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When the Bills brass assembled on the Pegula yacht and traded Kiko Alonso for LeSean McCoy, the Bills acquired a face for their new ground and pound offense. What wasn’t foreseen was the emergence of super-rookie Karlos Williams and the discovery of the big play potential of street free agent Mike Gillislee. The Bills were doubly blessed with the ability of Tyrod Taylor to make something out of nothing as a mobile quarterback and the creativity of offensive coordinator Greg Roman.
Key Stats
While the Bills did not have a 1,000 yard rusher, they did amass 2,432 yards total, good for the number 1 rushing attack in the NFL. That came in large part thanks to LeSean McCoy (895), Tyrod Taylor (568) and Karlos Williams (517 yards) leading the way. During the season, injuries took all three off of the field and players such as Boobie Dixon (44) and Mike Gillislee (267) to step up from their ST role or in the case of Gillislee, off the street.
Shady’s injuries early and late were not a rebuttal of the “close to 30” running back argument vis a vis his contract rework prior to agreeing to the trade. That is again a story for another day, as Shady is guaranteed to be on the roster and juking fools for at least the next season or two, which does this Pitt alum’s heart glad.
The Bills also had a positive “big play” rushing differential (10 yards or more), leading the league with 70 such plays and conceding 41, good for +29 overall. Going forward, if they can maintain that and lower some of the big runs allowed, that bodes well for continued success of Ground and Pound.
Possible FA Fits
Given the relatively “snug” nature of the Bills 2016 cap situation, adding a back to the fold (even as a swap for say Boobie Dixon) may be a tall task. That being said, here are two that stood out as possibilities:
Bilal Powell, Jets – Trying to re-unite with Rex after the Jets stepped up with a 1 year, 2 million dollar deal may seem appealing to Powell, particularly because the Jets have become a Chris Ivory focused team. In Buffalo there’d be another Rex-friendly voice that can also contribute to special teams.
Chris Polk, Texans – After being used sparingly despite Arian Foster’s injury, Polk may want another 1 year minimum prove it deal to allow himself a chance to run. In Buffalo, even as that aforementioned fourth/ST option Greg Roman has shown that if you can run the ball, you’ll get the ball.
Final Thoughts
With the current 3 headed-beast signed through 2017 at the earliest the Bills are in good shape. The key will be making sure at least one of their top backs are healthy enough for the long haul of a playoff push. Given the injuries that occurred in 2015, that may be a tall task. If the Bills decided to pick another later round running back, I think the days of Boobie D may be numbered.
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