Good lord, how far we’ve come…

[Rigotz]

My friends were chatting about the “dark ages” and the CJ Spiller draft came up.
 

Most of you will recall, the team already had Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson on the roster, with about a billion other holes. Despite this, new Bills GM Buddy Nix selected CJ Spiller 9th overall. A few months later, he flipped Marshawn for a fourth round and conditional fifth round pick.

 

So… I went down a rabbit hole, curious how egregious team building like this could even happen.

And I present to you, Buddy Nix’s introductory Press Conference:

https://www.buffalobills.com/video/buddy-nix-named-general-manager-1002411

Compare this to our current operation. Yes, Josh has elevated the franchise, but there’s more to Buffalo’s rise than just one man. It’s refreshing to look back and see the difference.

 

(Before anyone says anything, my apologies for slandering Ralph. We are forever grateful to the man who created the team we all love!)

[Roundybout]

In fairness, wasn’t Lynch on his way out of here? 

[AlBUNDY4TDS]

Not gonna lie, I was excited when we drafted Spiller. We don't seem to do well with Clemson players. Spiller, Watkins, Shaq Lawson.

[SirAndrew]

15 minutes ago, Roundybout said:

In fairness, wasn’t Lynch on his way out of here? 

I’ve never fully understood the Lynch saga. He wasn’t a model citizen while here, but he never held out either. He was playing when they traded him away. I’m sure he wanted out, but we didn’t want him either. That was the choice of management. Did anyone else actually want to play for what was a really pathetic franchise at the time? 

Edited 1 hour ago by SirAndrew

[GerstAusGosheim]

He was one more arrest away from a league suspension, wasn't he? 

[MPL]

CJ Spiller’s yards per carry and rushing TDs that year would suggest the offense did not have any holes 

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

14 minutes ago, AlBUNDY4TDS said:

Not gonna lie, I was excited when we drafted Spiller. We don't seem to do well with Clemson players. Spiller, Watkins, Shaq Lawson.

Just needed to get Spiller into space….

 

[SirAndrew]

This post encouraged me to watch CJ Spiller highlights. He would’ve been a good complementary player on a decent team. Just wasn’t what we needed at the time, especially from a first round draft choice. 

[QCity]

32 minutes ago, Roundybout said:

In fairness, wasn’t Lynch on his way out of here? 

 

Ya he was running over people downtown and basically a nutbag. Kudos to Pete Carroll for reining him in (somewhat).

 

The Spiller pick was still monumentally stupid.

[Dafan]

20 minutes ago, SirAndrew said:

I’ve never fully understood the Lynch saga. He wasn’t a model citizen while here, but he never held out either. He was playing when they traded him away. I’m sure he wanted out, but we didn’t want him either. That was the choice of management. Did anyone else actually want to play for what was a really pathetic franchise at the time? 

If i recall, he was one strike away from a huge suspension.  He had the hit and run.  Plus he was arrested with a loaded firearm in his vehicle while in a state that prohibits it.

[H2o]

3 minutes ago, SirAndrew said:

This post encouraged me to watch CJ Spiller highlights. He would’ve been a good complementary player on a decent team. Just wasn’t what we needed at the time, especially from a first round draft choice. 

Spiller had the one big year in 2012 with 1,700 (1,244 rushing and 459 receiving) total yards and 8 TD's. I thought he had turned the corner. He had another solid year in 2013 with 1,100 total yards, but only 2 TD's. Then he quickly faded off into anonymity. 

[dayman]

Oh my freaking God what a train wreck that press conference was—lol. Thanks for posting! I forgot how dark those days really were. That’s like a SNL skit (from when SNL was good).

 

”I’m not the smartest guy in the room. I’ve never been accused of being the smartest guy in the room.” —Buddy Nix 

Edited 35 minutes ago by dayman

[Florida Bills Fanatic]

52 minutes ago, AlBUNDY4TDS said:

Not gonna lie, I was excited when we drafted Spiller. We don't seem to do well with Clemson players. Spiller, Watkins, Shaq Lawson.

Don't forget Perry Tuttle!  Although, Jerry Butler was a major outlier to the poor run of Clemson players.

[K-9]

56 minutes ago, AlBUNDY4TDS said:

Not gonna lie, I was excited when we drafted Spiller. We don't seem to do well with Clemson players. Spiller, Watkins, Shaq Lawson.

Jerry Butler says hold my beer.

[TailgateChef]

Urgh.  Draft pundits had us taking Jason Pierre-Paul or Mike Iupati.  Possibly Bryan Bulaga.

(Though some had us taking Jimmy Clausen.  Could you imagine that nightmare!)

[Jauronimo]

32 minutes ago, Dafan said:

If i recall, he was one strike away from a huge suspension.  He had the hit and run.  Plus he was arrested with a loaded firearm in his vehicle while in a state that prohibits it.

And then when he got back from his 3 game suspension he was being outplayed by FredEx.  

49 minutes ago, GerstAusGosheim said:

He was one more arrest away from a league suspension, wasn't he? 

He had already been hit with a 3 game suspension.  The next one was going to be a big one.

[Comebackkid]

the biggest blunder was they had fred on the roster and brought in cj and marshawn with out really giving fred a chance.

 

I think they wasted about 3 years of production they could have had out of fred and then when he was producing on the field 

they still kept bringing backs in, while he kept out producing them...was a bit mind boggling

Edited 27 minutes ago by Comebackkid

[T.E.]

1 hour ago, SirAndrew said:

I’ve never fully understood the Lynch saga. He wasn’t a model citizen while here, but he never held out either. He was playing when they traded him away. I’m sure he wanted out, but we didn’t want him either. That was the choice of management. Did anyone else actually want to play for what was a really pathetic franchise at the time? 

This all got memory-holed because he was able to somehow remake his image and become "fun-loving Skittles guy," but Lynch was having multiple incidents that weren't great while he was here.

[SoTier]

1 hour ago, Roundybout said:

In fairness, wasn’t Lynch on his way out of here? 

 

Lynch was on his way out because he was in his fourth season (2010) and the Bills didn't intend to re-sign him because they never re-signed their best players, especially first rounders and especially DBs and RBs going back to the departure of John Butler and JT Smith, and especially under Russ Brandon (to whom Ralph eventually turned over total control of the team).  Buddy Nix had the title of GM, but like his successor, Doug Whaley, he was basically a talent scout who acquiesced to Brandon's philosophy of putting profits far ahead of winning football games.   

 

One of the reasons that the Bills could never really improve their roster was because they were always using their high draft picks to fill the holes left when they allowed their top players to leave or traded them away for draft picks.  The Bills drafted RBs Travis Henry in the 2nd round in 2001; Willis McGahee in the first round in 2003; Marshawn Lynch in the first round in 2007; and Spiller in 2010.   They also drafted DBs Nate Clemens in the first round in 2001; Donte Whitner in the first round in 2006; Leodis McKelvin in the first round in 2008; Jairus Byrd in the second round in 2009; Aaron Williams in the second round in 2011; Stephon Gilmore in the first round in 2012; and Tre'Davious White in the round in 2017.

 

1 hour ago, SirAndrew said:

I’ve never fully understood the Lynch saga. He wasn’t a model citizen while here, but he never held out either. He was playing when they traded him away. I’m sure he wanted out, but we didn’t want him either. That was the choice of management. Did anyone else actually want to play for what was a really pathetic franchise at the time? 

 

The Bills had to pay big money for FAs, and there were players who took the money.   In 2008, the Bills signed OG Derrick Dockery and RT Langston Walker to big contracts.  In 2009, they signed Terrell Owens.  In 2012 they signed Mario Williams.  I think that might have been the biggest contract up to that time for a defensive player. 

Edited 3 minutes ago by SoTier