The Buffalo Bills have an agenda to end a drought that has consistently plagued them for seven playoffs. They may have finally come into their rainy season with Marshawn Lynch, who as a running back for the University of California, Berkeley, amassed over 1,722 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns in only eight games and has only one fumble to his name. In addition to earning a series of All-American accolades, Lynch was named the eighth best player in the nation by Sports Illustrated. So, of course, the Bills have reason to cheer their draft choice.

Unfortunately, Lynch also brings with him a cloud of controversy. In late 2006, Lynch was charged with domestic violence when his girlfriend alleged that he choked and abused her. Although prosecutors dropped the charges after finding inconsistencies in the accuser's story, there are many Bills fans who wonder if Lynch's past, which also involves a drive-by shooting in that case, though, Lynch and his family were the victims, might smear the team's reputation.

General Manager Marv Levy insists that the team is being diligent in making sure they don't repeat the error they made with running back Willis McGahee, whose character issues threatened to overshadow the team until he was finally traded to Baltimore. Fans and onlookers are sure to just as diligent in their scrutiny and will be very displeased if Lynch is a McGahee repeat. So far, that doesn't seem to be the case. Despite the possible fallout, Levy is on a mission to get the best and has positions to fill if he is going to get the championship team he is striving for.

Since becoming a competitive team in 1960, the Bills have won two consecutive AFL titlesm in 1964 and 1965, and although they won four consecutive AFC championships, they did not win the subsequent Super Bowls. The team's high points have been few in the last decades. And for the past seven years, they have yet to make the playoffs. Which is why Levy is willing to strike a delicate balance between pushing forward their championship goal while maintaining the team's reputation. After all, the Bills would surely like to forget that O. J. Simpson was the face of the Bills franchise during the 1970s.

So have the Bills made a prudent draft with Marshawn Lynch? Have they gambled character for glory? Only time will tell.