Rex Ryan is coaching in a new place this season, but his football philosophy hasn't seemed to change much. After acquiring running back LeSean McCoy this offseason for linebacker Kiko Alonso, Ryan is planning to punish teams in "old school" fashion.
"We prefer to ground and pound it, we're going to run it 50 times if we can on you," Ryan said. That's good news for McCoy, who may have expected to see decreased production and action after leaving Chip Kelly's running back friendly scheme in Philadelphia.
Last season McCoy had a down year for fantasy owners, even if his full-season totals don't appear to be lacking. McCoy carried the ball 312 times, piling up 1,319 rushing yards and 1,474 yards from scrimmage. Fantasy owners will angrily point out that he only rushed for 100-plus yards four times all season though, and he failed to have a multi-touchdown game all season.
Still, workload is king for fantasy running backs and in Philadelphia McCoy had back-to-back 300-carry seasons. He is still going to get the rock with the Bills, and he may find more open lanes to run through thanks to superior skill players around him. Matt Cassel at quarterback isn't much of an upgrade over the Eagles' quarterbacks last year, or may not be an upgrade at all, but Sammy Watkins is a top-flight pass catcher.
The Bills also added versatile tight end Charles Clay this year, whom Ryan said was Buffalo's top target in free agency.
"First off, this guy is a hard guy to defend," Ryan said of Clay. "Real multiple in what you can do with him, so he creates matchup problems. He's too fast for a linebacker, and too big for a corner to cover. You've got to love that matchup with him. And he's a guy that's perfectly suited to what we're looking for in Greg Roman's type offense. We love his versatility."
McCoy might have upset his owners in 2014, but he should be in for a stellar campaign this year, and has the look of a possible first pick.
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