“I love the ambiance, I love the décor, I spend a lot of time thinking about which I like more…the ambiance, or the décor.” – Marshawn Lynch to Kenny Mayne, expounding on the finer points of dining at the Buffalo Applebee’s. Watch the whole piece on YouTube if you want to truly understand why Lynch is The Prince of Buffalo:

It’s a hilarious segment that appeared on ESPN’s NFL Countdown on October 21^st, the day the Bills spoiled Willis McGahee’s return to Buffalo by beating the Ravens 19-14, and is must-see for any Bills fan. It sheds light on the personality of Bills rookie running back Marshawn Lynch, drafted 12^th overall out of Cal, who is currently the 10^th leading rusher in the NFL with 537 yards and 4 touchdowns. Through seven games, Lynch has proven himself to be an extremely powerful, fast back who can break tackles, convert first downs, and drag the pile forward for extra yardage. He’s has been particularly successful running to the left side of the Bills revamped offensive line behind tackle Jason Peters and the Bills forty nine million-dollar man, guard Derrick Dockery. While several teams were reportedly wary of drafting Lynch because of alleged “character issues” stemming from a domestic incident with a former girlfriend in which he was never charged or arrested, he’s quickly proven the doubters wrong. Like Chuck D says, don’t believe the hype: Lynch is a self-avowed mama’s boy who moved his mother with him to Buffalo and has completely embraced the city. He looks like the crown jewel of GM Marv Levy’s fantastic second draft class that also included promising, injured linebacker Paul Posluszny and QB Trent Edwards.

Despite his early success, Lynch is still waiting for his breakout game. He’s yet to have his first 100 yard rushing day, though his 76.7 yards per game average is impressive. But anyone who’s been watching him run the ball knows the breakout’s coming soon. It might have happened Sunday against the Jets if he didn’t miss several series with a minor hip injury, but Lynch showed a lot of heart fighting through it to rush for 80 yards, 57 of which came in the 4^th quarter when the Bills needed him to chew up the clock.

Lynch has been held back by conservative play-calling from offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild, who has been reluctant to open up the passing game with Trent Edwards at QB, or to deviate from pounding Lynch between the tackles. Fairchild needs to find more creative ways to get his rookie running back the ball in space. Without the threat of a deep passing game, defenses have been stacking 8 and 9 men in the box, and there have been stretches where Lynch hasn’t been able to find any running room up the middle. The Bills need to call more outside runs and let Lynch get to the edge on sweeps, where he can utilize the home-run ability he showed at Cal. The screen pass would also be a welcome addition to the Bills offensive playbook, especially given that their stud tackle Jason Peters was originally singed as an undrafted tight end out of Arkansas, and seemingly has the athleticism to be a devastating on-the-move blocker.

Maybe the official coronation hasn’t happened just yet, but when it does, it’ll be huge. Then again, Marshawn Lynch is already The Prince of Buffalo.

By Alex Moaba