C.J. Spiller Youtube Highlights

[DanInUticaTampa]

i mean, I don't love the pick either. I would have rather have grabbed a player like Ghram who could pass rush or something or maybe a player like morgan. Hell, I think Mcclain would be a bill if the raiders didn't take him. But this thread isn't to discuss whether this pick was good or not. There are other threads to complain about this pick and why putting money into the position is wrong, how the backfield is over crowded, he is a luxury pick, RBs are easy to replace, etc. This thread was mainly to comment on a highligh reel. Not to crusade against the pick and the rebuilding process in general.

[PushthePile]

And yet, despite rushing for over 2,000 yards and making highlight videos, Tennessee was 8-8 and not in the playoffs.

 

That's my point. RBs are overvalued. They don't win games by themselves like they used to in the 70s, 80s, and 90s.

Dude? What players win games all by themselves? That argument against RBs is so irrelevant.

[CosmicBills]

Difference makers are found at every position in the NFL. To completely write off a position as overvalued is terribly shortsighted.

 

The biggest need on this team is difference makers, and that's at any position.

Fred Jackson was a difference maker in 09. He was the best player on the team.

 

Lynch was drafted to be a difference maker with the 11th pick in 07. And we've given up on him already? Just like we did with Willis. Just like we did with Travis. Just like we did with Antwain Smith.

 

So what happens in '12 when we give up on Spiller and draft the next "waterbug" RB with a high first round pick?

 

Taking a RB in the first round is stupid unless you're a player away from a super bowl. The Bills clearly aren't. That's the bottom line.

[CosmicBills]

Dude? What players win games all by themselves? That argument against RBs is so irrelevant.

QBs do in today's NFL.

[DanInUticaTampa]

QBs do in today's NFL.

 

Try telling that to tom brady and his crappy defense

 

 

Or how about the jests where QB was their weakest position? The jests could win if they had Edwards as their QB. All he has to do is hand it off to the running backs and let the defense to its thing. And every now and then he can check down if he wants.

[NewEra]

I have no doubt he'll make some highlight video plays in his career. And I'll love every one of them.

 

But you can't convince me that he was the right pick at 9.

 

Put it another way. If, before the draft, you were told that we could have Chris Johnson (who everyone wants to compair spiller to) for our first round pick, knowing that Marshawn and Jackson would not be moved for picks during the draft, how many people would have been on board with that?

 

Not many. And he's proven what he can do on the field already.

 

convince me who WAS the right pick at 9

[DanInUticaTampa]

Also, I don't think they could have gotten value for trading down. All the reports for people trading up didn't seem to want the 9th pick.

[DarthICE]

I didn't say that.

 

But the average NFL player is way faster than the defenders on Boston College, Georgia Tech and UVA.

 

 

Does the average player run a 4.27 40? I ask because Spiller does.

[PushthePile]

Fred Jackson was a difference maker in 09. He was the best player on the team.

 

Lynch was drafted to be a difference maker with the 11th pick in 07. And we've given up on him already? Just like we did with Willis. Just like we did with Travis. Just like we did with Antwain Smith.

 

So what happens in '12 when we give up on Spiller and draft the next "waterbug" RB with a high first round pick?

 

Taking a RB in the first round is stupid unless you're a player away from a super bowl. The Bills clearly aren't. That's the bottom line.

Fred Jackson is a really nice player but he's no Chris Johnson or Adrian Peterson.

Bills fans have forgotten what playmakers look like.

[PushthePile]

QBs do in today's NFL.

Great. I'm sure if the Bills thought a Probowl QB was available, he would have been drafted.

[CosmicBills]

convince me who WAS the right pick at 9

Read back a few posts. But to sum it up, anyone but a RB.

[CosmicBills]

Try telling that to tom brady and his crappy defense

 

 

Or how about the jests where QB was their weakest position? The jests could win if they had Edwards as their QB. All he has to do is hand it off to the running backs and let the defense to its thing. And every now and then he can check down if he wants.

You keep every player on the Pats the same over the past decade and take away Brady, the Pats don't have one ring, let alone 3.

 

Ditto with the Colts and Saints.

[George]

Read back a few posts. But to sum it up, anyone but a RB.

 

The BillinNYC School of Drafting.

 

Never, Ever, Draft anything but OL, TE, DL, or LB before the 8th round.

 

Little wimpy QB's, RB's, DB's & WR's can be found in the UDFA Ranks.

[PushthePile]

Read back a few posts. But to sum it up, anyone but a RB.

A team as bad as the Bills can't walk into a draft and start ruling out positions.

 

What if they thought the next Ronnie Lott was available? Would you suggest they pass on him because the secondary isn't a top priority?

 

You NEVER pass on a player if you think he has the potential to be great.

[CosmicBills]

The BillinNYC School of Drafting.

 

Never, Ever, Draft anything but OL, TE, DL, or LB before the 8th round.

 

Little wimpy QB's, RB's, DB's & WR's can be found in the UDFA Ranks.

I'm not as extreme as Bill.

 

In fact, had the Bills taken a WR in the first round, I would have been okay with that because it was a huge need. Dez Bryant will be explosive in the NFL. Might even have a better career than Spiller (but I'm not rooting for that). So yeah, that would have been a splashy pick that would have helped the team.

 

But the fact that this team has huge holes at nearly every position outside of DB and RB is because this team has spent an inordinate amount of high draft picks on RBs and DBs over the past few years. DBs I get -- it's a passing league now and maybe the most important position on the field other than QB is CB because you need 3 or 4 quality guys to combat the spread schemes.

 

But RB? Not worth the cap dollars to invest in a first round pick unless your team is a player or two away from a serious Super Bowl run. Their shelf lives are too short, their impact on the game too minimal to justify tying up that much of your cap space on one position.

 

For a small market team like Buffalo who plays with their own, lower cap space than the rest of the league, having TWO first round round RBs (two TOP 12 RBs) on the same roster while boasting possibly the worst OL in the league, a laughable LB corps, a suspect DL, weak WR corps and no franchise QB on the roster is downright criminal.

 

But people are blinded by the "flash" Spiller brings. He's fast. He's shifty. He scored a lot of TDs in college. And don't get me wrong, I will root for him hard. And I hope he is everything everyone on here is hoping he is. I want nothing more than to see the Bills win a super bowl. But after watching this team burn high draft picks on RBs over the past, playoff-less decade with no results, it pains me to see this new regime of which I had such high hopes for, do the same thing once again.

 

Grant it, it could be Ralph making these calls. It wouldn't surprise me. But taking a RB at 9, when you have 2 already on the roster who are well above average for this passing league, is foolish. Even if he rushes for 2,000 yards like Chris Johnson did last year, the Bills still won't be a playoff team. Just like Tennessee last year.

[CosmicBills]

A team as bad as the Bills can't walk into a draft and start ruling out positions.

 

What if they thought the next Ronnie Lott was available? Would you suggest they pass on him because the secondary isn't a top priority?

 

You NEVER pass on a player if you think he has the potential to be great.

Again, here's the big difference between my logic and yours. It's a philisophical one.

 

My whole argument, my whole case in fact, rests on the fact that the NFL is no longer a league ruled by RBs. It's a passing league. It used to be that you needed good to great RBs to win games. The game was slower. It was a grind it out, chew 'em up game where running backs could cover up all manner of sins on your team. Joe Montana needed Roger Craig, Elway needed Davis, Kelly needed Thurman. A great QB like Marino (sorry, I hate him too) couldn't win because the Dolphins had no reliable RB.

 

But the game has changed. It's no longer a RB's league. The NFL changed the very rules of the game to open up the passing game and increase scoring. Coaches adapted, creating more spread packages, 4 WR sets, short bubble screens designed to get playmakers the ball in space and let their QBs rule. Over the past decade no team has won the Super Bowl who didn't have an elite, franchise QB and the passing game to match. Where you used to run the ball to set up the pass, now you pass the ball to set up the run.

 

The game has changed. Very, very quickly. And in that time, Buffalo has not been to the playoffs. I'm not pinning all their problems on the RB position, but look at how many high draft picks they've spent on RBs over the past decade and change. Antwain Smith (a very good back) was shown the door in favor of Travis Henry (a high second round pick), who was shown the door for Willis (first round) who was shown the door for Lynch, who was only given one and three quarters of a season before the new regime essentially showed him the door by taking Spiller.

 

Meanwhile, the core positions of need in the new NFL have been left woefully behind. Namely, the QB position (though, not for lack of trying), WR corps (again, they tried with TO and Hardy who I haven't given up on yet), OL, LB, DL.

 

With so many holes it makes no sense to spend another valuable pick and even more cap dollars on a position that is becoming less and less important thanks to the rule changes in the modern NFL. RBs are important, as is the running game, but as the winning teams of the past decade have shown, it's more prudent to build your running game through committee. Using cheaper, tandum RB duos to wear out your opponent rather than risking a huge portion of your cap and scheme on a single player who's career shelflife is less than 8 years.

 

Again, you're not alone in thinking that my philosophy is wrong. Your philosophy is the way the NFL has worked for decades prior to the rule changes. But I was hoping that our new front office would realize that the game has changed and build accordingly. By taking Spiller, to me, they proved the opposite. And THAT's what alarms me.

 

So, according to my philosophy, which I believe is the winning philosophy of the rest of the league, you CAN pass on a super star running back. In fact you SHOULD pass on one because you can get equal production from 2 cheaper players.

[George]

I'm not as extreme as Bill.

 

In fact, had the Bills taken a WR in the first round, I would have been okay with that because it was a huge need. Dez Bryant will be explosive in the NFL. Might even have a better career than Spiller (but I'm not rooting for that). So yeah, that would have been a splashy pick that would have helped the team.

 

But the fact that this team has huge holes at nearly every position outside of DB and RB is because this team has spent an inordinate amount of high draft picks on RBs and DBs over the past few years. DBs I get -- it's a passing league now and maybe the most important position on the field other than QB is CB because you need 3 or 4 quality guys to combat the spread schemes.

 

But RB? Not worth the cap dollars to invest in a first round pick unless your team is a player or two away from a serious Super Bowl run. Their shelf lives are too short, their impact on the game too minimal to justify tying up that much of your cap space on one position.

 

For a small market team like Buffalo who plays with their own, lower cap space than the rest of the league, having TWO first round round RBs (two TOP 12 RBs) on the same roster while boasting possibly the worst OL in the league, a laughable LB corps, a suspect DL, weak WR corps and no franchise QB on the roster is downright criminal.

 

But people are blinded by the "flash" Spiller brings. He's fast. He's shifty. He scored a lot of TDs in college. And don't get me wrong, I will root for him hard. And I hope he is everything everyone on here is hoping he is. I want nothing more than to see the Bills win a super bowl. But after watching this team burn high draft picks on RBs over the past, playoff-less decade with no results, it pains me to see this new regime of which I had such high hopes for, do the same thing once again.

 

Grant it, it could be Ralph making these calls. It wouldn't surprise me. But taking a RB at 9, when you have 2 already on the roster who are well above average for this passing league, is foolish. Even if he rushes for 2,000 yards like Chris Johnson did last year, the Bills still won't be a playoff team. Just like Tennessee last year.

 

Okay then, WHO would you have taken with the 9th pick in this year's draft?

 

You've howled your opinion that Spiller was a bad pick from the moment the pick was announced, but you've continually dodged the question of WHO you would have selected.

 

Give us the name of the player you think we should have taken!

 

Personally I think the choice was the correct one to make, considering that the two top rated tackles and the only franchise QB were off the board. Buddy did what good teams do in that situation. He selected the Best Player Available!

[CosmicBills]

Okay then, WHO would you have taken with the 9th pick in this year's draft?

 

You've howled your opinion that Spiller was a bad pick from the moment the pick was announced, but you've continually dodged the question of WHO you would have selected.

 

Give us the name of the player you think we should have taken!

 

Personally I think the choice was the correct one to make, considering that the two top rated tackles and the only franchise QB were off the board. Buddy did what good teams do in that situation. He selected the Best Player Available!

I've answered that quesiton 100 times. Twice in this thread alone.

 

If they didn't think anyone was worth taking at 9 at any of their numerous positions of need, they should have traded back, gotten an extra pick or two and taken any number of the numerous players left.

 

I'm sure there are plenty of future probowl OL, LB, WR, DL who were picked after number 8 from this draft.

[McBeane]

In fact, had the Bills taken a WR in the first round, I would have been okay with that because it was a huge need. Dez Bryant will be explosive in the NFL. Might even have a better career than Spiller (but I'm not rooting for that). So yeah, that would have been a splashy pick that would have helped the team.

 

Haha you couldn't be more wrong. Spiller is a threat to score anytime he touches the ball, as Dez Bryant very may well be. But here is the thing... who would have thrown the ball to Bryant? Some thought last year that TO would solve all our offensive problems but we had the same problem we have had the last few years, the wideouts can't throw the ball to themselves. Any QB can hand the ball off to Spiller and turn to watch him run into the endzone.

 

We have been lacking an elite playmaker since Thurman and Kelly, and now I feel that we have our playmaker that can change a game any time he has the football in his hands.

[1billsfan]

I'm not as extreme as Bill.

 

In fact, had the Bills taken a WR in the first round, I would have been okay with that because it was a huge need. Dez Bryant will be explosive in the NFL. Might even have a better career than Spiller (but I'm not rooting for that). So yeah, that would have been a splashy pick that would have helped the team.

 

But the fact that this team has huge holes at nearly every position outside of DB and RB is because this team has spent an inordinate amount of high draft picks on RBs and DBs over the past few years. DBs I get -- it's a passing league now and maybe the most important position on the field other than QB is CB because you need 3 or 4 quality guys to combat the spread schemes.

 

But RB? Not worth the cap dollars to invest in a first round pick unless your team is a player or two away from a serious Super Bowl run. Their shelf lives are too short, their impact on the game too minimal to justify tying up that much of your cap space on one position.

 

For a small market team like Buffalo who plays with their own, lower cap space than the rest of the league, having TWO first round round RBs (two TOP 12 RBs) on the same roster while boasting possibly the worst OL in the league, a laughable LB corps, a suspect DL, weak WR corps and no franchise QB on the roster is downright criminal.

 

But people are blinded by the "flash" Spiller brings. He's fast. He's shifty. He scored a lot of TDs in college. And don't get me wrong, I will root for him hard. And I hope he is everything everyone on here is hoping he is. I want nothing more than to see the Bills win a super bowl. But after watching this team burn high draft picks on RBs over the past, playoff-less decade with no results, it pains me to see this new regime of which I had such high hopes for, do the same thing once again.

 

Grant it, it could be Ralph making these calls. It wouldn't surprise me. But taking a RB at 9, when you have 2 already on the roster who are well above average for this passing league, is foolish. Even if he rushes for 2,000 yards like Chris Johnson did last year, the Bills still won't be a playoff team. Just like Tennessee last year.

 

I seriously don't see how anyone could look at video of Spiller and still be wishing they had drafted a right tackle in Bulaga. Smart teams draft the best player available in the first round. Just like the Bills should have drafted either Orakpo or Oher over Maybin last year, or Ngata over Whitner a few years ago.

 

Please give us the name of the guy the Bills passed on in the first that would have been worth passing over another Chris Johnson. Whichever name you do come up with will have big question marks as compared to an almost can't miss guy like Spiller. A guy that can score points from anywhere on the field without a "perfect hole" to run through.

 

This team is not a player or two away. It will still be a few years until they are serious contenders to a world championship. By then F. Jackson will be too old, Marshawn will be in jail and the Bills will be thanking Buddy for drafting a non-need awesome value guy in Spiller.