3rd Down Back

I would rather see Reed blocking than Lynch. I believe is the best person we have to pick up/reading blitzes (and there is not doubt that Edwards will be seing a lot of blitzing). It does not do our offense much justice if we have Lynch blocking in the backfield nor does our offense succeed if Edwards is on his back all game. Whether you like it or not Reed will be a part of this offense on third down and long. I think this is one way to utilize his talents.

The third down back needs to be multi dimensional in that they must block on occassion and be able to run after short catches. How does this not fit for Reed. If we line up 3 WR and 2RB with the 2 backs being Reed and Lynch either is dangerous in motion or in the backfield and gives us more options.

To counter the points above. I do not see the Bills using a FB in the shotgun on third and long. So to compare using a FB or Reed is irrelevant. I am comparing using either Lynch or Jackson and Reed or using Reed as oppose to having a TE on the field. I should have made more clear in my initial post that the situations I am referring to as ‘3rd down back’ are for 3rd and 5 or more.

Krytime: I agree he will be moved around alot but I believe the amount of snaps he is on the field for will be substantially less as I anticipate him sitting on the sidelines for most situations when we have only 2 WRs on the field.

Sorry for the confusion: In a shotgun formation I would like to see (and wanted others thoughts) on putting Reed next to Edwards in the RB position…have 3 WRs and then 1 TE (either Royal, or Johnson or the new kid from Kansas). Or Line both Reed and Lynch up on each side of Edwards with no TE and 3 WR’s.

I would like to see the Bills use Reed the same way the Patriots use Kevin Faulk, as a pass catching Third Down Running Back.

Training camp. pre-season etc. I say try everything that you think may improve your team. Sure its a long shot but, Reed was a decent RB ,before he switched to WR , If he can help the offense in multiple ways , good for him, it will only help his longevity and I am sure he would not mind that. Thinking out of the box , has not always been a strong suit of the Bills but maybe its time has come , so I say ,Why Not look at it ,You never know what you may find.

I thought Lynch did an admirable job blocking. Overall I did not have any complaints about the effort or job performance of Lynch when it came to blocking. However, it shotgun formation a blitzing linebacker or safety takes its toll on the body when you need to block them, probably more than just an normal run. Therefore, I would rather see Reed’s body take that punishment than Lynch and keep Lynch as fresh to run the ball. I really like lining both Reed and Lynch in the backfield. Parrish in the slot, and Hardy and Evans wide. Therefore Lynch can flare out hopefully drawing a mismatch and Reed can block oncoming blitzes or be a dump off.

Kurupt: That is exactly my thoughts. In my opinion, the only reason they didn’t try it last year was b/c they truly had no one to line up in the #2 WR spot and needed him to act as a WR. This year hopefully they can move people around with the addition of Hardy.

I also would like to get Lynch the ball as much as possible to those of you who dont want to decrease Lynch’s touches, but when you give a player a down or two off it can increase their effectiveness. Reed should be very fresh when he comes into games and we all know he plays hard. I have no doubt that REed would throw his body into blocks and since he understands the offense well (this is coming from the coaching staff) he should see the oncoming blitzes better than anyone…he will also see plays develope and help Trent.