SmashMouth

The statistics produced by running back C.J. Spiller last season may sour the New Orleans Saints' acquisition on the surface.

He only played nine games last season for Buffalo. He only averaged 3.8 yards per carry. He only caught 19 passes. He only compiled one offensive touchdown.

You might wonder if Saints coach Sean Payton was more enamored by the Spiller he watched in 2012 and 2013. Kind of like the logic he used in signing cornerback Champ Bailey last offseason in that the tape from the most recent season didn't hold as much weight.

Then he said this at the NFL owners meetings in Phoenix a couple of weeks ago:

"His cutup is unbelievable. And I'm not talking about last season because I think it became challenging, but you go back a couple of years and start looking at his screen reel, a sweep reel, a return reel."



Welp, another free agent duped Payton and the Saints again. Or maybe not.

Payton continued.

"So when you watch his film you think of a lot of things he can do," Payton said. "He's physical, he's the most explosive player on the field a lot of times when you're watching him."

This is 100 percent accurate. Even in 2014.

The sample size of Spiller's work wasn't nearly as plentiful with the Bills last season. Yet Spiller displayed his explosiveness and versatility despite a Bills team badly hampered by erratic quarterback play.

read more

Attached Thumbnails