The Bills announced late Tuesday that they traded RB Marshawn Lynch to the Seattle Seahawks for "undisclosed draft choices."
I've been waiting for this moment forever, yet I'm not doing my happy dance like everyone would have expected, myself included. What...an interesting twist. Don't misunderstand me. I'm not heartbroken or anything. True, I did recant some of my previous Marshawn hating in light of his decent performance during the first few games of this season. Yes, I used the phrase "beast mode" in a few posts and some might say it seemed like I was back to being a fan. But the real truth is, it's only been four weeks and that wasn't enough time for me to abandon my love for Freddy J and the work he did last season, or to give up on CJ's potential. So while behaving myself, I am most definitely pleased with the move.
Why the noticeably calmer BillsChick reaction, though? Here are 8 reasons:
1) Hypothetically, you'd believe we made the trade because the aforementioned "undisclosed draft choices" will pan out in our favor and allow us to make some big moves come next spring to further the restructuring and rebuilding effort going on over at One Bills Drive. I'm all for taking a proactive approach to regaining our success from the Golden Years (you can't focus soley on the "now," you've got to also think about the future), and since our draft picks will be crucial next season, this (hypothetically, remember) seems smart.
2) Don't forget about some of the troubles Lynch has brought us. The legal issues might not have affected gameplay, persay, but it had the potential to when he sat out the first three weeks of last season, at which point we didn't yet know Freddy J would perform as well as he did. Lynch seems like a G and as an honorary G (you didn't know?) I'm all for keepin' it real, but "real" shouldn't mean felony charges and negative media coverage...G's have to know when to keep that on the low.
3) Fred Jackson worked his beautiful little bum off last season, salvaging what one could loosely call an offense--not to mention the way he actually got himself into the NFL. He's a fighter and I felt all season (and offseason) that he should be starting RB and get the chance to continue what he started in 2009. What he started, by the way, was to rack up 2,516 combined yards (rushing and receiving) in one season, making that the fourth most in NFL history. Hold up a sec...where are those d-bags knocking my "stinky running backs" now? Told ya you were pulling stuff out your a$$.
4) This will allow C.J. Spiller to get more carries and not only improve for himself, but hopefully continue to be a strong force for us. It's important to know we have a reliable run game while our passing game (ahem, the O-line) gets itself together.
5) Marshawn's hair disturbed me. I understand the helmet probably made it difficult to keep it lookin' fresh, but still. Not great.
6) I'm actually...wait for it...happy for Lynch. As much as everyone ragged on how his performance kind of just peetered and leveled off after his first season with us, think about how frustrating that must have been for HIM. Whenever my race times aren't as fast as I feel I could have run, I beat myself up over it. He's a professional football player and this sport is his life. It must have killed him to try and fall short. Seattle will give him the opportunity to make a fresh start. He deserves it and I wish him all the best.
7) They'll make more Jackson jerseys now, thus upping my chances of finding one in my size.
8) According to buffalobills.com, Freddy J talked to him right after the trade was announced and he said Lynch will miss everyone but is excited to start anew. He's parting ways on a good note, why should I sour that with misplaced glee?
GO BILLS!!!