K-9 Posted October 10, 2013 Share Posted October 10, 2013 Well, maybe teams aren't giving him that "space" anymore. I mean what does it say for a player that can only gain yards "in space?" "In space" usually means with no one around. Well don't most players, if not all of them, gain yards in space contrasted with in traffic? Of course they do. It's a cliched term that most people and media types throw out there haven't thought through what it means all the way. This isn't true. You "get him in space" by running plays out of formations that allow that space. Hackett likes tight, bunched formations. And I haven't seen him split Spiller out at all. BOTH spreads and splitting him out, create "space" to get the ball to him in. "Getting the ball to him in space" is NOT a misunderstood cliche in the least. GO BILLS!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cash Posted October 10, 2013 Share Posted October 10, 2013 The running game has been solid but unspectacular, and I think a lot of fans were counting on spectacular before the season. I do have some beef with the playcalling (way too many 1st-down runs, e.g.), but I don't think it's horrendous. Hopefully it will improve as our OC learns on the job. As for Spiller himself, he hasn't been nearly as good this season as he was last season, and it's not just the fault of the OC or Colin Brown's horrible play. Spiller himself acknowledged that he played poorly in week 1, and he's been banged up for the last couple weeks and mostly ineffective. Football Outsiders isn't the greatest, but I do find it useful to look at their ratings for the run game. They have the Bills' run offense ranked 14th in the NFL. In terms of RBs specifically, they rate Fred Jackson as having been the 3rd-most effective RB in the league so far this year, with Spiller down in the low 30s. That more or less agrees with the eyeball test for me -- Freddie has looked almost as good as he did 2 years ago, and Spiller hasn't been very good. In case anyone's curious, FO's O-line ratings are interesting when comparing this year's Bills to last year's. Last year they rated our O-line as 7th in the NFL for "first level" success, and 3rd/4th respectively for 2nd level/open field yardage, both of which are much more dependent on the RB than the O-line. They also had us at 8th best in terms of not getting stuffed, but only 26th in "power rank", converting short 3rd or 4th down runs only 57% of the time. This year's numbers: 20th in first level success, 18th/8th respectively for 2nd level/open field, which says that on a per-play basis, the line is worse than last year and so are the backs. They also have us getting stuffed more -- down to 15th in that ranking -- but doing better in "power" situations: Our success rate is up to 69%, which ranks 10th in the NFL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8-8 Forever? Posted October 10, 2013 Share Posted October 10, 2013 (edited) No matter how you cut it, Spiller is under performing this year. Many factors play in here, in fact too many to list, some his fault, some not. What are your feeling regarding his on field performance this year... A) physical set backs? or B) is the schemes and play calling holding him back? C) other For me, personally it is B. We are running him like he is a "Freddy" or "Lynch" type back who can hit the hole, gain the extra yards, and potentially hit the homerun should a safety be out of place. What we need to do is create space for him to get outside, and utilize his speed, like he did last year. I don't think his ankle is a huge issue, especially if he is still splitting carries with Freddy. I strongly feel that if we can fix the play calls when CJ is in, we can overcome the hurdle of a 3rd string QB, by pounding the rock with CJ/Freddy, and hitting short passes with Stevie/Woods/and most importantly Chandler. What say you? Gailey was a master at the screen game and getting Spiller the ball in space. The late season play against the Jets was masterful play design. Gailey was fired last I looked and Spiller has suffered tremendously for it. Is what it is. We lost a lot on offense when Gailey left, and Spiller has sufferred the most. No question. To be top 5 in total rushing yards when you lead the league in attempts (the last I read the stat was before last week) is not all that impressive. We had like over 50 rushing attempts in a single game for like 200 yards. You will get your yards when you rush it that much. To be honest, Gailey's running attack was more impressive IMO. Gailey's entire offensive approach was more impressive most than anything out there then and now. That guy could put points up in the NFL with college players. Couldnt do much else, but that is a lot. Chan Gailey plus Dick LeBeau along with talent would be unstoppable. Edited October 10, 2013 by 8and8Forever Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayray808 Posted October 28, 2013 Author Share Posted October 28, 2013 now that we sat him, you guys think he will ever get back to 100% Spiller Thriller mode? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oman128 Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 Spiller is not a pound it up to gut kind of a guy. the Bills have to find a way to get him in space, they need to use Fred for the hard yard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FireChan Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 Get me in space, and I'll get 5 yards a touch too. C'mon coach, I'm ready. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eball Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 Marrone reported today that Spiller's injury is the dreaded "high ankle" sprain, which completely explains why he hasn't gotten himself right. The decision to rest him yesterday was absolutely the correct one, and I hope they hold him out this week as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fan_in_tx Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 My 2 cents , Spiller gets in the hole almost too quick not giving blocks time to setup. It appears he makes up his mind too early on where he is going instead of just being patient on a block. I have noticed on numerous occasions where he has missed cutback lanes or a trap block has not fully developed before he is trying to get through. Fred reminds me of Thurman a bit where he will get in behind a lineman waiting for the block or crease to form then sneeks through or cuts back. As Spiller gets more carrys and learns patience he will be more effective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Big Cat Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 Why haven't they signed Peyton Hillis yet!???!?!?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
26CornerBlitz Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 @mikerodak Spiller has high-ankle sprain, chance to play Sunday vs. Chiefs: http://es.pn/1g7xExv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punch Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 (edited) Why did it take this long to diagnose it as a high ankle sprain, or did the Bills just not publicly acknowledge it until now? Is it not as severe as most high ankle sprains? Typically a RB should be shut down immediately and the recovery time frame is 4-6 weeks. Edited October 28, 2013 by Punch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsVet Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 Spiller is not a pound it up to gut kind of a guy. the Bills have to find a way to get him in space, they need to use Fred for the hard yard. Perhaps that's why Clemson used him much the same way Gailey did: getting about 20 touches per. In Spiller's senior season after James Davis left, he had 216 carries. One of the, albeit minor, issues with CJS was that he got nicked up frequently. They may need to revert to using him the way (!) Gailey used him. As you said, put him in space and complement him with a more durable option. Thing is, if you're using the 9th overall pick in the draft on a RB, you want a guy who is more than a specialist type back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BringBackFergy Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 Why haven't they signed Peyton Hillis yet!???!?!?! The Bucs haven't released him yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayray808 Posted October 30, 2013 Author Share Posted October 30, 2013 I really hope we let him rest one more week, let him play a few snaps against Pitt, and then unleash him at full strength at home against the Jets... it could very well end up being a very important game for us Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanker Posted October 30, 2013 Share Posted October 30, 2013 Spiller is fragile like a thoroughbred racehorse. He's not a bell cow type of running back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BringBackFergy Posted October 30, 2013 Share Posted October 30, 2013 I really hope we let him rest one more week, let him play a few snaps against Pitt, and then unleash him at full strength at home against the Jets... it could very well end up being a very important game for us I'd say this week's game is more important than Pitt or Jets from a morale standpoint. If Spiller can be 80%, come in as a situational RB for screens and as WR. Limit his carries and targets but dangle him out there as a carrot for which the Chiefs will have to plan. Just my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alphadawg7 Posted October 30, 2013 Share Posted October 30, 2013 (edited) Spiller is fragile like a thoroughbred racehorse. He's not a bell cow type of running back. Please explain to me how a RB who has missed one game in the last 3 seasons and only 3 over his career is injury prone. Amazing...the guy gets a high ankle sprain on a big hit in the leg and all of a sudden he's injury prone. Fred has been hurt waaaaaaaaay more than CJ and missed a LOT more games than him, but CJ is labeled injury prone. Only on this board does that make sense Edited October 30, 2013 by Alphadawg7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BringBackFergy Posted October 31, 2013 Share Posted October 31, 2013 Please explain to me how a RB who has missed one game in the last 3 seasons and only 3 over his career is injury prone. Amazing...the guy gets a high ankle sprain on a big hit in the leg and all of a sudden he's injury prone. Fred has been hurt waaaaaaaaay more than CJ and missed a LOT more games than him, but CJ is labeled injury prone. Only on this board does that make sense I suppose the argument/opinion is that CJ is the racehorse that runs one race per week whereas Freddie is the workhorse who labors in the field for hours each day. The correlation being that Fred ran 70% of the plays for the last three years and CJ used sparingly (less than we wanted be it he was winded or whatever Chan suggested). With that in mind, Fred would be injured more often because he was exposed to contact more often. Just my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cantankerous Posted October 31, 2013 Share Posted October 31, 2013 (edited) Spiller is soft. He goes down when the first defender hits him. He rarely ever even falls forward. He's back to his happy feet dancing instead of making a cut and taking off. If only we could put CJ's speed into Fred's legs. Fred has vision, Spiller...not so much. Edited October 31, 2013 by cantankerous Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted October 31, 2013 Share Posted October 31, 2013 what is a high ankle sprain? Aren't they all? I have never heard of a low ankle sprain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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