Shady McCoy is now the man in Buffalo who will be expected to carry most of the load for the Bills, and he will be asked to carry the ball so much that he could become the most impactful player on their team. He has the potential to run for well over 1,000 yards, and he could catch for 1000 yards if he is going to be used on every down. What would the Bills get from this, how can they protect Tyrod Taylor, and why use him in this way?
The Bills need help
The team has traded Sammy Watkins to LA, and they have an injured Tyrod Taylor under center. He is not in a position to drag the team along by slinging the ball all over the field, but he is capable of handing off and dumping off to McCoy. This could make McCoy very effective, and it could give him most of the offense to handle because there is no one else to do anything that will score points. McCoy is good enough for that, but he is not necessarily used to that. He is getting a bit older, and the Bills need to be careful with him.
Protecting Taylor
Protecting Tyrod Taylor is an important part of the offensive plan in Buffalo because they cannot allow him to get banged up during the season.
They were hoping to have him for at least this season, and they may be planning to use him in the future. He is a good quarterback who could grow under the right coaching staff, and this new staff may be the right one for him. We will not know until the season is over, but it will all be for nothing if he is getting hit all the time. Using McCoy all the time gives Taylor some protection that will prevent him from getting hurt.
Sneak into the playoffs
The Bills likely will not sneak into the playoffs, but they may be able to if the bottom of the AFC is really bad. The teams that get wild card spots could be 8-8, and they could win tiebreakers with teams like the Titans and Chiefs. That would make the postseason interesting because they could be on course to play the Patriots in the divisional round.
It is not a certainty that any of this will happen, but it could be interesting to see if the Bills are able to hold it together this year.
Confidence
Shady McCoy makes the Bills more confident if he is their consistent offensive piece. The players on the team will feel more comfortable because they are given something that they can look to for hope. They know that McCoy can break off a few runs, catch a few passes, and give the team a chance to win. That is much more heartening than sitting around waiting to lose to the Patriots.