I just don't understand this...

[lordofgun]

How can a guy with so much potential be cast aside so easily? He has incredible speed to go along with great size and quickness. He can punish and he can run finesse around the ends. I'm talking about Shawn Bryson. What would make the team give up on a guy like this? A guy who notched two 100-yard games at the end of last season with a pitiful offensive line!

He saw very little action in the Cleveland scrimmage, and it appears he's on his way out. He must be a huge cancer in the locker room because I can't see any other reason for him to be in the coaches' dog house.

Some question his instincts, blah blah blah... I see a guy who runs hard, fights for yards, and has great potential to be our change-of-pace back. He's the only RB on our roster that I would be comfortable with as our starter if Henry went down.

I hope the coaches see the same thing.

Here's to Bryson seeing more playing time and earning a spot with the team! :cheers:

[HenryRules]

Depends how long Henry goes down on whether or not I'd feel comfortable at all with Bryson. If Henry goes down for a game or two, perhaps I can see Bryson stepping in and doing well. However, if Henry goes down and misses five or more games, there's no way that I think Bryson would be able to handle the punishment of getting the 100-125 carries over that stretch. I'd much rather have Huntley in there for both the long term and the short term than Bryson. As far as a change of pace back, well maybe he'd be good at that, but I don't know how much Gilbride really wants one of those and my guess is he'd prefer to have someone that can handle the full-time load as a primary carrier.

[DraftBoy]

I just dont like him, all he is speed. He would be a better receiver out of the backfield then RB I think. He cant take the punishment.

[lordofgun]

I have to disagree with you. :D

Bryson is 6'1" 233. I think he can hold up very well! Not sure what you see in him that makes you think he couldn't.

Huntley on the other hand...I'd take Morris and Bryson (Maybe even Alexander) before I'd want that average Joe as our featured back. JMO.

[standingbuffalo43]

LOG...

why is it that you think Bryson is anything more than an average shawn, errrr sorry, Joe...
at least Huntly has been a starter and proven he can shoulder the load and do it well... Bryson lost his spot before and obviously does not fit into the new staffs schemes...why do you seem so attached to such an average shmoe...why such a love affair with SB???

[LtBillsFan66]

I don't know either. I think he played well in 2000. Just as well as Henry played last year.

[bduff54]

i'm with log. standing buffalo the comments you just made are one of somebody who has never seen huntley play. iwatched him carolina and he was horrible, Bryson can break the big one and take the pounding. he is a nex-full back, why do some of you think he can't take the punishment?

[BambinoSux]

I only saw Huntley once. It was vrs. the Pats at the end of last season and he rushed for 180 yds. I dunno but I figure since the Pats D is the only reason they won the Super Bowl, they must be pretty good and Huntley was racking up yards all day against them. But that was just one game. Did anybody actually see more than 1 Panthers game last season?

[lordofgun]

IMO, Bryson simply is NOT an average Joe for all the reasons I listed in my first post. The guy has all the tools. He can break long runs, pound it in from the 2 yard line, and he CAN catch. I also contend that he CAN take a beating and keep on going.

Richard Huntley, who they seem to be handing the backup job is BORING and average. I could find 20 other backups in the league who I could plug in and have perform as well as huntley. Bryson, on the other hand, has something special.

[Earthquake Enyart]

I think you are arguing about what color the garabage cans should be. If either of these guys has to play a lot, we are in trouble.

[lordofgun]

See, I disagree, EE. I think Bryson would do very well as a starter in the league.

[LtBillsFan66]

I don't think we would be in trouble if Bryson got the nod.

[lordofgun]

We weren't in trouble when he started last year...and remember the line he was running behind?

[BambinoSux]

I think Bryson would be the starter right now if he never got injured in his rookie year.

[bduff54]

maybe bambino. But henry was too good to pass up in the 3rd round

[John Doe]

I have yet to see Bryson do what Travis Henry does: take a play that is flat-out stuffed by the opposing defense and turn it into a 3-4 yard gain.

[LtBillsFan66]

I will be sold on Henry when I see him break a few 45 yard+ runs.

[BambinoSux]

BF1, that doesn't really matter now does it? How many 45+ runs did Thurman have his whole career? As I recall, not many. You don't have to crank of 50 yd runs every game to be a good rb. Thurman is among the all-time leaders in rushing and he never relied on the long plays.

[HenryRules]

Originally posted by John Doe
I have yet to see Bryson do what Travis Henry does: take a play that is flat-out stuffed by the opposing defense and turn it into a 3-4 yard gain.

I agree entirely. I think the true measure of a running back, especially in the style of offense that we will be running is a lack of rushes for negative yards. Bryson doesn't seem to be able to fight as well to get back to the line of scrimmage. IMO, a few rushes for -2 yards can be a lot more harmful to an offense than a rush of 45+ yards is helpful because 2nd and 12 or so is exactly what every defense wants to face.

Huntley is also the type of back that can fight to get back to the line of scrimmage.

And bduff, there's a big difference between dishing out the hits, as a fullback does, and receiving multiple hits per play as a running back does.

[LtBillsFan66]

The key in my statement is "a few" bambino. I want to see him break a few. I saw Antowain Smith do it, Bryson do it, now I want to see Travis do it.

[HenryRules]

Personally, Henry's games against the Dolphins, Jets, and Panthers are pretty much what I'd consider ideal games by a back. He had a couple of decently big runs (maybe 15-20 yards or so, but nothing huge), but almost every time he touched the ball, he seemed to gain 3 yards or more. Until I see Bryson do that, he provides nothing more than using a receiver running a reverse as your basic running plan.

[Drewpac]

Bryson has really poor running instincts. His moves remind me of Hershel Walker without the power. He is strictly a downhill runner. Unless were opening huge holes for him, Bryson will not gain much yardage. I wouldn't mind if we cut him. I like Morris much better as the back-up. He's a better pass catcher and he has better instincts.

[lordofgun]

I wouldn't mind seeing Morris in there either as the backup. He showed he can run and catch. ANYONE but Huntley!!!

I agree, HENRYRULES, that Bryson is not the guy I want as our everyday back...but that's only because we have Henry. I honestly don't know what some of you see in Huntley. I hope I'm wrong though because that's the direction the Bills seem to be heading toward.

[Drewpac]

I agree LOG. I really don't like Huntley at all. And I think he's getting up in age for a running back anyway. We should have never even brought him into camp. Oh well, I hope he's the one who gets the axe.

[lordofgun]

Amen Brutha!

[TedMock]

I don't think it's a matter of the staff giving up on bryson. They obviously feel he's worth more than a 3rd round pick or he'd be gone already. We have sooo many back up RB's right now and unfortunately he may be the odd man out. I do think he's better than huntley, probably good enough to start somewhere which is why he's on the block. We'll get more for him than we would for Morris, Huntley or Alexander. If you look at it that way it makes some sense. We don't need another starter, we need quality backups for temporary service. Bryson could go somewhere else and probably get 10-15 carries as "the other starter" in offenses that split backs like that.