Should Patriots Go After Bills Running Back Marshawn Lynch?

by Mike Cole on Thu, Sep 30, 2010 at 7:00AM

It's becoming more and more evident that the Buffalo Bills are looking to deal running back Marshawn Lynch before the Oct. 19 trading deadline.

Of course, Patriots running back Kevin Faulk just went down with a knee injury that will cost him the entire season.

Perhaps the Pats would be interested in acquiring the services of Lynch.

The first-round draft pick in 2007 has been stuck in Buffalo his entire career, where he has underachieved some. He has shown flashes of brilliance at times, though. In fact, the 24-year-old ran for over 1,000 yards in his first two seasons before rushing for only 450 yards in a disappointing 2009 season.

When Lynch was at his best in his second season, he also proved to be an adequate pass catcher out of the backfield when he picked up an even 300 yards on 47 receptions.

And although Lynch hasn't started a game this season, he's progressively gotten better from week to week. After being held to 3 yards on 13 carries in a Week 1 loss to the Dolphins, he rebounded in Week 2 against another good defense, Green Bay, with 64 yards.

But he saved his best performance thus far for this past Sunday when Buffalo took on the Pats at Gillette Stadium. The Cal product rushed for a season-high 79 yards, his most yards in one game save for Week 13 of last year since the 2008 season, the best of his career.

It's likely no coicidence that as the Bills get more and more desparate to move Lynch that they are giving him more touches. But the fact remains that in Weeks 2 and 3 Lynch made the most out of his touches and is now an attractive pickup for some teams.

Rumors are circulating that the Bills will likely be asking for something like a fourth-rounder, and Pats fans know how much Bill Belichick likes his draft picks. On the other hand, the Patriots just recently acquired a fourth-rounder for another former first-round pick in Laurence Maroney.

Regardless, the asking price seems small for a back like Lynch who was once the No. 12 pick in the draft. Add in the fact that Faulk is now out for the year, Maroney is gone and Fred Taylor hasn't shown the ability to stay on the field for the majority of the season for quite some time.

It may be worth the risk. What do you think? Should the Patriots go after Marshawn Lynch?

Share your thoughts below.