Question WRT The Spiller Selection

[BillsFanInLV]

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'm glad you brought up "grinding it out in cold weather" however I see it a bit differently. --A team would 'grind it out' with a Jamal Lewis or a Brandon Jacobs type back with cold slippery conditions ALWAYS favoring the offense. Lineman, LB's and DB's cannot react quick enough or get the proper footing to tackle average caliber or largeer RB's yet alone a speedster, elusive 'waterbug' like Spiller. Spiller's atheleticism and elusiveness in slippery conditions may in fact be his biggest asset to the team come December-January. Just my thoughts.

[Pilsner]

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

 

 

I completely agree. Some people try to make his size an issue but it really shouldn't be. He can be as productive as Thurman, but only time will tell. Anyone who insists that he is too small to be as productive is being premature. Give the man a chance to show what he can do. What's the point in being so pessimistic when he hasn't finished one season yet? Some people.

[The Dean]

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.

 

 

A

[Pilsner]

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.

 

And yes, Option A.

[John from Riverside]

While I salivate over the way Spiller plays the game.....I am wondering if the intangibles as a person are what what made him the complete package that the bills simply could not pass up....

 

Along with playmakers this team also needs true leaders....charactor guys that will be a team guy and lead by example.....and while I am not calling Marshawn Lynch a criminal to me he is a perfect example of someone they are trying to weed out of the program.....me first, wont lead by example, wont stay in shape, etc guys that set examples for what is a very young team.

 

I think this might be what will make Spiller special.....he is a scary playmaker but also when the going gets rough I get the sense he is a guy that others will look to.....guys that will make a offensive linemen actually WANT to move somebody out of the way for.

 

But thats just me.

[Pilsner]

While I salivate over the way Spiller plays the game.....I am wondering if the intangibles as a person are what what made him the complete package that the bills simply could not pass up....

 

Along with playmakers this team also needs true leaders....charactor guys that will be a team guy and lead by example.....and while I am not calling Marshawn Lynch a criminal to me he is a perfect example of someone they are trying to weed out of the program.....me first, wont lead by example, wont stay in shape, etc guys that set examples for what is a very young team.

 

I think this might be what will make Spiller special.....he is a scary playmaker but also when the going gets rough I get the sense he is a guy that others will look to.....guys that will make a offensive linemen actually WANT to move somebody out of the way for.

 

But thats just me.

 

 

I have the same feeling about Spiller. I just am not as blessed with proper wording as some. Thanks for putting my viewpoint of him in words. Yes Spiller has a lot of potential. There's more to a great team member than just physical attributes. He has what we need. Now all we need is this type of player in each position.

[PromoTheRobot]

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?

If that was true, don't you think Mr. Wilson would have said draft a flashy QB like Clausen or Tebow? Those guys were getting the hype, not Spiller. Nice try though. Keep swinging for the fences.

 

PTR

[Pilsner]

If that was true, don't you think Mr. Wilson would have said draft a flashy QB like Clausen or Tebow? Those guys were getting the hype, not Spiller. Nice try though. Keep swinging for the fences.

 

PTR

 

 

Well made point.

[Fingon]

If that was true, don't you think Mr. Wilson would have said draft a flashy QB like Clausen or Tebow? Those guys were getting the hype, not Spiller. Nice try though. Keep swinging for the fences.

 

PTR

If they had picked Tebow at nine a lot of fans would have given up on the Bills.

[BillsRUs]

A couple of weeks before the draft, there were very strong indications and reports that we would go after Spiller. NGU also confirmed the same. I believe he said that if Suh or Bradford were not available, we would go after Spiller.

 

Everybody says that the draft is a crapshoot. A consistent level of exemplary performance in college is usually an indicator of whether the player can perform in the NFL (doesn't always work as we all know). I guess they loved the kid on film and watching him run through Chan's Gtech defense.

 

The thing I really like about Nix is that he doesn't second guess himself. He sticks to his plans and knows exactly what he wants.......and goes for it.

[Thurman#1]

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.

 

 

 

My impression is that Nix made it clear that for him to come here, he had to have control of player acquisitions. I don't think Ralph will be a part of that anymore.

 

Ralph is getting old. Blame him for other things, but he wants to win. Selling tickets isn't his biggest conern, though Brandon I'm sure has selling tickets front and center in his mind.

 

The Bills gave hints over and over before the draft that they loved Spiller. None of us believed it, but that was our problem.

[Thurman#1]

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.

 

 

 

I wasn't a big Bulaga guy, but IMHO, the questions about him were injury-related. He was healthy, but not the same player he had been before his injury. In his second-last year, he was a monster. And his injury usually takes two years to get back from.

 

IMHO, the questions about him weren't as big as many thought. We just wanted Spiller.

[San Jose Bills Fan]

While I salivate over the way Spiller plays the game.....I am wondering if the intangibles as a person are what what made him the complete package that the bills simply could not pass up....

 

Along with playmakers this team also needs true leaders....charactor guys that will be a team guy and lead by example.....and while I am not calling Marshawn Lynch a criminal to me he is a perfect example of someone they are trying to weed out of the program.....me first, wont lead by example, wont stay in shape, etc guys that set examples for what is a very young team.

 

I think this might be what will make Spiller special.....he is a scary playmaker but also when the going gets rough I get the sense he is a guy that others will look to.....guys that will make a offensive linemen actually WANT to move somebody out of the way for.

 

But thats just me.

Great post again, John. I agree. The intangibles are huge with CJ Spiller. I'm not as jaded and cynical as some of my (albeit) very knowledgeable Bills brothers. I agree with you.

 

CJ Spiller has been compared to a lot of players since the Bills drafted him…Reggie Bush, Chris Johnson, Thurman Thomas, and more recently Eric Metcalf.

 

The guy I see him being most similar to is the guy whose number CJ wore in college as a tribute to that person, Warrick Dunn.

 

Now CJ is bigger than Warrick but there are more similarities than differences:

 

CJ was selected 9th overall. Warrick Dunn was selected 12th overall. They both played in the SEC. They both finished their college careers with diplomas in hand.

 

FYI, in addition to being a great person, role model, and team leader, Warrick Dunn was offensive rookie of the year, a 3-time Pro Bowler, and rushed for over 10,000 yards in his career, and had over 4000 yards receiving.

 

Warrick Dunn is one of the most beloved Tampa Bay Buccaneers AND Atlanta Falcons of all time. Upon retirement, he was immediately offered an ownership share of the Atlanta Falcons, which he accepted.

 

CJ is a great football player and a great person who will make all of us happy that he played for our favorite team. That is why he was drafted.

 

If that was true, don't you think Mr. Wilson would have said draft a flashy QB like Clausen or Tebow? Those guys were getting the hype, not Spiller. Nice try though. Keep swinging for the fences.

 

PTR

Exactly right, Promo. The fact that the Bills could have drafted Clausen in the 2nd round or Colt McCoy in the 3rd round or somehow maneuvered for Tim Tebow invalidates the original posters thesis, IMO.

 

My impression is that Nix made it clear that for him to come here, he had to have control of player acquisitions. I don't think Ralph will be a part of that anymore.

 

Ralph is getting old. Blame him for other things, but he wants to win. Selling tickets isn't his biggest conern, though Brandon I'm sure has selling tickets front and center in his mind.

 

The Bills gave hints over and over before the draft that they loved Spiller. None of us believed it, but that was our problem.

I've been disagreeing with a lot of what you've been posting lately, Thurman. But I totally agree with this post.

 

None of us will ever know the truth about Ralph's involvement in the Spiller pick.

 

But IMO, believing that Ralph Wilson mandated the selection of CJ Spiller as a means of selling more tickets is equivalent to believing that the Apollo 11 mission was a staged television event intended to boost our nation's morale.

[Albany,n.y.]

The Spiller pick was a clear signal that the team is being built for 2-3 years down the line & not this season. It had nothing to do with selling tickets this season & everything to do with selling tickets in 2012. What sells the most tickets?-Winning.

Nix wants to build a Super Bowl team & knows that he has too many holes to fill. So, think about it this way. He looks at the RB spot with the best player, by far on his board, available. He thinks, can any of my current group of running backs be a major contributor on a championship team in 3 years? Jackson may be too old to be counted on in 2012, and Lynch could be in jail or suspended by the 2012 season; or leave as a free agent to a warmer climate. So it's a no brainer, he takes the player he thinks can be the featured back on a champion.

The time it took to put the card in is irrelevant. When Ernie Accorsi was building a Giants Super Bowl winning team the Giants were sending their picks in almost as quickly as the previous team's selection was being announced. Few if anybody in the NY media got on his case for sending the picks in too quickly and not fielding trade offers. Accorsi knew who he wanted and Nix felt the same way as Accorsi when Spiller was available. The theory is why drag it out when you have your guy.

[IndyMark]

If that was true, don't you think Mr. Wilson would have said draft a flashy QB like Clausen or Tebow? Those guys were getting the hype, not Spiller. Nice try though. Keep swinging for the fences.

 

PTR

 

 

 

This. If the first choice of the draft was about selling tickets (de facto RW) then a QB would have been it. Why? The AVERAGE Bills fan NEVER heard of CJ Spiller, never seen him play, and would not be able to select him out of a lineup with two other college football players. How is this a draw for tickets? Plus, knowing the average Bills fan is clamoring for OL or DL help, going for a RB seems a bit 'out of touch', no?

 

Tebow = sells tickets out of curiousity

Clausen = sells tickets out of promise/potential

OL / Dl = sells tickets out of addressing a need.

RB = does not sell tickets......yet....but this pick will over the long haul

 

While the original question is a fair one, imo, evidence clearly points to this being a Gailey/Nix pick with RW not being an issue.

[K Gun Special]

The Spiller pick was a clear signal that the team is being built for 2-3 years down the line & not this season. It had nothing to do with selling tickets this season & everything to do with selling tickets in 2012. What sells the most tickets?-Winning.

Nix wants to build a Super Bowl team & knows that he has too many holes to fill. So, think about it this way. He looks at the RB spot with the best player, by far on his board, available. He thinks, can any of my current group of running backs be a major contributor on a championship team in 3 years? Jackson may be too old to be counted on in 2012, and Lynch could be in jail or suspended by the 2012 season; or leave as a free agent to a warmer climate. So it's a no brainer, he takes the player he thinks can be the featured back on a champion.

The time it took to put the card in is irrelevant. When Ernie Accorsi was building a Giants Super Bowl winning team the Giants were sending their picks in almost as quickly as the previous team's selection was being announced. Few if anybody in the NY media got on his case for sending the picks in too quickly and not fielding trade offers. Accorsi knew who he wanted and Nix felt the same way as Accorsi when Spiller was available. The theory is why drag it out when you have your guy.

 

 

 

The spiller pick is a clear signal theyre building for 2012? where do you come up with this stuff. RB contribute as rookies more so than almost any position. If anything it would mean they want to win NOW.

[Dr. K]

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.

 

 

Please give this a rest. What are you hoping to accomplish by continuing to repeat this theory? I do not consider this a serious question.

 

You want a serious answer? A.

[Bill from NYC]

Please give this a rest. What are you hoping to accomplish by continuing to repeat this theory? I do not consider this a serious question.

 

You want a serious answer? A.

 

Please relax. I wanted to see how the fans on this board view this selection, one which I have seen before. We drafted MaGahee when we had no blocking. It didn't work. We drafted Lynch with a lousy line. That didn't work either.

I am seeing a pattern, one by the way involving the same owner and 3 GMs, and wanted to discuss it on a Bills board. It seems that most fans share your view. You must feel validated.

 

Sorry if going against the party line on the motivation, and lack of success of the Bills drafts caused you any nervous frustration.

[RI Bills Fan]

Please relax. I wanted to see how the fans on this board view this selection, one which I have seen before. We drafted MaGahee when we had no blocking. It didn't work. We drafted Lynch with a lousy line. That didn't work either.

I am seeing a pattern, one by the way involving the same owner and 3 GMs, and wanted to discuss it on a Bills board. It seems that most fans share your view. You must feel validated.

 

Sorry if going against the party line on the motivation, and lack of success of the Bills drafts caused you any nervous frustration.

 

Bill, all you seem to do is crusade against EVERY Bills Draft Pick that isn't an Offensive or Defensive Lineman. Why should anyone on this board take you seriously anymore?

[Bill from NYC]

Bill, all you seem to do is crusade against EVERY Bills Draft Pick that isn't an Offensive or Defensive Lineman. Why should anyone on this board take you seriously anymore?

 

Agreed. And the way these wins keep piling up, using top picks on a solid foundation is a moot point.