CJ Spiller needs to step up

In my last post about the Bills, I mentioned how disappointed I was with CJ Spiller's rookie year. For the record, I wasn't enamored with the Bills picking him with the 9th pick for the same reasons that everyone else pretty much said. However, I was almost certain that Spiller would have a dynamite year. Hell, I picked him to be the offensive rookie of the year. I just thought that rookie running backs always make the transition to the pro game a lot easier than any other position. Not to mention, I trusted Chan Gailey to do the best job possible to get the ball into his rookie's hands.

Man, doesn't that Toronto preseason game against the Colts seem like 20 years ago?

Now, I know it's still early in the season and things can easily change, but Spiller is starring down a unique path for rookie running backs. And when I say unique, it's a bad version. Here are Spiller's stats on the season: 

		G		Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD		Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	Lng	YAC	1stD	TD		Fum	FumL
		7		32	130	18.6	4.1	0		17	76	10.9	4.5	14	6.3	4	1		1	0

Not good, right? As of now, Spiller is on pace to just get over 300 yards rushing for the season. Like I said, it's easy for Spiller to turn it around, as his numbers have been so gruesome, that he may be able to double his yardage on any given Sunday. However, you are what your stats say you are. As I said earlier, Spiller's numbers pale in comparison to how other rookie backs have performed over the years.

Since 2005, 19 running backs have been selected in the first round of the draft. Excluding Ryan Mathews and Jahvid Best, who are rookies this year and have exceeded CJ Spiller's production so far, the rest of the rookie backs that have been selected over the last five years have demolished what CJ Spiller has done so far.

I hate to say it, but if CJ Spiller stays healthy and stays on this uneventful pace for rushing futility, he may have the worst rookie year for a running back drafted in the 1st round in five years.

Ryan Mathews 

Year	Team	G		Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD		Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	Lng	YAC	1stD	TD		Fum	FumL
2010	San Diego	7		78	340	48.6	4.4	2		13	74	10.6	5.7	17	6.8	4	0		2	2

Jahvid Best 

Year	Team	G		Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD		Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	Lng	YAC	1stD	TD		Fum	FumL
2010	Detroit	7		91	297	42.4	3.3	4		36	316	45.1	8.8	75	9.7	10	1		1	1

 Knowshon Moreno 

Year	Team	G		Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD		Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	Lng	YAC	1stD	TD		Fum	FumL
2009	Denver	16		247	947	59.2	3.8	7		28	213	13.3	7.6	27	6.3	10	2		4	4

Beanie Wells 

Year	Team	G		Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD		Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	Lng	YAC	1stD	TD		Fum	FumL
2009	Arizona	16		176	793	49.6	4.5	7		12	143	8.9	11.9	25	9.6	5	0		4	2

Darren McFadden 

Year	Team	G		Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD		Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	Lng	YAC	1stD	TD		Fum	FumL
2008	Oakland	13		113	499	38.4	4.4	4		29	285	21.9	9.8	27	10.8	13	0		3	1

 Jonathan Stewart 

Year	Team	G		Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD		Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	Lng	YAC	1stD	TD		Fum	FumL
2008	Carolina	16		184	836	52.3	4.5	10		8	47	2.9	5.9	15	6.5	2	0		2	1

Felix Jones

Year	Team	G		Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD		Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	Lng	YAC	1stD	TD		Fum	FumL
2008	Dallas	6		30	266	44.3	8.9	3		2	10	1.7	5.0	7	3.5	0	0		0	0

 Rashard Mendenhall 

Year	Team	G		Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD		Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	Lng	YAC	1stD	TD		Fum	FumL
2008	Pittsburgh	4		19	58	14.5	3.1	0		2	17	4.3	8.5	11	6.5	1	0		0	0

Chris Johnson 

Year	Team	G		Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD		Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	Lng	YAC	1stD	TD		Fum	FumL
2008	Tennessee	15		251	1228	81.9	4.9	9		43	260	17.3	6.0	25	6.8	11	1		1	1

Adrian Peterson 

Season	Team	G		Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD		Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	Lng	YAC	1stD	TD		Fum	FumL
2007-08	Minnesota	14		238	1341	95.8	5.6	12		19	268	19.1	14.1	60	15.0	13	1		4	3

Marshawn Lynch 

Season	Team	G		Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD		Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	Lng	YAC	1stD	TD		Fum	FumL
2007-08	Buffalo	13		280	1115	85.8	4.0	7		18	184	14.2	10.2	30	11.3	10	0		2	1

Reggie Bush

Season	Team	G		Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD		Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	Lng	YAC	1stD	TD		Fum	FumL
2006-07	New Orleans	16		155	565	35.3	3.6	6		88	742	46.4	8.4	74	8.2	32	2		2	2

Laurence Maroney

Season	Team	G		Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD		Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	Lng	YAC	1stD	TD		Fum	FumL
2006-07	New England	14		175	745	53.2	4.3	6		22	194	13.9	8.8	31	10.2	11	1		1	1

 DeAngelo Williams

Season	Team	G		Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD		Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	Lng	YAC	1stD	TD		Fum	FumL
2006-07	Carolina	13		121	501	38.5	4.1	1		33	313	24.1	9.5	41	10.0	11	1		1	0

 Joseph Addai 

Season	Team	G		Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD		Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	Lng	YAC	1stD	TD		Fum	FumL
2006-07	Indianapolis	16		226	1081	67.6	4.8	7		40	325	20.3	8.1	21	7.6	20	1		2	2

Ronnie Brown 

Season	Team	G		Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD		Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	Lng	YAC	1stD	TD		Fum	FumL
2005-06	Miami	15		207	907	60.5	4.4	4		32	232	15.5	7.3	38	7.3	12	1		4	4

 Carnell Williams 

Season	Team	G		Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD		Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	Lng	YAC	1stD	TD		Fum	FumL
2005-06	Tampa Bay	14		290	1178	84.1	4.1	6		20	81	5.8	4.1	15	4.2	4	0		3	2

 Cedric Benson

Season	Team	G		Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD		Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	Lng	YAC	1stD	TD		Fum	FumL
2005-06	Chicago	9		67	272	30.2	4.1	0		1	3	0.3	3.0	3	8.0	0	0		1	1

Ouch! Those numbers make CJ Spiller look like Ryan Leaf. What makes the numbers look more disturbing are that the backs on this list who struggled statistically during their rookie years battled injuries (Felix Jones, Cedric Benson, Rashard Mendenhall), not playing time. Of course, I'm not saying that Spiller is going to end up a bust, as it's way too early to see what he can really bring to the table.

However, to see how well the majority of these running backs played during their rookie year, really makes me wonder what the hell is wrong with the Clemson product? Does it have to do with Spiller not being a guy that can run between the tackles? As most of his runs have been to the outside, where our "all-world" tackles are paving the way. Does Chan Gailey not trust the rookie back? Is Fred Jackson that vital of an offensive cog that the Bills can't take him out of the line-up?

I don't know about you, but if you're in rebuilding mode, wouldn't you want your 1st round pick to touch the ball more than 7 times a game? I'm sorry, but I like Fred Jackson, but by the time the Bills have a chance to turn it around, Jackson will be 31 or 32. Frankly, the Bills need to find ways to get Spiller the ball more and to quote Dick Vermeil: "I think it's time to take the diapers off."