On day two of OTAs for the Bills running back Marshawn Lynch looked quick in and out of the hole, quick around the corner and quick catching out of the backfield. All of that quickness is due in part to the experience he gained as a rookie in 2007. It's made him a far more decisive player than the one that was still able to roll up over 1,100 yards rushing despite missing three games last season.
"You just know what to expect coming in so it kind of gives you an edge and I've been working on my edge,"
said Lynch.
Spending a full offseason in an NFL strength and conditioning program has also benefited Lynch who feels he's in a bit better shape than he was as a rookie. But there's one extra element to his training regimen that Lynch has added on his own to give him that edge.
"Something that's been helping me out a lot is this pool workout I've been doing,"
said Lynch. "It's running underwater and swimming laps. It's just a little something that I like to do on the side."
Lynch, who taught himself to swim just by watching kids his age swim at his town pool growing up, considers it a hobby. But he likes the benefits it gives him for football.
"I remember right before I went to Pop Warner football practice I would go swimming first and it helped out with these shoulders a little bit,"
he said. "So I'm getting back to it. For the most part it's just something I like to do. So I might as well add it on and make it a little fun."
Bills strength and conditioning coordinator J.T. Allaire, who incorporates some underwater training into his program believes training in the pool can help any position player on the field.
"It's great training because of the resistance and the fact that the athlete is not pounding on his joints,"
Allaire said.
Lynch believes the reduced pounding on his hips, knees and ankles has helped to give him a bit more spring in his step with football-related activities back underway.
"I'm feeling pretty good,"
he said. "I actually thought my body would be feeling a little worse than it actually is, but I'm feeling good."
And on the field he's looking good weaving his way in and out of traffic and effectively turning the corner and getting upfield. Granted it's not live football, but the jump is there.
Lynch believes that jump is also a byproduct of Turk Schonert's up tempo offense. With the Bills new offensive coordinator turning things up a notch, Lynch is at the ready and responding.
"With the new wrinkles that he has added, speeding up the tempo a little bit, it's exciting,"
said Lynch. "It keeps you on your toes and you can never even try to take a play off because you'll get left behind so fast."
The Bills feature back believes Schonert's approach is a good one and he doesn't deny it'd be nice improve on some of his own numbers as well.
"Something that Coach 'E' (running game coordinator Eric Studesville) has always wanted to incorporate into the offense was get the running back a few catches,"
said Lynch. "Now we're just putting a little more in and practicing it a little more. Just being able to go out there and catch the defense off guard a few times and probably boost up those stats or something. With the things that (Schonert) has been doing I feel it's going to be a big help for our team."
