Bills’ Parrish can acquire rocket fuel on the West Coast

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Roscoe Parrish has already demonstrated that he’s proficient in the West Coast offense, sort of. Specifically, his most prominent knack, namely the ability to juke gunners on punt returns and then race downfield, is similar to the offensive system’s reliance on yards after catches. While he’s been most spectacular on kicking plays and not out of a traditional formation, the man who has too often been left idling could finally be energy efficient in the Bills’ 2008 system, especially considering that he’s already made himself mildly noticeable at training camp.

While offensive coordinator Turk Schonert seems intent on installing a scheme using Bill Walsh’s principles and not the late genius’ wholesale structure, it’s still apparent that the Bills will be inclined to use quick drop backs, brief routes, and plenty of targets. The primary beneficiary should be quarterback Trent Edwards, as his penchant for delivering accurately thrown short passes and capacity to supervise are good skills for quarterbacks mentally residing on the West Coast.

But Parrish could get a payoff from the new philosophy, too. He’s only compiled 73 receptions over his three campaigns, and the Miami product’s career average of 11.2 yards gained per catch isn’t overwhelming, either. A bit of math leads to an outcome of 820 career yards gained on offense, a threadbare total even for a specialist who isn’t counted upon to be a top two receiver.

So what could change his fringe status in the offense? The key is the same as it’s been his first three seasons, namely finding a way to use what he does well. Lawfully, Parrish must be referred to as a “speedster” in any piece about him, and it’s for good reason: His fleetness is his defining characteristic as a footballer, even though he’s also showing an uncommon toughness for his frame by absorbing licks at recent practices to complement his displays of velocity. But he can’t use said pace without first making a reception.

The fact that coaches have failed to get the ball in his hands to begin with has impeded Parrish from becoming a kinetic threat, as his potential remains bottled. It’s like watching an American-produced Jackie Chan film and seeing the star’s talent go to waste, as people who have no idea what to do with an individual’s skill set nonetheless get to misuse the poor soul.

But the good news for the Bills is that former offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild is now preparing to bore a college team (Colorado State) to death by leading it to a wretched performance, and new boss Schonert is sympathetic toward concepts that should benefit frustrated yet dynamic components such as Parrish.

Quick throws in his direction will allow him to send prospective tacklers out of position before racing downfield, especially if the staff uses Parrish on slants where he could jet past cover men either before, during, or just after making a catch. If it helps him visualize success, he can pretend that he’s just fielded a punt.

With Parrish, it’s not a matter of sending him long; rather, it’s sending him short and then letting him sprint away after the reception. A style of offense utilizing rapid connections will allow Parrish to do his best work, specifically by schooling secondary members the same way he’s already embarrassed so many special teams foes.

(realfootball365.com)