By PFC Bills Reporter John Franklin Jr.
Earlier this week Bills running back Marshawn Lynch plead guilty to a minor traffic violation. He had his license revoked and was fined $150. The decision is now in the hands of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
I personally think Lynch should not be suspended at all. He was not charged with a criminal act like many of the other suspended players in the league during the last couple seasons. The Bills head into the season with high hopes and losing Lynch for a couple games could really be a major hit to this young team dependent on Lynch. With season tickets on pace for record sales this year fans are no doubt excited about this team.
Now the Bills must deal with the holdout of All-Pro left tackle Jason Peters, who never showed up for the OTA’s or the Mandatory Camps a couple weeks ago. I see this as the most crucial off season matter. Last season when Peters went down the offense wasn’t the same. A left tackle of this caliber is very rare to land these days as there are only a few left tackles on this level. Peters is not even in his prime and could be dominant in this league for yrs. He is critical to Lynch and Edwards progression as well.
Another situation that must be resolved is the contract of Lee Evans. He enters the final year of his contract and is coming off a poor season where he only caught 5 touchdowns. Part of this may be due to the lack of a true #2 WR or the QB carousel in Buffalo last season. The Bills made an offer last month but contract negotiations are still open. The Bills better hope that he does sign a decent deal before the season, because with the addition of Hardy, Evans may have a record season.
Once all these situations are cleared up and this team is focused totally on football, I think it could be the beginning of something great in Buffalo, just what the fans have been waiting for for the last 10 seasons.
3 responses so far ↓
1 Thurmannumber1 // Jun 29, 2008 at 3:52 am
Nice column, John.
If Marshawn gets suspended, though, it won’t be because of the effect it would have on the Bills. Goodell shouldn’t and won’t care about that.
It will simply be whether or not Goodell thinks he deserves a suspension. I think the offense, a hit-and-run incident, is serious enough for a possible suspension, but if Goodell believes Marshawn’s statement that he didn’t know he hit her, he might think he’s dealing with a lousy driver rather than a criminal, and that’s not enough for a suspension.
Thanks, John.
2 woodstockme // Jun 29, 2008 at 5:27 am
Good article. I agree. If Lynch were suspended for a traffic violation, Goodell would be setting a bad precedent as I am sure each team has a number of players who receive traffic violations each year. In addition, Goodell has said that sanctions of suspension and fines are generally for repeat offenders, something ML is not. That is not to say Lynch might not suffer consequences should he have further negative involvement with law enforcement. Hopefully he learns from this.
I think the Peters’ issue will be resolved before training camp. Contract issues are a part of life in professional football.
3 livewire89 // Jun 29, 2008 at 11:33 am
Nice read.
Pretty good sum up of what’s been going on this off-season, and I completely agree. It is absolutely crucial that the Bills lock down Peters for many years to come, or the OL could be in big trouble again.
As for Lynch… None of us will ever know if he actually knew he hit her or not, but at least the matter is resolved and will likely NOT be a suspension due to it not being the misdemeanor that it would usually be.
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