The Buffalo Bills announced that the new outside linebacker, Shaq Lawson, is going to have surgery on his shoulder. Specialists speculate that the problem was “discovered” on pre-season workouts. Coach Rex Ryan said in previous interviews that Lawson was to play since day one, but that ship already left the dock. The Bills said that a date for his return has not been established yet.
Many people thought the Bills made an excellent pick when they put their hands on Lawson. Both the coach and fans got into the hype train because last season, The Buffalo Bills’ defense was lacking and the new addition could have changed that. However, rough training at St. John Fisher College in Pittsford, New York, could have worsened a pre-existing condition. Yes, Shaq Lawson was a coveted player, but he made it until the number 19 pick for a good reason.
According to Adam Scheffer, a lot of teams believed that the outside back liner needed surgery. In fact, six teams believed that anyone signing Mr. Lawson would immediately take him to surgery for him to be ready as soon as possible.
The implications
Sometimes in business, people are forced to take risks with a big decision, and Buffalo Bills General Manager, Doug Whaley, took his chances with Lawson, but it’s too soon to start pointing fingers. According to Mr. Whaley, the Bills medical staff assessed the situation and after throughout study, they gave Shaq a big green light.
“[Our] medical staff cleared him, said he can play,” Whaley said. “Now, if something happens, it’s going to happen. But it’s nothing that we’re real worried about or we wouldn’t have taken him. We got complete faith in our medical staff and they signed off on him, so we’re excited to have him.”
So far, nor the team or Doug Whaley have said anything about these previous statements.
The coach is going to have a hard time trying to pull out a decent defense. Rex wanted Lawson and Reggie Ragland to team up and revive the Bills defense, but Mr. Ragland will have to do, or so the fans hope. Some experts are naming the veteran Manny Lawson as a possibility to fill the void, but we will have to wait until management speaks.
Source: Pro Football Talk