Spiller's Future in Buffalo

[H2o]

I think Spiller will be the featured guy with Freddy getting about 10 carries a game and the short-yardage carries.

[FreakPop]

I think Spiller will be the featured guy with Freddy getting about 10 carries a game and the short-yardage carries.

 

Nope. You don't basically bench a guy averaging around 4.5 ypc career.

[K Gun Special]

Nope. You don't basically bench a guy averaging around 4.5 ypc career.

 

 

in 3 seasons fred has 10 td's and avg 54 yards per game. You might consider sitting that guy.

 

He is an average NFL RB and wont be anything more than that.

[Rob's House]

The guy has all of 48 NFL carries and is averaging 4.1 ypc on those. I'd say it's a little early to make any sweeping judgments just yet.

[8-8 Forever?]

This thread will quickly devolve into a "what a wasted pick" thread. Bottom line, CJ is very talented kid who is a threat to break one every time he touches the ball. He's got amazing speed/quickness. That said, he needs to learn a LOT about the NFL game. You can't get by in the NFL with just physical gifts. If he learns, I envision him being the next Chris Johnson. If not, the next Reggie Bush.

We'll see. Too early to tell on Spiller. Too bad we lost our excellent RB coach when Jauron was thrown out. We lost some terrific coaches last year who are doing great things this year. Jauron was smart enough to get good coaches. But when the head man is fired, everyone goes with him.

[PromoTheRobot]

first rounders should play like first rounders.

Please explain what a first rounder should play like? Instant pro bowler? How many first rounders make the pro bowl in their rookie years?

 

PTR

[LabattBlue]

Spiller is a disappointment as a KR. As soon as he gets within 10-15 yards of an opponent, he slows down and starts with the juking. When returning kickoffs, it has to be catch the ball, pick a lane and go 100%. It is not the same as punt returning and that's what it seems like he is doing everytime he returns a kick.

[The Avenger]

I'm torn about Spiller at the moment. On the one hand I think he should be producing - a top 10 pick on a team with so little talent should really be a major contributor, especially when the team has no shot at going to the playoffs and is playing for nothing more than pride. Then again, he wasn't drafted at a position of great need and the Bills are notorious for not gving their young guys playing time when all is lost - they never seem to play guys for next season - Spiller has little control over how many plays he gets in an organization like that. On the other hand what he's goty now isn't going to cut it in the NFL.

 

Buffalo's line is terrible - but it's been terrible for a long time and if you're going to play here you're going to have to deal with that - if we're lucky the Bills may field an adequate squad of guys up front but it should be pretty clear that they think they can win with late round picks, undrafted free agents and no-name castoffs from other teams to man the trenches. Welcome to Buffalo - you're never going to get a top 10 offensive line to run behind.

 

Like all rookies, it's a big adjustment to the NFL, especially when you have to deal with things like blitz pickups - that's a major reason I think Spiller doesn't get more plays (although, again - how's he going to learn unless he gets the playing time?). My biggest problem is that he seems to be fairly one dimensional at this point - get an edge, turn on the afterburners and streak down the sidelines. Problem is, we can't seem to seal the edge for him and in the NFL where the defense is so much faster it's really hard to beat guys to the edge without help up front. If this is his only trick he's going to end up like Maybin - a speedy one trick pony whose tricks don't work at an NFL level (I really think Spiller will be able to develop and won't end up like this, but it is a possibility).

[Dorkington]

Spiller needs to work on his vision. He seems to miss the same holes that Freddie sees. And since Spiller can't break tackles, I'm not really sure if he's fit for the NFL.

 

I'll give him another season... but its not looking good so far.

[DreReed83]

This thread will quickly devolve into a "what a wasted pick" thread. Bottom line, CJ is very talented kid who is a threat to break one every time he touches the ball. He's got amazing speed/quickness. That said, he needs to learn a LOT about the NFL game. You can't get by in the NFL with just physical gifts. If he learns, I envision him being the next Chris Johnson. If not, the next Reggie Bush.

 

Everyone that talks about him, talks about his "speed and quickness." Give me someone that runs a 4.55 or a 4.60 with great vision and football IQ over someone who runs a 4.25 and tries to break everything outside. This is why Reggie Bush fails as a RB and Chris Henry failed as a RB. Chris Johnson is a RB with power and great vision first.

[tennesseeboy]

Please explain what a first rounder should play like? Instant pro bowler? How many first rounders make the pro bowl in their rookie years?

 

PTR

pro bowl would be nice, but I think somewhat ambitious for a first rounder. How about making the starting f-ing lineup? Playing more than half the time? Standing out in any facet of the game, such as ohhh...running the ball, returning kicks, catching passes? Those would be nice indicators of something other than a bust.

[Dorkington]

Everyone that talks about him, talks about his "speed and quickness." Give me someone that runs a 4.55 or a 4.60 with great vision and football IQ over someone who runs a 4.25 and tries to break everything outside. This is why Reggie Bush fails as a RB and Chris Henry failed as a RB. Chris Johnson is a RB with power and great vision first.

 

Exactly.

 

Freddie produces because he has great vision, patience and intelligence.

 

Spiller seems to... I dunno... run fast, then juke around lost. He missed a big run yesterday because of that... he's missed a few because of that.

 

If he can improve his mental game, he'll be damned successful.

[dpberr]

Spiller has a bright future in Buffalo, especially after the team finally invests in, and builds depth for the offensive line in 2011. Draft or free agency, do not care. Both.

 

Spiller had a talented offensive line at Clemson, and when the line was injured, his play suffered. That's not an excuse, but as one poster already stated, Jackson knows how to run with a weak line. Spiller has not yet.

[VirginiaMike]

I see him being used similar to how the Saints use Reggie Bush. of course that won't really look good until the Bills get a little upgrade in overall talent on the o-line.

[DreReed83]

Spiller has a bright future in Buffalo, especially after the team finally invests in, and builds depth for the offensive line in 2011. Draft or free agency, do not care. Both.

 

Spiller had a talented offensive line at Clemson, and when the line was injured, his play suffered. That's not an excuse, but as one poster already stated, Jackson knows how to run with a weak line. Spiller has not yet.

 

Good RB's know how to run the ball regardless. He finds ways. Barry Sanders did it. Joseph Addai does a decent job at it. Ryan Grant doesnt have the best o-line and neither does Rashard Mendenhall. Steven Jackson's been doing it for awhile now. No excuses please. If you're drafted at RB in the top 10, then you BETTER produce your rookie year.

[Chandler#81]

I can't think of a single 1st round RB who struggled in their rookie season and turned it around to become a "special player." I'm sure there have been a few, I just can't think of any...

 

RB is the easiest position to pick up and play well right off the bat and if you struggle its usually because you're not going to make the transition and be the player they thought you would be.

 

 

Orenthal James

[DreReed83]

This is why I didnt want Spiller at all. Everyone that talks about him ONLY talks about his explosiveness and speed. THATS IT. Thats not the only quality I want in a RB. Everybody is too busy looking for the next Chris Johnson that they don't see what a true RB should be like. It's a shame that we got sucked into the hype.

[Chandler#81]

RIght off the bat, T Thomas did not have a good rookie season, he scored 2 TDs and avg 4.3 yds a carry. He also had something like 10 fumbles.

 

Spiller is avg 4.1 yds per carry.

 

Its way too early to make a call on CJ. It might be hard to draw a comparison to other guys who turned out fine, but in the majority of those cases they got all the reps. CJ is playing 2nd fiddle to Freddy right now.

 

That's not how I remember it. Granted, he really blossomed in his 2nd & 3rd year, but he rushed for 880 yrds, was a starter Game 1 vs. Vikings and relied on and delivered huge as the season wore on and into the playoffs vs. Houston & Cinci his first year.

 

We knew we had 'the guy' for the long haul after his rookie season.

[tennesseeboy]

Spiller has a bright future in Buffalo, especially after the team finally invests in, and builds depth for the offensive line in 2011. Draft or free agency, do not care. Both.

 

Spiller had a talented offensive line at Clemson, and when the line was injured, his play suffered. That's not an excuse, but as one poster already stated, Jackson knows how to run with a weak line. Spiller has not yet.

Let me get this straight...instead of improving the offensive line you want to teach Spiller how to run with a bad offensive line?

[Gabe Northern]

This thread will quickly devolve into a "what a wasted pick" thread.

 

As well it should.

 

Bulaga at 9 looks pretty good in retrospect. Again, thing about this team that drives me crazy is that polls on message boards would result in better first round performance.

 

Spiller is undoubtedly talented, but his skill set is high risk because it often doesn't translate in the NFL. It's almost like he has to reprogram himself not to bounce it to the outside every chance he gets. Thinking too much slows you down.

 

When I look at this roster, I just don't see how we could afford to take the risk on this kind of project. I also don't think these guys appreciated what they had in a young (in terms of downs played) Fred Jackson.

 

For the risk and need, this WAS a wasted pick, pure and simple.