) If Jackson is playing well, and the Bills are winning, no coach on the hot seat is just going to just yank a player for the perceived starter.

[justasportsfan]

the only thing I am convinced about and whats been proven so far is that Freddie is a great rb coming off the bench. What isn't proven is that whether he can be a no.1 rb and can sustain an entire season as a no.1. Maybe he can , maybe he can't. I sure wouldn't have the confidence going into the season with relying on him as the no.1 without Lynch or of equal talent.

[EDS]

I think Lynch is more talented physically but Freddie is the smarter back. He just finds the hole better and hits it quicker. Lynch dances and then just trys to run people over. Unless he changes his style Lynch is probably destined for a short career.

[OpIv37]

Jackson doesn't have enough power and I don't think he could take the beating over the course of a full season.

Plus, it'll make the FO look bad if an undrafted FA starts over their first round pick.

[theanswer74]

1) I agree with the age but Jackson has not taken the pounding because of the path his career had followed.

2) Lynch is the future and I think this would be a scenario for 2009 only.

3) Lynch isn't just going to show up after 4 weeks off and be ready to start.

4) If Jackson is playing well, and the Bills are winning, no coach on the hot seat is just going to just yank a player for the perceived starter.

Lynch can practice I believe.

Its only going to be 1 game anyways after the appeal.

I do agree, I think Jackson may actually be a better RB.

[Saratoga Slim]

You are a good poster here and I trust your football IQ.

But Freddie has proven that he can find the holes quicker on an o-line that isn't that good in the run game. Lynch might be a better player but not necessarily on this team.

The momentum that Jackson carries into the season is going to make it hard to yank him unless of course he's struggling while Lynch is out.

Thanks.

You do make an interesting argument here, but I just don't see Freddie becoming a clear starter over Lynch. Lynch is too versatile, too good, and we have too much invested in him, to have him sit.

But I do agree that Freddie has the opportunity to play himself into a true split as opposed to being Lynch's competent backup. If he earns the PT, this staff will give it to him.

[Ickybaluky]

Lynch can practice I believe.

He can participate all of preseason, including the games.

Once on suspension starts though (week 1), he can't practice or even be at team headquarters. He has to stay completely away from the team until his suspension is over.

[TacklingDummy]

Jackson doesn't have enough power and I don't think he could take the beating over the course of a full season.

And yet Jackson is the RB that has made it through the past 2 seasons while run to contact Lynch has missed games the past 2 seasons due to injury.

[TacklingDummy]

The only thing Lynch does better than Jackson is power running and that's it. Jackson is the better overall running back.

[Saratoga Slim]

the only thing I am convinced about and whats been proven so far is that Freddie is a great rb coming off the bench. What isn't proven is that whether he can be a no.1 rb and can sustain an entire season as a no.1. Maybe he can , maybe he can't. I sure wouldn't have the confidence going into the season with relying on him as the no.1 without Lynch or of equal talent.

Right. At this point I feel only marginally secure about him being the starter for 3 games.

But I guess HH's point here is IF Freddie plays well, he could earn the starter's role, which implies that Freddie answers the concerns that we have about him being able to handle that responsibility. I don't disagree that Freddie may well prove successful in this regard, but I do think that Lynch is too good a back to relinquish anything more than a co-starter role to Freddie.

[HHURRICANE]

Lynch can practice I believe.

Its only going to be 1 game anyways after the appeal.

I do agree, I think Jackson may actually be a better RB.

I think when you are suspended you are not allowed anywhere near the facility.

[The Juice Is Loose]

I am so sick of reading this. If you think Fred is better than Marshawn, your high!

The YPC is a product of down and distance.

If its 3rd and 30 and Fred gets a draw for 12 yards, it counts as a 12 yard run on his stats.

If its 4th and an inch and Lynch gets 2 inches, it counts as 2 inches on his stats.

Lynch if so far superior to Jackson it isn't even funny. The little wrinkles that have been created for Jackson is called CHANGE OF PACE.

You probably think Darren Sproles is better than LT too. God people know NOTHING about football.

Carrying the ball 20+ times a game puts a beat down on the body. Fred is small, and can't do it full time.

Lynch is by far superior. The only reason that he get stopped occasionally, is because when he gets it all 22 dudes on the field know he's getting it! AND THEY STILL DON'T STOP HIM!

Fred sneaks out the back door on screens and draws. He is nowhere near Lynch, and judging by his lack of contract, for you to think that the management is thinking he'll be the starter, proves your just spouting off random stuff.

I'm not at mad at ya, and I love Fred as much as anybody. But Lynch > Fred by a mile.

[The Juice Is Loose]

And yet Jackson is the RB that has made it through the past 2 seasons while run to contact Lynch has missed games the past 2 seasons due to injury.

Lynch - 250 carries, 47 rec in 2008.

Fred - 130 carries, 30 rec in 2008.

Any thought that maybe touching the ball 137 more times might lead to more damage on the body?

People just have no logic about football.

Lynch is a top 10 RB. Period.

[TacklingDummy]

Lynch - 250 carries, 47 rec in 2008.

Fred - 130 carries, 30 rec in 2008.

Any thought that maybe touching the ball 137 more times might lead to more damage on the body?

People just have no logic about football.

Lynch is a top 10 RB. Period.

It took Lynch to the 10th game to finally rush for over 100 yards.

Jackson did it in his first start.

Jackson also had more receiving yards than Lynch with 17 less receptions.

How many screen passes did Lynch drop last year? I remember quite a few.

[The Juice Is Loose]

It took Lynch to the 10th game to finally rush for over 100 yards.

Jackson did it in his first start.

Jackson also had more receiving yards than Lynch with 17 less receptions.

How many screen passes did Lynch drop last year? I remember quite a few.

For the record I thanked you by accident.

Dude, Lynch didn't get enough carries. He hit 20 seldom.

We all talked about the play calling.

You people need to take into account the down and distance situations each player is faced with. I said this before but if its 3rd and 20, Jackson will go in and get a screen or a draw and get 10-20 yards. That does huge things to his average.

Lynch gets the 4th and 1 plays when all 22 people know its going to him. That will hurt his average.

Seriously. Don't speculate on stuff like this if you don't understand football. Lynch is far superior. There is a reason Fred was in NFL europe. He's 28. He's not much faster than Lynch and he's much smaller. I love Fred. I want him to get a lot of carries. But there is zero chance he unseats Lynch as our top back.

Lynch has 8-10 years left in him, Fred 3-4. GET REAL PEOPLE!

You all probably think Darren Sproles is better than LT and Dominic Rhodes is better than Joseph Addai.

THERE ARE CIRCUMSTANCES THAT COME WITH BEING THE TOP BACK! PEOPLE GAMEPLAN FOR THAT ONE PERSON ALL WEEK LONG! FRED IS AN AFTERTHOUGHT, WHICH IS WHAT MAKES HIM AN ASSET FOR US!

When we play New England we won't see these threads anymore.

[HHURRICANE]

For the record I thanked you by accident.

Dude, Lynch didn't get enough carries. He hit 20 seldom.

We all talked about the play calling.

You people need to take into account the down and distance situations each player is faced with. I said this before but if its 3rd and 20, Jackson will go in and get a screen or a draw and get 10-20 yards. That does huge things to his average.

Lynch gets the 4th and 1 plays when all 22 people know its going to him. That will hurt his average.

Seriously. Don't speculate on stuff like this if you don't understand football. Lynch is far superior. There is a reason Fred was in NFL europe. He's 28. He's not much faster than Lynch and he's much smaller. I love Fred. I want him to get a lot of carries. But there is zero chance he unseats Lynch as our top back.

Lynch has 8-10 years left in him, Fred 3-4. GET REAL PEOPLE!

You all probably think Darren Sproles is better than LT and Dominic Rhodes is better than Joseph Addai.

THERE ARE CIRCUMSTANCES THAT COME WITH BEING THE TOP BACK! PEOPLE GAMEPLAN FOR THAT ONE PERSON ALL WEEK LONG! FRED IS AN AFTERTHOUGHT, WHICH IS WHAT MAKES HIM AN ASSET FOR US!

When we play New England we won't see these threads anymore.

Nobody said that Jackson was the future.

The offense might work better with Jackson starting the games and Lynch finishing them.

In 2009 Lynch is going to have a 4 week vacation plus Jackson will have to work as the primary in pre-season to get ready for the opener.

Jackson has done well as the primary and I'm just saying that he might end up staying there for the 2009 season.

Look at how much better Bush was when McAllister was starting in front of him.

[The Juice Is Loose]

Nobody said that Jackson was the future.

The offense might work better with Jackson starting the games and Lynch finishing them.

In 2009 Lynch is going to have a 4 week vacation plus Jackson will have to work as the primary in pre-season to get ready for the opener.

Jackson has done well as the primary and I'm just saying that he might end up staying there for the 2009 season.

Look at how much better Bush was when McAllister was starting in front of him.

Exactly, Bush did better as a #2. When he went in full time, it was welcome to reality!

By subplanting Lynch, that is going to knock his career off track. If someone is a 1st round talent and feels they should be the feature back, they won't be content sitting behind a 30 year old NFL europe guy.

Other than his brushes with the law, Lynch has done EVERYTHING right. His style, his effort. His teammates love him. He's the face of the franchise. Most popular player on the team. No way you insult a young potential star like that.

I'm not against the notion of Fred being on the field just as much as Lynch. I don't understand for the life of me why we don't have 2 RB's split in the backfield almost every play. I wanted it with Henry/Willis and I want it now. How can you account for both?

Between TO and Evans, if Fred and Lynch are both in the flats, what can a team possibly do? Blitz blitz blitz. Hit TO and Lee.

Drop guys back? Hope you can tackle Fred or Marshawn.

Why couldn't they just use a back as a recieving threat instead of a tight end? Cooley is almost an H back. Use fred like that!

[HHURRICANE]

Exactly, Bush did better as a #2. When he went in full time, it was welcome to reality!

By subplanting Lynch, that is going to knock his career off track. If someone is a 1st round talent and feels they should be the feature back, they won't be content sitting behind a 30 year old NFL europe guy.



Marshawyn is sitting because he decided to act like an idiot and get himself suspened. Who's fault is that?

He's missing 4 weeks the beginning of the season. The team needs to prepare without him so acting like the day he shows up he'll be ready is ridiculous.

Obvioulsy you are a big Lynch fan. So am I but he created this mess.

If Jackson runs for over 300 yards in 3 games do you really think we should sit him?

You ride the horse that got you there.

[seanbillsfan]

Exactly, Bush did better as a #2. When he went in full time, it was welcome to reality!

By subplanting Lynch, that is going to knock his career off track. If someone is a 1st round talent and feels they should be the feature back, they won't be content sitting behind a 30 year old NFL europe guy.

Other than his brushes with the law, Lynch has done EVERYTHING right. His style, his effort. His teammates love him. He's the face of the franchise. Most popular player on the team. No way you insult a young potential star like that.

I'm not against the notion of Fred being on the field just as much as Lynch. I don't understand for the life of me why we don't have 2 RB's split in the backfield almost every play. I wanted it with Henry/Willis and I want it now. How can you account for both?

Between TO and Evans, if Fred and Lynch are both in the flats, what can a team possibly do? Blitz blitz blitz. Hit TO and Lee.

Drop guys back? Hope you can tackle Fred or Marshawn.

Why couldn't they just use a back as a recieving threat instead of a tight end? Cooley is almost an H back. Use fred like that!
I gotta say, i thought you were an idiot before, even mitchell thought so. But you have changed my opinion. Its kinda like sayin that kenneth davis should have started over thurman. No freakin way

[HHURRICANE]

Its kinda like sayin that kenneth davis should have started over thurman. No freakin way

Are you comparing Lynch to Thurman?? Because that could be just as ridiculous.

[justasportsfan]

I like how they both complement each other. Lynch can soften/tire defenders and then Freddie can come in right after.

[Mitchell55]

Heres a question. When LT was out and Sproles played incredible, was there talk of LT being the backup? No. It was his job to come in and play best he could.

[Jeff1220]

Heres a question. When LT was out and Sproles played incredible, was there talk of LT being the backup? No. It was his job to come in and play best he could.

but there was talk of him being traded or cut.

[Jeff1220]

Where does all this "Fred is small" talk come from anyway? The guy is 6'1" 215lbs.
Marshawn is 5'11" 215lbs. That is hardly a difference worth categorizing one guy as a big, power guy and the other as small and shifty.
Yes, Fred hits the hole quicker, but I think we've all seen Marshawn do some pretty shifty running, and Fred has certainly displayed some power.

[Mitchell55]

Listen. Lynch shows more heart and determaination than any RB ive ever seen. The reason he didnt hit 100 yds till the Cleveland game was 1, Trent was passing the ball so well the 1st 6 games so we continued with the areal attack, 2nd, our OL didnt get to true for untill around the time when Peters did.

[Lexwhat]

How about we integrate to a nice 2-back system that seems to be the trend in today's NFL?

Panthers / Giants / Titans etc... All excellent rushing teams.

Problem solved. (Except the Bills just need to give Jackson ~$3 million a year).

[TacklingDummy]

For the record I thanked you by accident.

Dude, Lynch didn't get enough carries. He hit 20 seldom.

We all talked about the play calling.

You people need to take into account the down and distance situations each player is faced with. I said this before but if its 3rd and 20, Jackson will go in and get a screen or a draw and get 10-20 yards. That does huge things to his average.

Lynch gets the 4th and 1 plays when all 22 people know its going to him. That will hurt his average.
Ok WYS.

You can remove the thanks.

[BuffaloRanger]

Holes may be harder to come by this year with our new "OL of backups".

[soapman]

If Jackson runs for over 300 yards in 3 games do you really think we should sit him?

You ride the horse that got you there.

Zero chance that happens but it's a nice dream. Bottom line is Lynch is a better back. If you go back and watch the games and the game film, you can see the difference between the two backs. Lynch is a game changer, Freddie is a utility back. Yes he can do all things well but not great. ML can do alot of things great and he lacks in some others. So technically yes, FJ may be a better all around back because he can do all things well, but ML the better back of the two because the things that he does great out way the overall good that FJ brings to the table.

[seanbillsfan]

Are you comparing Lynch to Thurman?? Because that could be just as ridiculous.
Dont get your panties in a bunch. I was comparing the situation. Davis was an awesome compliment to Thomas, he had a few 100yd games and was a good reciever

[HHURRICANE]

Listen. Lynch shows more heart and determaination than any RB ive ever seen. The reason he didnt hit 100 yds till the Cleveland game was 1, Trent was passing the ball so well the 1st 6 games so we continued with the areal attack, 2nd, our OL didnt get to true for untill around the time when Peters did.

I watched Lynch play and it wasn't Edwards playing well as much as it was Lynch not playing well which forced us to have to pass on 3rd down.

People should watch the film as suggested because Jackson gets through the hole quicker. End of story.

Lynch is one of the strongest guys I've ever seen for his size but his "tough" yards are going to lead to a "short" career.

[jamze132]

has Lynch appealed yet? he has 10 days from the notice of his suspension. I am not convinced even if he did appeal, it would matter considering this is the second time he ****ed up bad. he ran some chick over and got caught smoking dope with a gun in the car.

BTW, both backs bring something totally different to the table and both compliment each other very well. I have no doubts that Jackson can handle the load for 3 games but over a 16 game season, I doubt it.

[TheMan08]

Lynch is a different animal. He is the most exciting player on team by far.

I'd trade jackso if anyones dumb enough to offer a 2nd.