Much of the talk about the 2007 Buffalo Bills has been about the rookies: running back Marshawn Lynch and quarterback Trent Edwards. Lynch is having the better season, although Edwards is holding his own. Last Sunday, however, it wasn't Lynch who led the team in rushing, it was -- wait for it -- Fred Jackson.
I'm neither a Bills nor Dolphins fan, but watched part of this game because ... well, because I was morbidly curious. And yeah, the Dolphins are worse than advertised. But the Bills are playing inspired football at the exact right point in the season.
And perhaps no one offers more on-field inspiration than Jackson, who finished with 115 yards on 15 carries (7.7 average). He made his way to Buffalo via the Sioux City Bandits (United Indoor Football League -- I had to look it up) and Rhein Fire (NFL Europe) before landing on the Bills' practice squad last year. Oh, and he went to Division III Coe College too.
Jackson, who played a key role in Buffalo's win in Washington the previous week in his first career NFL start, served as the perfect tag-team partner for Lynch against Miami as he piled up 115 yards on 15 carries. It was the first time since Dallas' Chris Warren in 1998 that a Division III running back had topped 100 yards rushing in an NFL game.Impeccable timing, what with Lynch returning from an ankle injury, and Anthony Thomas done for the year. The Bills' biggest game of the season is Sunday, when they travel to Cleveland. The Browns currently hold the last wild card spot, and the Bills are one game back. I don't think many people had this matchup pegged as one that would determine a postseason berth back when the schedules were released.
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