There's no room for Lynch now that Bills have Spiller

NEW YORK -- So much for Buffalo's faith in Marshawn Lynch.

With the draft of running back C.J. Spiller, Lynch just became a hood ornament. I know the Bills said he's not for sale and all that, but tell me who believes that after they just spent the ninth pick of the draft on a running back who can do everything -- including return kicks.

I don't.

OK, so Spiller is a different kind of back. At 5-foot-10½, 196 pounds, he's not all that big. He's more explosive than powerful. He's not the guy you run between the tackles. And he might not be the guy who carries 20-25 times a game.

But so what? The Bills already have someone who can do that, and I'm not talking about Lynch. I'm talking about Fred Jackson.

Lynch didn't lead the Bills in rushing last year, Jackson did. In fact, Jackson ran for over 1,000 yards, had over 1,000 yards in returns and gained 4.5 yards per carry. If there's a back who is expendable, it's not Jackson, it's Lynch, with Spiller pushing him out.

"I don't know what my role will be," Spiller said, "but whatever it is, you have to be willing to accept it. My main priority is to go in there and learn and not be The Man. I don't know anything right now."

Well, he should know that if you're a 6-10 team and you spend a top-10 pick on a running back, you're doing it for one reason -- to make him The Man. Lynch can read anything he wants into this move, but if I'm him, I contact my real-estate agent, his future just ended in Buffalo. Granted, the Bills aren't going to give the guy away. But they will get rid of him.

Lynch was productive for the Bills, but, frankly, his off-the-field issues wore them out. Furthermore, when he had to sit out early last season because of an NFL-mandated suspension, the Bills discovered they didn’t miss him because they discovered Jackson. Once that happened, Lynch’s future in Buffalo was in jeopardy.

Now it is over.

"I wasn't surprised at all," Spiller said of his selection. "When I laid down last night, I kind of reflected on some teams that I had visited, and the Bills just kept coming to my mind. You know, I knew that that was probably what my destination was going to be. I'm excited that they selected me, and I promise that they will not regret making the selection."

I believe him. Some people call Spiller this year's Chris Johnson, a tribute to the guy's explosive, game-changing skills. Spiller was the ACC Player of the Year, and he drew comparisons there to Reggie Bush, whose pro career has been just fine, thank you. In any case, what Buffalo wanted was a playmaker with electricity, and they just got the best one in the draft.

"Without a doubt, he has first-round talent and top-10 talent," said former star running back Marshall Faulk, now a broadcaster with NFL Network. "[But the question is] can he make that jump from college to the NFL and how well does he run between the tackles? That's starting to be the theme for guys because of the spread system.

After only three years, Marshawn Lynch's career in Buffalo seems to have hit a dead end. (US Presswire)

"He spent time in the 'I' [formation] and the single-back. They ran a lot of conventional offenses, and he made a lot of his big plays. Although some of them came on special teams, I still feel the guy can get the job done. But when you're a returner, what are you seeing? When you're a running back, you're not seeing bodies and numbers; it's colors. So how he is going to make that adjustment to a much faster game? Also, can he accept the 3-, 2- or 1-yard carry and not try to make more of it and keep the integrity of the play?

"All those things are going to be challenges, as they were for me or Reggie Bush or any other back that comes into the NFL. The big play will always be there. The question is: Can he accept the smaller plays? Because that's the lure -- to gain the big yardage.

"How he deals [with] not getting the big play every time is going to be insurmountable to his career. In your first five years, you can outrun people and bounce [to the outside]. But in your next five years, when you're not as fast, and you may have some nicks, can you still be efficient and effective to help your team?"

I don't know. But I don't care.

Leave the short gains to Jackson. Spiller is what NFL Network analyst Steve Mariucci called "a gem as a role player," and I don't care what that role is. All I know is Buffalo just picked up the best back in the draft, the best returner in the draft, and someone who is so explosive that he just blew Marshawn Lynch out of the Bills' future.