Running back

has not yet shown up for offseason conditioning

workouts with the Buffalo Bills.

He lost his starting job last season to Fred Jackson.

He has had run-ins with the law in Buffalo.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out he would not mind finding a new NFL home with some

other team.

Has he demanded a trade? I don't know. His agent has not returned calls from The Buffalo

News. But word within the locker room is he would not be disappointed at all if he were

shipped elsewhere.

The problem, of course, is Lynch damaged his own trade value by getting suspended for the

first four games of last season due to off-the-field problems. The trade market for Lynch is

depressed. Everyone in the NFL loves the physical tools Lynch brings to the field. But if he

runs afoul of the law again in a noteworthy way, he would face a suspension even longer than

four games.

Bills coach Chan Gailey last month had nothing but praise for Lynch's ability and

said he liked the idea of having two good running backs. He also said he would like to find a

scat-type back somewhere in the draft, which makes sense. The Bills have plenty of other needs

and don't need to create another one by jettisoning Lynch.

What could the Bills fetch for Lynch? Not a great return considering he was the 12th

overall pick in the draft in 2007. It would depend on whether there were more than one team

interested. Willis McGahee, who had a tad more production than Lynch through three

seasons and no baggage, fetched a third-rounder. McGahee was coming off a 990-yard rushing

season when he was dealt. Lynch had 450 last season. So a fourth-rounder might be the best the

Bills could get, if there were an eager suitor.

Lynch still has three years left on his contract, so that's no hindrance to making a deal.

But it also doesn't put any pressure on the Bills to move Lynch.

The contract, combined with Jackson's 1,000-yard rushing season last year, gives Lynch no

leverage. Zero.

Having Lynch to share the rushing load and provide great insurance if Jackson got hurt

would be far more valuable to the Bills than anything they would get out of a fourth-round

pick this year.

The best thing Lynch can do to earn a ticket out of town would be to show up and have a

productive season. That would boost his trade value and make it easier for him to be moved.

OT rule was needed





A look at kicking statistics provides more evidence of why it was time for the NFL to

adjust the overtime rule for the postseason. By the sounds of the debate, it seems the league

may well approve to expand the new rule to the regular season when the owners convene at their

May meeting. For the record, the new rule for the playoffs ensures that the team on defense on

the first possession will get an offensive possession if the opposing team kicks a field goal.

If the team with the first offensive possession scores a touchdown, the game is over.

The overtime rule originally was passed in 1974. In the 1973 season, NFL place-kickers made

just 39 percent of their attempts from 40 to 49 yards. They made just 16 percent of their

attempts from 50 yards or more. Jim Bakken, the NFL's all-decade kicker of the 1960s,

never made a 50-yarder in his career and hit 43 percent for his career from 40 to 49 yards.

Fast forward to today's game. Over the past four seasons, NFL place-kickers have averaged 73

percent from 40 to 49 yards and 53 percent from 50 and beyond.

The impact of the overtime rule is far different than it was when it was instituted 36 years

ago.

Gronkowski status





For the record, Williamsville native Rob Gronkowski helped his draft prospects with

an impressive showing at his pro-day workout at the University of Arizona nine days ago.

Gronkowski, 6-foot-6 and 258 pounds, looks certain to be taken no lower than the second round

and might creep into later part of the first round.

He missed all of last season due to back surgery and did not run at the scouting combine,

preferring to wait until he was in top shape. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.65 seconds with the

wind and 4.73 seconds into the wind. He ran 4.47 seconds in the short shuttle, 7.18 seconds in

the three-cone drill and leaped 33 inches in the vertical jump, and 9-foot, 11-inches

in the broad jump.

"He's going to be drafted in the first round," gushed Gronkowski's agent, Drew

Rosenhaus.

Oklahoma's Jermaine Gresham, who might be picked just ahead of Gronkowski, ran 4.68 in

the 40, 4.53 in the short shuttle and 7.07 in the three-cone drill. He had a vertical jump of

35 inches and a broad jump of 9 feet, 5 inches.

Rob's brother, Chris Gronkowski, is an Arizona fullback who is likely to get invited to

some team's camp. (Not many fullbacks get drafted). He's 6-2, 239 and ran 4.72 in the 40.



Onside kicks





• The expectation is the NFL schedule will

be released either April 13 or 14. It came out Tuesday, April 14 last year.

• Kicker Jason Elam retired after 17 seasons. He shared the record for longest

field goal in NFL history (63 yards) with Tom Dempsey.

• Texas QB Colt McCoy showed he was fully healthy this week in a workout for pro

scouts. McCoy pinched a nerve in his shoulder on the fifth play of the national title game

versus Alabama and hadn't thrown for scouts since.



"I thought he threw the ball beautifully," Seattle coach Pete Carroll said. "I love to see him

on the move. He's such a natural athlete and moves so well. His footwork is really good, I

thought, for all of the shotgun time he spent. That's one of the things that everybody is

looking at. He looked very comfortable."