Lawson's Injured, but Criticism Not Needed Yet

The injuries are beginning to hit the Bills, as it seems they do every year. Buffalo Bills 1st round pick, Shaq Lawson, underwent successful surgery this morning on his right shoulder. Now, Lawson must play the game of "Wait and Recover," as it has been suggested that he may be on the self for 4-6 months. For a rookie, losing this much amount of time to learn the system and get familiar with the franchise is crucial to a players young career. With that said, many fans and analysts are now questioning the amount of accountability being held for Doug Whaley and Rex Ryan's actions.

It was initially stated straight out of the draft, from medical crews, Whaley, Ryan, and even Lawson himself that the right shoulder of Lawson was "100% ready to go," which of course, is not the case. Lawson's shoulder issues were known months going into the draft. Adam Schefter, ESPN analyst tweeted during the draft that several teams even went as far as to take Lawson off of their draft board. That didn't stop the bold minds of Ryan and Whaley though, as they believed Lawson was an excellent talent, despite the reports of his injuries. It's speculated that Rex and Whaley were well aware of the injury, but thought the surgery could be put off until next offseason. It could not, and thus, fans seem to be very upset with the coach and GM of the Bills.

"If the Bills knew Lawson had injury issues and may miss up to half the season, why did the Bills take the risk on him?"

"Whaley and Rex don't think about the future, only now."

"Whaley and Rex lied to everyone when they said Lawson was okay."

Those are all loose quotes from Bills fans that I've heard since yesterday. Some fans are even calling for Whaley's job. To any fans questioning Whaley and Ryan about this pick, I say; don't. The Buffalo Bills will be just fine. I understand the concern, especially since this seems like a typical Buffalo scenario in the typical 16 year playoff drought, but it's not time to push the panic button yet, and here's why;

•  Most fans knew that Lawson had this nagging shoulder injury that would require attention eventually. 
• Getting this treatment done now will prevent further injury in the future. Let Lawson rest and rehab now, and he will come back full strength and ready to go.
• Buffalo will get his services eventually. The idea of not having an exciting, disruptive first round talent for, at most, half the season does not sound good to me at all. But, if this team can have a decent record when he returns, Lawson can help further the playoff push. 

Whaley and Rex are not the ones to blame here. Lawson was definitely a first round talent, and despite this injury, he will hopefully be a force when fully healed, like he's expected to be. Lawson was one of the best defensively ranked players in the draft. He is very versatile, and can tackle, sack the QB and even play a bit of coverage.  They took a gamble, yes, but I don't think this pick is a bad one at all. I think he will prove that to all of us in his return. What do you guys think? Thanks for reading, and as always, let's go Buffalo!

Image #1: Bill Wippert/Associated Press 

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