Question WRT The Spiller Selection

[Bill from NYC]

The Bills took what appeared to be a VERY short amount of time to select Spiller on draft day. Do I have the exact time frame? No, I do not. But, they appeared to waste no time at all to make this selection. The fact that they made this selection in such haste leads me to believe that there was no interest in a trade down under any circumstances.

My question: Do you think that:

 

A) Nix and Gailey we SO certain that Spiller was the best player available that they were tripping all over themselves to make the selection? Or.....

 

B) They were ordered by Mr. Wilson to pick Spiller with the hope that a "flashy" player such as Spiller would be a great move to sell tickets in a bad economy and increase profits, and had no other option given that Mr. Wilson owns the team?

 

I could have posed this question as merely a poll, but I prefer dialogue. IMO, rounds 2-7 indicated that Nix/Gailey, who are (again, IMO) solid football men as compared to the senile Levy and idiotic Jauron, wanted to make the Bills a bigger and stronger football team. This is what the Bills need to be. I am obviously of the opinion that the selection of a small, possibly part time running back was based on asses in the seats and profit much more than actually making the Bills a better football team.

 

I would love to hear opinions on this and appreciate the dialogue.

[Bflojohn]

C.J. Spiller will be, barring injury, the best back since Thurman Thomas, IMO. Sit back and enjoy the ride! Oh, by the way, I don't think Ralphie had a say in it, other than to endorse his selection!! They rushed up to the table at Radio City Music Hall because he was simply the best player in this draft, and that's my belief. The age old, "we couldn't believe he was still there" comment holds water on this one, he will be FUN!!!

[Thoner7]

option B

[Skoobydum]

If he is half of what I have read, we should of run up there twice as fast to pick him.

[JPS]

They knew they were taking Spiller a long time before the draft. I think they wanted one of the 2 tackles, but with them gone. McClean gone. And no QBs worthy of #9, I think they really wanted Spiller. I remember Nix speaking of a guy who could change field position and affect the game in a variety of ways...and that was about a month before the draft. I thought he was referring to McCluster or a late round guy. I shoulda known.

 

When I look at who went after Spiller: Bulaga, Davis, Alualu, D. Thomas, Gresham.....all of these guys had questions. Spiller was the last guy on the board with no questions on his resume. B.P.A. Maybe by a lot. We'll see.

[Jeffery Lester]

C.J. Spiller was the best pick available for the Bills. I have no problem with it. I do not care if it was Mr. Wilson pick or NIx/Gaileys pick. He is now a Buffalo Bill. He is by far and away my favorite draft pick by the Bills in many, many years. I do not understand what is wrong with drafting a player that your opponents must fear on the field. And the fans will absoleutly love off the field. Maybe Mr. Wilson new what he was doing.

[BillsVet]

It's ironic how many picks across multiple regimes have been used on skill guys in the past 6 drafts first 3 rounds:

 

I think it's logical to conclude that the Bills knew there would be problems selling tickets in 2010, especially after Buddy and Chan were the hirings for GM and HC respectively. These are the Buffalo Bills, and selling hype is their best trait. I wouldn't doubt for a moment that there was some influence from on-high. It's complete speculation, but RB's who run a 4.3 40 sell more tickets than does an OT.

[Kelly the Dog]

A few things I know from reading, hearing from assorted insiders, and getting a few emails from usual reliable sources.

 

1] Gailey and Nix both LOVED Spiller. A couple different people I heard from, in the know, kept saying before the draft they were always going back to watching tape on Spiller, over and over again. Personally, I don't think Ralph had anything to do with this other than signing on.

 

2] I heard from a reliable source that he was #2 overall on their board, with perhaps Suh being the only guy they rated higher, and Bradford the only guy they may have drafted ahead of Spiller (because they wouldn't have tried to make Suh a NT). I just assumed that if, say, Okung or Trent Williams were available they would have taken the need LT player, but according to a couple different people I trust, I would have been wrong, and they would have taken Spiller anyway. That's how high they rated him and that's how much they liked him. And that's not at all to say that Gailey and Nix do not understand the need for OL.

 

3] As a drafting theory, and style, Nix has public stated that he simply doesn't like to trade, up or down. Overall, he thinks the results have not proven favorable and he just wants to draft the guys he wants when his turn is up.

 

I'm not sure I agree with that myself, but I wouldn't doubt at all to find out that the teams who do all the wheeling and dealing are not the teams that draft the best. In the last 20 years, I would say that the Ravens and the Steelers consistently draft the best, and neither of those teams seem to trade a lot. The Patriots for all their trades, draft crappy and have for five years.

 

4] Nix has also said publicly that during this draft, there were certain guys they wanted, liked a lot, and when their turn was up there was no need whatsoever to wait one second because no one was going to make them an offer to move down that would make them change their minds. That's not to say the guy they really wanted wasn't drafted 1-2 picks before the Bills turn came up, but only to say that once the clock was ticking on their pick, they knew exactly who they wanted and weren't going to trade down.

 

5] Akin to #4 above, Nix said he never received any kind of offer he liked to make a trade up or down from other teams. Obviously, all trades that would have made by other teams for the Bills to move up would have been made before we were on the clock. It was reported that the Bills did indeed try to move up to select earlier in the second round. Maybe for Safford, I am not sure. And just because they didnt take any time on the clock doesn't mean they didnt entertain offers or make offers beforehand.

[Bill from NYC]

I do not understand what is wrong with drafting a player that your opponents must fear on the field. And the fans will absoleutly love off the field. Maybe Mr. Wilson new what he was doing.

 

It is just that it's very hard to have a consistent running game with bad blocking. Thurman was an exception. It isn't that his lines were as bad as they are now, but he could SEE a hole better than any back of my lifetime. He could get through them backwards if need be. Other backs need more room to run.

I view Spiller as a guy who can break a long one, but might not be capable of grinding it out in cold weather, even if we had an OT on the roster who did not suck. But, an occasional 90 yard TD run does sell more seats than an OT, just as Billsvet stated.

And, thanks for the dialogue.

[Thoner7]

A few things I know from reading, hearing from assorted insiders, and getting a few emails from usual reliable sources.

 

1] Gailey and Nix both LOVED Spiller. A couple different people I heard from, in the know, kept saying before the draft they were always going back to watching tape on Spiller, over and over again. Personally, I don't think Ralph had anything to do with this other than signing on.

 

2] I heard from a reliable source that he was #2 overall on their board, with perhaps Suh being the only guy they rated higher, and Bradford the only guy they may have drafted ahead of Spiller (because they wouldn't have tried to make Suh a NT). I just assumed that if, say, Okung or Trent Williams were available they would have taken the need LT player, but according to a couple different people I trust, I would have been wrong, and they would have taken Spiller anyway. That's how high they rated him and that's how much they liked him. And that's not at all to say that Gailey and Nix do not understand the need for OL.

 

3] As a drafting theory, and style, Nix has public stated that he simply doesn't like to trade, up or down. Overall, he thinks the results have not proven favorable and he just wants to draft the guys he wants when his turn is up.

 

I'm not sure I agree with that myself, but I wouldn't doubt at all to find out that the teams who do all the wheeling and dealing are not the teams that draft the best. In the last 20 years, I would say that the Ravens and the Steelers consistently draft the best, and neither of those teams seem to trade a lot. The Patriots for all their trades, draft crappy and have for five years.

 

4] Nix has also said publicly that during this draft, there were certain guys they wanted, liked a lot, and when their turn was up there was no need whatsoever to wait one second because no one was going to make them an offer to move down that would make them change their minds. That's not to say the guy they really wanted wasn't drafted 1-2 picks before the Bills turn came up, but only to say that once the clock was ticking on their pick, they knew exactly who they wanted and weren't going to trade down.

 

5] Akin to #4 above, Nix said he never received any kind of offer he liked to make a trade up or down from other teams. Obviously, all trades that would have made by other teams for the Bills to move up would have been made before we were on the clock. It was reported that the Bills did indeed try to move up to select earlier in the second round. Maybe for Safford, I am not sure. And just because they didnt take any time on the clock doesn't mean they didnt entertain offers or make offers beforehand.

 

Its hard to field offers when you make your selection after 3.25 secnds. Thats why they give you ten minutes....

 

And maybe its just me, but I dont believe Spiller was the BPA at all. Maybe he was the top player on the Blls board, but as the past 10+ draft show, that rarely means he is truely the BPA (Ngata/Mangold/Clady, the list is endless). Me personally, I dont think he was the best player on the board when we selected, by a not so small margin too.

 

Therefore it would be hypocritcal of me to think that the Bills drafting strategy was purely BPA. I think they 100% went with Ralph as his post draft comments were somethign like "We needed some excitment. We havent been exciting in a while, which is why we added Spiller" I paraphrased, but that was his point. Sounds more like a ticket seller than anythign to me. But again, maybe its just me...

[Kelly the Dog]

Therefore it would be hypocritcal of me to think that the Bills drafting strategy was purely BPA. I think they 100% went with Ralph as his post draft comments were somethign like "We needed some excitment. We havent been exciting in a while, which is why we added Spiller" I paraphrased, but that was his point. Sounds more like a ticket seller than anythign to me. But again, maybe its just me...

And you would be wrong.

[Fingon]

Buddy Nix doesn't strike me as the kind of guy that would let an owner force him to pick a player he didn't want.

[Bill from NYC]

And you would be wrong.

 

So could we all, but I for one see much merit in his comments. By rushing to make the selection, they eliminated any and all possibilities of gaining extra picks. And btw, how many running backs have you seen achieve success on a team on which every offensive tackle on the roster sucks?

It used to be pretty much only me and a few others making this claim on this board. Now, it is common knowledge in virtually every major media outlet (including TSW) that the Bills cannot block.

[Kelly the Dog]

So could we all, but I for one see much merit in his comments. By rushing to make the selection, they eliminated any and all possibilities of gaining extra picks. And btw, how many running backs have you seen achieve success on a team on which every offensive tackle on the roster sucks?

It used to be pretty much only me and a few others making this claim on this board. Now, it is common knowledge in virtually every major media outlet (including TSW) that the Bills cannot block.

Obviously once the clock came on and it is your pick, you can no longer trade up, you can only trade down. I don't know what people think happens in drafts but there are calls constantly between teams, handled by all kinds of different people. The Bills fielded offers from teams that were trying to move up but Nix said he wasnt blown away by any offer and not even close. Sure, a team may sweeten the pot a little when the clock is ticking but it's not at all like these trade offers come out of nowhere.

 

And second, Nix is very confident in his drafting ability. When the Bills turn came up, and Troup was there, they knew they wanted him and weren't going to trade down for extra picks. He's going to be an extremely valuable member of this team and something desperately needed, even more than LT. When Carrington was available, Nix wanted him at that spot. They weren't interested in moving down because a guy was available that they wanted badly and needed and was better than anyone else they could draft in their opinion. You may not like that strategy but it makes sense, and Nix flat said that is what he thought, that's what happened and that's what he did.

 

I know for a fact that both Nix and Gailey were completely infatuated with Spiller themselves. I heard it from numerous people in the know. If Ralph liked him too, fine. Does Ralph meddle and make decisions on who to draft? Hell, yes. Did he this time? Nope. Didn't have to. They loved this guy, everything about him, including the interview and the kind of kid he was. You win with a couple stars and the Bills have none. Spiller has a good chance at being a star.

[Dennis in NC]

Bill, I do not think there was Ralph's hand in this selection. I think it was Chan, seeking to find the best offensive bang for his buck.

 

That was the quickest first round selection I can ever recall (and I have watched the draft religiously for many years).

 

As you mentioned, the rest of the picks show a desire to get the team bigger, stronger, and harder working!

 

You may have grieved over the lack of OT pick until later (I agree to an extent), but after the 1st 2 OTs, the dropoff was quite dramatic.

 

I'm pretty happy with the new FO, and I think Chan is the right guy for this team. I am excited about the possibilities.

[CarolinaBill]

The Bills took what appeared to be a VERY short amount of time to select Spiller on draft day. Do I have the exact time frame? No, I do not. But, they appeared to waste no time at all to make this selection. The fact that they made this selection in such haste leads me to believe that there was no interest in a trade down under any circumstances.

My question: Do you think that:

 

A) Nix and Gailey we SO certain that Spiller was the best player available that they were tripping all over themselves to make the selection? Or.....

 

B) They were ordered by Mr. Wilson to pick Spiller with the hope that a "flashy" player such as Spiller would be a great move to sell tickets in a bad economy and increase profits, and had no other option given that Mr. Wilson owns the team?

 

I could have posed this question as merely a poll, but I prefer dialogue. IMO, rounds 2-7 indicated that Nix/Gailey, who are (again, IMO) solid football men as compared to the senile Levy and idiotic Jauron, wanted to make the Bills a bigger and stronger football team. This is what the Bills need to be. I am obviously of the opinion that the selection of a small, possibly part time running back was based on asses in the seats and profit much more than actually making the Bills a better football team.

 

I would love to hear opinions on this and appreciate the dialogue.

 

Spiller is the same size as thurman, he's not small. Senior yr he had over 200 carries, translate that to a pro season its over 300 carries which is right there with every other primary back in the league. Virtually evvery team uses 2 backs. Barring injury there's no good reason to think he won't be a very productive #1 rb for buffalo.

 

Compare spiller to every teams primary back. You'll find the 5-11 200 lbs is not "small" or undersized. Unless we're talking brandon jacobs

[MrNix]

The Bills took what appeared to be a VERY short amount of time to select Spiller on draft day. Do I have the exact time frame? No, I do not. But, they appeared to waste no time at all to make this selection. The fact that they made this selection in such haste leads me to believe that there was no interest in a trade down under any circumstances.

My question: Do you think that:

 

A) Nix and Gailey we SO certain that Spiller was the best player available that they were tripping all over themselves to make the selection? Or.....

 

B) They were ordered by Mr. Wilson to pick Spiller with the hope that a "flashy" player such as Spiller would be a great move to sell tickets in a bad economy and increase profits, and had no other option given that Mr. Wilson owns the team?

 

I could have posed this question as merely a poll, but I prefer dialogue. IMO, rounds 2-7 indicated that Nix/Gailey, who are (again, IMO) solid football men as compared to the senile Levy and idiotic Jauron, wanted to make the Bills a bigger and stronger football team. This is what the Bills need to be. I am obviously of the opinion that the selection of a small, possibly part time running back was based on asses in the seats and profit much more than actually making the Bills a better football team.

 

I would love to hear opinions on this and appreciate the dialogue.

As I stated in my review of the draft, I think Gailey had to change his pants after he saw Spiller on the board at #9. The offense needs playmakers just as much as it needs help at OT. I am fairly confident that Spiller will help win a few games this year. I don't think there was an OT or QB they could've taken where I could say the same thing.

 

He will not only have some big plays for the offense, but he will provide field position on returns.

[Pilsner]

C.J. Spiller will be, barring injury, the best back since Thurman Thomas, IMO. Sit back and enjoy the ride! Oh, by the way, I don't think Ralphie had a say in it, other than to endorse his selection!! They rushed up to the table at Radio City Music Hall because he was simply the best player in this draft, and that's my belief. The age old, "we couldn't believe he was still there" comment holds water on this one, he will be FUN!!!

 

 

I agree. Spiller has so many attributes both physical and mental that are so damn conducive to an outstanding athlete. Doesn't mean he'll turn out to be as good as Thurman. But it certainly doesn't hurt at all that he has so much going for him. Barring injury he is one extremely solid piece to our puzzle.

 

Go Bills!!

[Cynical]

It is just that it's very hard to have a consistent running game with bad blocking. Thurman was an exception. It isn't that his lines were as bad as they are now, but he could SEE a hole better than any back of my lifetime. He could get through them backwards if need be. Other backs need more room to run.

I view Spiller as a guy who can break a long one, but might not be capable of grinding it out in cold weather, even if we had an OT on the roster who did not suck. But, an occasional 90 yard TD run does sell more seats than an OT, just as Billsvet stated.

And, thanks for the dialogue.

 

I am with Kelly and JPS. Spiller is the guy who they wanted. To further JPS argument, Gailey did say he coveted a hybrid type player.

Even if you did not watch Spiller play in college and just read his scouting reports, Spiller fits that "hybrid" player role to a T.

After the draft, Gailey said he already envisioned using Spiller in numerous ways such split out, misdirection, as a WR, etc.

Again, if you read his scouting reports, that is what he was projected to be.

 

About a week ago, somebody mentioned to me a great example the type of player we could expect Spiller to be: Eric Metcalf.

 

As for the OL, Nix/Gailey have been very consistent in their message.

 

They will not overpay for players.

This will not be fixed in one year.

 

They know the OT are a problem, but they are not just going to throw players at it and hope the problems go away (ala Jauron). If it takes another year or 2 to truly fix the problems, so be it.

[Pilsner]

Its hard to field offers when you make your selection after 3.25 secnds. Thats why they give you ten minutes....

 

And maybe its just me, but I dont believe Spiller was the BPA at all. Maybe he was the top player on the Blls board, but as the past 10+ draft show, that rarely means he is truely the BPA (Ngata/Mangold/Clady, the list is endless). Me personally, I dont think he was the best player on the board when we selected, by a not so small margin too.

 

Therefore it would be hypocritcal of me to think that the Bills drafting strategy was purely BPA. I think they 100% went with Ralph as his post draft comments were somethign like "We needed some excitment. We havent been exciting in a while, which is why we added Spiller" I paraphrased, but that was his point. Sounds more like a ticket seller than anythign to me. But again, maybe its just me...

 

 

I don't always agree with what you say, but i read your posting as much as everyone's and try to understand your view on things. Just curious though, if you don't think Spiller was the best player available at 9, then what player or players in your opinion were?