It's Friday and so that means it's time for another installment of "Around The AFC East."

We'll kick things off today with Brian Galliford of Buffalo Rumblings:

Matty I: With the possibility that Marshawn Lynch might miss some time, could you tell us Dolphin fans a little bit about his potential replacements (Fred Jackson, Dwayne Wright, Xavier Omon)?

Brian G: Sure can, but first thing's first: keep in mind that it remains a possibility - and a possibility only - that Lynch might miss time.  Nothing is set in stone yet.  It's hard to deny that it's possible, but there is a precedent for these types of legal issues to avoid suspension under Roger Goodell's reign.

Jackson is a former undrafted free agent out of Coe College (Division III, Marv Levy's alma mater) that kicked around on the team's practice squad, led NFL Europa in rushing, and emerged as a viable threat last season.  He was used heavily in conjunction with Lynch at the end of the '07 season, and even if Lynch does avoid suspension, expect to see a lot of Jackson - especially as a receiver out of the backfield.  He's a smooth athlete, and while he lacks breakaway speed, he can eat up chunks of yardage.

Wright and Omon are very similar in that they're both slower, bigger and more physical than Lynch and Jackson.  Wright struggled last season as a rookie, and his straight-line speed about matches Keith Traylor's, but he can be a nice short-yardage complement to Jackson should Lynch miss time.  Omon is a bit of a mystery - as a Division II rookie, he's not exactly a lock for the roster.  If he makes it, he's got the cutting ability and power to be a nice short-yardage option as well.

My Take: It seems that Bills' fans have a very high opinion of Fred Jackson.  Personally, I've only really watched him closely in one game.  And that game, the one when he lit up the Dolphins for 115 yards, is a tough one to judge him on because everybody was lighting up the Dolphins for big yards on the ground last year.  So I'll admit that I'm curious to see what kind of player Jackson might be, considering he only has 58 carries under his belt in this league.  He'll be a player to keep an eye on as the season gets going.

A big thanks to Brian for helping us out.  And be sure to check out my response to his question over at Buffalo Rumblings, which might not be posted until later in the day due to Brian having to cover the legal mess that's unfolding in Buffalo right now.

Back with part 2 in a bit...

It's Friday, so it's time to go around the AFC East.

To kick things off today is Brian Galliford of Buffalo Rumblings:

Matty I: You said that you knew it was coming, and here it is.  What do you make of this Marshawn Lynch "potential hit and run" situation and how would the Bills cope with losing Lynch for any matter of games?  And how big of a distraction is this right now for Lynch and the entire Bills organization?

Brian G: It's difficult to discuss at this point because there's so little factual material surrounding the incident.  Lynch still hasn't spoken with Buffalo police, who continue to investigate the situation.  All I can say is this - the signs are pointing to Lynch being the driver, and if that turns out to be true, he could face up to a year in jail time (it's a misdemeanor crime).  The football deities know that I hope I'm wrong on that speculation.

All we get from team responses are the generic "no comment" and team media - so the reaction has generally been avoidance or support of Lynch.  I don't see how this can't be considered a distraction to the team, however - we're talking about Buffalo's best offensive player facing disciplinary action, after all.  They'll continue to handle it internally, but you better believe that this is on the minds of the coaches and front office.

We'd deal with a loss of Lynch just like we did last year - Fred Jackson would be the main ball-carrier, and either Dwayne Wright or rookie Xavier Omon would assume short yardage and goal line work.  It's clearly not ideal, but I don't think the running game would suffer greatly.  Offensive versatility, on the other hand, would suffer a major setback.

My Take: Sure, like all of you, I really hate the Buffalo Bills.  Despite that, though, I really hope this thing isn't as serious as it's sounding.  I don't want Lynch to miss any time.  First of all, he's a good, young player and the NFL can never have too many of those.  But more importantly, when the Dolphins beat the Bills in 2008, I don't want Bills fans to be able to use the excuse that their best offensive player wasn't playing in the game.

Alright, so I'm reaching a bit.  But if the Dolphins were to pull out a win against Buffalo in 2008, I'm sure you wouldn't want to hear all those Bills fans make excuses.

Thanks to Brian G for the time.  And be sure to head over to Buffalo Rumblings to see my response to his question.

Back with part 2 in a bit...

It's Friday, so it's time to again go "Around the AFC East."

Kicking us off today is Brian Galliford of Buffalo Rumblings:

Matty I: As we inch our way closer to training camp, who is the Buffalo Bill that typical NFL fans might not be too familiar with that we should keep a close eye on in 2008?  And conversely, who is the one player on the Bills that probably has gotten too much undeserved national attention?

Brian Galliford: While "national attention" is something that Bills players rarely get, a couple of names do come to mind here.  Keep your eye on RB Fred Jackson.  Marshawn Lynch (deservedly) gets all of the love from the media, but the fact of the matter is that at no level has Lynch ever carried a full rushing load.  If the Bills want to get the most out of their best offensive playmaker, they'll limit his rushing load a bit and get him more involved in the passing game (see: Tomlinson, L).  If that happens - and many Bills fans hope it does - then Jackson gets more touches, and he deserves them as well.  Jackson had an excellent three-game stretch last season in which he accumulated 337 yards on 46 touches, proving that he can be an excellent complement to Lynch.  His role should grow under new offensive coordinator Turk Schonert.

I hate to say this, but the one Bill that's probably talked about too much is LB Paul Posluszny.  Don't get me wrong - Poz produced well in the 10 healthy quarters of football he played last season, and I'm not alone in being excited to see what he has to offer in his second season.  But it seems that many "experts" point to his return as the reason that Buffalo's defense is solidified; it's probably going to help, but if the Bills defense makes improvements, the reasons will be named Stroud, Mitchell and McKelvin.  Posluszny has a bright future, but there's a lot of pressure on the kid, and it wouldn't be overly shocking to see him falter.  DE Aaron Schobel is an honorable mention in this category.

My Take:  I'd be lying if I didn't say I'm surprised Brian mentions Paul Posluszny as the one Buffalo Bill who is probably talked about too much by the national media.  I personally like "Poz" a lot and, unfortunately, think he's going to be a very good linebacker in this league.

Conversely, I think the most over-hyped Bills' player is Marshawn Lynch.  Do I think he's going to be good?  Yes.  But the media really hyped him up too much following his performance against the Bengals in which he sealed the game with that long TD run.  The media fails to point out how in 9 of the 13 games he played in, he averaged fewer than 4 yards per carry.  And if you take away that one long TD run against the Bengals (of 56 yards), Lynch would have averaged just 3.79 yards per carry for the season.  Those are hardly solid numbers.

Just my 2 cents there.  Take it for what it's worth (which is not very much).

And be sure to head over to Buffalo Rumblings to see my response to his Dolphins-related question.