AFC East player rankings
Tags: AFC East, Andy Levitre, Brian Moorman, C.J. Spiller, Eric Wood, Marcell Dareus, Ryan Fitzpatrick
ESPN AFC East blogger James Walker is listing his top 40 players in the division. So far he’s counted down from 40 to 21 and there are a handful of Bills players on the list.
Here’s the rundown of who has appeared on the AFC East Top 40 player list from the Bills.
Below is where the Bills are currently ranked from 21-40:
- No. 38 P Brian Moorman
- No. 32 RB C.J. Spiller
- No. 29 QB Ryan Fitzpatrick
- No. 27 C Eric Wood
- No. 25 DT Marcell Dareus
- No. 23 OL Andy Levitre
Big play Bills
Tags: C.J. Spiller, David Nelson, Fred Jackson, Naaman Roosevelt, Scott Chandler, Stevie Johnson, toxic differential
With the new statistical measure ‘toxic differential’ gaining popularity in determining an NFL team’s success, we thought we’d take a closer look as to just what players were providing the big plays for the Bills this past season.
There are some obvious candidates, but here are the players that turned in all of the 20-plus yard plays in the run and pass game for Buffalo in 2011.
Players with plays of 20 yards or more in 2011
1 . Fred Jackson (18)
2. Stevie Johnson (13)
3. David Nelson (7)
4. Naaman Roosevelt (7)
5. C.J. Spiller (6)
6. Scott Chandler (4)
7. Brad Smith (3)
8. Donald Jones (2)
9. Derek Hagan (2)
10. Kevin Brock (1)
11. Ruvell Martin (1)
It’s not surprising that Jackson had the most 20-plus yard plays on the season. Even though he only appeared in 11 games in 2011 he still seemed to have at least one big play every time out. Perhaps the most impressive though is Naaman Roosevelt, who probably had significantly fewer snaps than Scott Chandler, David Nelson and C.J. Spiller. Yet Roosevelt was tied for third most plays of 20+ yards.
See where C.J. improved most
Tags: C.J. Spiller, Curtis Modkins, Top 10 Performances of 2011
Here’s you chance to see where C.J. Spiller improved his game the most in 2011 with our latest installment of the Top 10 Performances of 2011.
Spiller’s Week 14 game against the Dolphins is the latest edition in our Top 10 Series and offensive coordinator Curtis Modkins is the one providing insight as we review film of the tailback’s 167 total yard performance that included a pair of touchdowns.
C.J. named Player of the Wk
Tags: C.J. Spiller
C.J. Spiller was named the FedEx Ground Player of the Week for his Week 16 performance in the win over Denver.
Spiller tallied 111 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries in the Bills’ 40-14 defeat of the Denver Broncos.
Fans voted for more than their favorite players. The weekly FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week Awards are also a win for local communities.
Along with the player awards, FedEx is making a $2,000 donation in Spiller’s name to the local Junior Achievement area offices in Western New York.
The funding is used to help U.S. small business development, by educating the next generation of entrepreneurs on how to start and grow their own businesses.
Fan Friday 12-30
Tags: 4-3 defense, Antonio Coleman, Buddy Nix, C.J. Spiller, Chan Gailey, Fan Friday, Kamar Aiken, Kyle Moore, Mike Jasper, Robert Eddins, yards per completion
Happy New Year Bills fans! As always I’ll be on the live blog here on Buffalobills.com during the Bills-Pats season finale, so join me during the game for observations, questions and comments. We’re up right before kickoff. Now to your questions from AskChris@bills.nfl.net.
1 – Chris,
I would like your thoughts on some of these concerns I find to be “holding” Buffalo back if you will.
Second, with Dareus providing a nice push in the middle of the line, could that help sway our current 3-4 back to the 4-3? Our run “D” is still stale, and with the likes of Williams and Dareus in the middle, teams would very much struggle to establish an effective running attack on us.
Thanks again for all you do for the BILLS!!!!!!
Dan, FL
CB: I wouldn’t be surprised if it were up for debate this offseason by the coaching staff. The thought of Williams and Dareus alongside one another in a 4-3 front is intriguing. Of course without a proven pass rushing right defensive end on the roster it’s a hole that would absolutely need to be filled to pull it off.
I also think figuring out the linebacker situation would be next. Nick Barnett is more of a 3-4 inside linebacker, but in a 4-3 he’d presumably have to be outside (probably weak side) at 230 pounds. Problem there is if Merriman makes a successful return and from what I know the odds of that are better than most believe, then you take a strong run defender out of the equation there no matter who you sit down. Sheppard would likely be the MLB in that front and the strong side would again be a position to be filled, though Moats would at least have the size to play there at 252 pounds.
Buddy Nix said two years ago that you don’t want to be flipping back and forth. You want to commit to something eventually, and he indicated committing to the 3-4 was the plan. Plans can obviously change, but they’ve drafted the past two years with the 3-4 in mind. We’ll have to see if any of that changes moving forward.
2 - Hi Chris,
Thanks for taking our questions.
Since Spiller has been starting, I don’t understand why we give up on the run game so early. A good example would be the Miami game. Spiller had about 90 yards on only 12 carries. Early on in the game he had about 50 yards including 2 carries where he gained about 40 yards and scored a TD. The Bills seem to give up on running the ball when the game was still in play, but after passing took over we had 3 INT’s and another Loss. I realize when you get way behind you need to go to the passing game but the Bills give up on the run way too early. What do you think?
Bob Hammond
Rochester, NY
CB: Chan has been asked about this more than once by the media and I think the answer is simple. Coach Gailey told me earlier in the year they’re a team that uses the pass to set up the run. Their most popular formation is the 4-by-1 set (4 WRs, 1 RB) though they’ve worked in more two tight end sets in the second half of the season.
That is what their identity is so when they fall behind by more than a touchdown on the scoreboard they have no qualms about airing it out.
I’m in favor of seeing more run game knowing how successful the O-line has been this year in opening holes for the backs this season. Combine that with the fact that Jackson was almost unstoppable this season and the emergence of C.J. down the stretch and you wonder if there might be some consideration for a change in offensive philosophy in 2012 though I wouldn’t count on it. I get the sense that the Gailey and his offensive staff feel the run game is so successful because the passing game sets it up. In talking to Gailey he seems to feel if they just get the passing game a bit more consistent they’ll really be rolling, much like they were early in the year.
3 – Chris,
Hi, thanks for keeping us all updated on everything Bills. My question isn’t Bills related but just a general football question. Why do they keep the stat of Yards Per Attempt instead of Yards Per Completion?
Thanks,
Jimmy in Hamburg
CB: They do keep that statistic, it’s just not commonly listed on most quarterback stat lines. Here is the list of the top 10 QBs for yards per completion through Week 16 (prior to this weekend’s games).
1 – Matt Schaub – 13.93
2 – Tim Tebow – 13.91
3 – Eli Manning – 13.69
4 – Carson Palmer – 13.66
5 – Aaron Rodgers – 13.54
6 – Kevin Kolb – 13.39
7 – Cam Newton – 13.2
8 – Michael Vick – 12.96
9 – Tom Brady – 12.96
10 – Ben Roethlisberger – 12.81
For the record Fitz ranks 30th at 10.88 per completion, but because this is commonly not a statistic relied upon to determine QB effectiveness you often do not see it listed. An example of how it’s not an accurate factor in determining QB play is the fact that Drew Brees ranks 24th in this category.
4 – Chris,
With the season winding down, will the Gailey put some of the untested players in as trial to see what they can do. Most of the drafted rookies have played well, but Aiken hasn’t seen any targets at WR. The team picked up Sam Young but he has been inactive most games. In terms of pass rush, Eddins looks fantastic in the preseason and with the release of Coleman, could he be elevated and given a chance? Same goes with Kyle Moore. Most Bills fans would like to see Jasper but he might still be raw.
Thanks,
Josh – Los Angeles
CB: As you probably saw this week, Mike Jasper was elevated to the active roster. I think if he sees time on the field it will probably be in goal line or field goal barring an injury at the guard position. Kamar Aiken could possibly see time with Brad Smith not expected to play this week, but Derek Hagan has been getting more reps of late.
Robert Eddins is still on the practice squad and unless there’s an injury at tackle I don’t anticipate seeing Sam Young either. Kyle Moore did get a lot more playing time last week.
5 - Chris
The team has made some interesting moves onto the roster and practice squad in the last few weeks. They’ve added several TE, a 3-4 DE and waived Coleman.
What do you think is the driving factor for Whaley & Nix behind these moves? Are these driven by injuries/current needs or do you see these guys as players they want for next year? If so – when do the contracts expire for these recent additions (will they be F/A this offseason)?
The DE move and waiving Coleman seemed odd – given we seem to have plenty of DL and no pass rushing OLB. Are there no 3-4 OLB prospects on other team’s practice squads (like Pitt or GB)?
thanks
Tim from Syracuse
CB: I think at this stage of the game the Bills are probably taking a look see at some players they had interest in and want to see what they can do in live games. I believe that was the motivation behind Kyle Moore getting more time on the field this past week. Most of the others have been precipitated by injury.
Most of the contracts of the recent additions expire after this season. However, a few of them are exclusive rights free agents, which make it rather easy for the Bills to re-sign them if they so choose. Some of the younger players can also be re-signed as future free agents, which is done in January to retain those player rights and add them to their offseason roster.
Spiller has Belichick impressed
C.J. Spiller has been one of the most productive backs in the league since he entered the lineup as a starter in place of the injured Fred Jackson. It’s been enough to leave Patriots head coach Bill Belichick impressed.
“I think Spiller has had the last whatever it has been, six weeks or however long since Fred’s been hurt, he’s been more productive than any back in the league – big plays, consistency,” Belichick said. ”He’s picked up right where Jackson left off and he’s had a tremendous amount of production. It’s not all outside, it’s a good mix of inside running, outside running. He’s broken tackles, he’s out-run guys, he’s made good decisions in terms of his run reads and things like that. He’s been very productive.”
In the month of December this season Spiller is tied for 3rd in the NFL with a 6.1 yards per carry average and stands fifth in total yards from scrimmage with 463.
“He’s been very impressive,” said Belichick. ”He’s pretty dynamic. Handing the ball to Spiller, however they get it to him – screens, passes, inside runs, outside runs, draw plays, he’s been productive on all of them. He’s really done a good job.”
C.J. up for FedEx player of week
Tags: C.J. Spiller
C.J. Spiller had 111 yards rushing and a touchdown in Buffalo’s dominating win over Denver, and that performance has him up for FedEx Ground Player of the Week honors for Week 16.
Spiller averaged 6.8 yards per carry Saturday and is up against Pittsburgh’s Rashard Mendenhall and Minnesota’s Toby Gerhart for the weekly award.
Fans can vote for one player in each category on NFL.com/FedEx from now until 3 pm ET on Friday to determine the FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Week. The winners will be announced Friday on
NFL Total Access on NFL Network and on NFL.com.
C.J. out to be better set up man
Tags: C.J. Spiller
C.J. Spiller has undoubtedly improved these last few weeks and has the production to prove it after his 167 yards from scrimmage effort last Sunday against Miami. But the speedy Spiller is still trying to slow down in one particular area of his game.
The term ‘set-up man’ has a much different meaning in baseball, but for Spiller he wants to be a better set-up back in terms of juking defenders out of their shoes.
“I’m still making my moves too early, but overall I’m getting better,” he said. ”It’s very hard but you can still control it. You don’t have to do it too early, especially when you’re about eight yards away from a guy because there aren’t too many guys you’re going to make miss when you’re eight yards away. That’s the thing that I’m trying to constantly work on. Getting closer and just hitting with a one step and go.”
Spiller believes if he waits a step or two longer to set up a defender to make him miss he’ll be even more effective than he has been the past few weeks.
Chan on C.J.’s carries
After going 80 yards on 11 carries with a touchdown in the first half, C.J. Spiller had just three carries in the second half. Head coach Chan Gailey explained why that happened on Monday after watching film.
“You’d have liked to (run more), but he touched the ball in the second half on the second and third series and touched it a couple of times on each, but we were so far behind that we had to start throwing the football.
“There weren’t many possessions in the second half. We had one long drive and they had two long drives and there weren’t many possessions. Yes, I would’ve liked to (run more), but the times when he did run it we didn’t run it very well. It was minus-1, four and one I think.
“I was thinking maybe they had made adjustments at halftime and maybe we needed to do some things differently. We tried to use him on some screens and it didn’t work out. But I’d like to have him have about 20 touches a game.”
Winning physical battles the key
The Bills have not been consistent enough winning the physical battles at the line of scrimmage since they first met up with the Jets. They know they have to win more of them than they lose if they’re going to beat the Jets in their building.
“They’ve got there guys that are hard to move in the middle there,” said Ryan Fitzpatrick. ”When they’re getting either pushed back or the stalemate at the line it makes it tough for us. It will be an emphasis for us, to get some movement on the line which will be a hard thing to do. They’ve got good corners and they’re physical up front. They’re hard to run on because of how physical they are because sometimes they’ll have an extra guy in the box and they’re hard to throw on because their corners and DB’s are so good.
“It’s going to get real physical up front and we’ve got to do a better job with being physical, winning the one-on-ones and completing the throws. With the Jets it’s going to be a tough game for us, it always is. They’re a great defense and they’ve showed it all year long.”
“I think the last couple weeks I think physically at the point of attack we haven’t been as sharp as we were at the beginning of the season,” said C.J. Spiller. ”There’s always that thought that we need to get back to being sharp and being physical at the point of attack and putting hats on guys and doing our assignments. There will definitely be more attention to detail these next six weeks because it’s pretty much everything is on the line from here on out.”
Fan Friday 11-25
Tags: Brad Smith, C.J. Spiller, Fan Friday, Fred Jackson, Live Blog, pass rush, Shawne Merriman
Well Bills fans this week’s game will determine what the last five weeks of the regular season will be about. Everyone knows what a win and what a loss will do for Buffalo down the stretch. Let’s hope for the best and get to your questions from AskChris@bills.nfl.net.
1 - Hey Chris,
What’s going on with the offense? CJ Spiller & BRad Smith were brought in to provide a spark on offense and aren’t being used as well as they should be. There’s only so much Fred can do, we should’ve been utilizing our 3 possibly 4 headed rushing attack against a jets D that’s not good against the run and the cowboys aren’t the team they’re hyped up to be. I’m a faithful bills fan since the 80′s but I can’t stand to watch this team on tv anymore
As always thanks for all the work u do, and GO BILLS!!!!!
Chris Nogas
CB: Well you’ll see a lot more of C.J. now with Fred out for the season (broken fibula). The one plus is we’ll really be able to gauge C.J.’s progress here in his second season as he’ll be carrying the load for the last six games of the season. When young players get an opportunity like this it can also accelerate their improvement, so going into next season Spiller may be better equipped to do more, much like David Nelson did this year after playing a lot last season.
2 - Chris,
What are Nix and Gailey going to do about the utter lack of a pass rush? When the “D” does nothing to stop the opposing quarterback, it makes Fitz think he has to go out there and win the game himself. Is it too late for the pass rush to get fixed, either by new blood on the roster or shuffling around who we now have?
Thanks,
Kenny in Indiana
CB: I think the pass rush is going to be a tough thing to fix because the team does not have a proven pass rusher on the roster. Danny Batten, Antonio Coleman and Arthur Moats are nice young prospects, but they’re far from proven. Without a proven pass rusher that opponents have to account for they can spread their protection evenly across the front and the opposing quarterback rests a bit easier.
DC George Edwards has tried to mix in some blitz packages through the course of the season and some have worked (See: Philly game) and some have not. But until they get a proven pass rusher on this roster Edwards will be forced to create pressure with extra rushers and that leaves them vulnerable in coverage at times. It’s risk-reward at its highest level.
3 - Hi Chris,
First off, thank you for all the updates and info…it really means a lot to those of us outside the Buffalo area.
I know a lot of people have written off Shawn Merriman but as a true Bills fan, I can’t help but have hope. Have you received any updates on Mr. Merriman? Has he had surgery? If so how did it go? I realize that it’s very early, but is there a prognosis for his future in the NFL?
Thanks again,
James – Wheaton MD
CB: It’s hard to blame those fans that doubt Merriman will ever be the same. They’ve haven’t seen his old form in a few years, and this year ended much like the others in recent years on I-R. Surgery was successful. He did not rupture his Achilles, but he did have his Achilles repaired. Whether he has a rehab as long as those players that rupture their Achilles I do not know. Suffice to say it’s going to take several months before he’s doing football related work again. When we get an update we’ll pass it along.
4 - Hey Chris, will you be doing the live blog again Sunday? Once again no Bills on TV here in Danville, Va. Thanks a lot. Hope to be chatting with you on blog soon.
Garry Cross
CB: We’ve got the live blog up every game day on Buffalobills.com so if you’re somewhere in the U-S where the game is not broadcast we can help you out with a running play-by-play and a fan forum where you can ask me questions during the game and converse with one another. Just check the home page right before the game starts.
5 - Chris,
Once again thank you for the website being stationed out in San Diego CA its hard to keep updated on my beloved Buffalo Bills. I am pat of the Bills Backers San Diego club and we all watch the game. Today Mr. Andre Reed showed up and he said the bills are playing with no heart and they look dull. I couldn’t agree more I love my Bills but i’m getting tired of always watching them lose. My question is why have we been abandoning the run game? Fred Jackson get so little touches. But when he does get the ball he makes it happen. The team has even said he is our play maker so why not give him the ball more?
Thanks again Chris.
Jeremy
CB: It’s very hard to disagree with your point. Yes, the last two games got out of hand quickly, which often leads offensive play callers away from the run game. My argument against that at least these past two weeks is there was no rhythm to the passing game, so why not use the run to help move the chains?
Fred only got seven carries against the Dolphins and that game was a two-score game at the half. Now that Fred is out for the season I wouldn’t anticipate the Bills leaning on the run game as much when and if they’re behind by two scores or more on the scoreboard. But I think there’s merit to sticking with the run a bit longer even if you’re behind on the scoreboard when the passing game is out of sync. Perhaps if the run game can at least get you a couple of first downs a rhythm can be established.
Gauging C.J.’s progress
While fans might have their opinions of C.J. Spiller as a back in the NFL, Buffalo’s head coaching staff believes the lack of opportunities for Spiller this season has left the jury out on just how much progress he has made in his second NFL season.
Spiller has had just 21 carries this season, due mainly to the ridiculous production of Fred Jackson. But now with Jackson injured reserve Chan Gailey and his staff will have the chance to see how much progress Spiller has made.
“I think we will really not know totally about C.J. until we get to the end of the season,” Gailey said. ”I hope, but I can’t expect him to come out and rush for 140 yards or 120 yards like Fred was doing, but at the same time he’s certainly capable of doing that. We’ll see where this takes us.”
Little to change w/C.J. as lead
With C.J. Spiller now the lead back in the wake of Fred Jackson’s move to I-R many wonder how the Bills offense might change to better suit Spiller’s skill set, which includes more speed out of the backfield than was provided by Jackson. Head coach Chan Gailey indicated that not a whole lot will be different.
“It changes a little bit,” said Gailey. ”You’ve got 10 other guys that have been doing things. You can’t change everything they’re doing and you don’t want to. You want to let C.J. go in and do what he does best and give him an opportunity to make plays. He gets his chance now. He’s probably looking forward to it and so are we.”
C.J. shoulders blame
Tags: C.J. Spiller, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Stevie Johnson
C.J. Spiller was as big a part of Sunday’s game plan as he has been in weeks. His role got even bigger in the second half when Fred Jackson went out with a leg injury. What frosted Spiller was being unable to convert on 1st-and-goal from the two and 2nd-and-goal from the one.
“That’s on me, I should have punched that in,” said Spiller. ”I’ll dwell on that watching it on film. The guys did a great job of hacking it up and I just didn’t punch it in. That series right there, that’s all on me, it should have been six points.”
On 3rd-and-goal from the one Andy Levitre and Ryan Fitzpatrick had trouble on the exchange forcing Fitz to recover the ball. Then on 4th-and-goal at the one the pass to Stevie Johnson was high and incomplete.
Spiller still getting WR work
Tags: C.J. Spiller
Even though Donald Jones is back in the lineup and healthy, C.J. Spiller is still getting work at wide receiver.
Spiller was practicing with the WR group during the individual position drill portion of practice.
“He’ll probably be a hybird, probably play some wide, some in the backfield, probably do a little bit of everything,” said head coach Chan Gailey of Spiller’s role moving forward. “He did a good job of going out at receiver the week before and did some good things. That’s not his natural spot but he can help us in some different places and we’ll just have to see how it works as time goes on.”
What Jones return means for C.J.
With Donald Jones expected to play on Sunday against the Jets after missing the last two games with a high-ankle sprain, C.J. Spiller’s wide receiver role figures to be impacted. Head coach Chan Gailey explains how things might work.
“If Donald can play and play extensively it allows us not to have to put C.J. out at wideout extensively,” Gailey told Buffalobills.com. ”We may still do it a little bit. But it’s not something we would do a lot if Donald can come back and play.”
Spiller has helped to fill the receiver void offering a deep threat outside with his game-breaking speed. He drew a 34-yard pass interference penalty last week that led to a Bills field goal.
Spiller’s WR role evolving
With C.J. Spiller’s role at wideout continuing this week and possibly beyond, the bye week afforded the coaching staff to possibly come up with some additional plays for the speedy back turned receiver.
“Because we had a bye we’ll have a little more time and he’ll have more time to think about things and how to get him involved,” said Ryan Fitzpatrick of Spiller. ”I think just in general with the injuries and still not having guys back, his role is going to increase. I think that was inevitable with him being out there and having a little bit to build on with the catches and the routes that he ran. I think that was going to happen anyway.”
Spiller had a career-high five catches in Buffalo’s Week 6 game against the Giants.
Multi-skilled players helping at WR
Tags: Brad Smith, C.J. Spiller, Chan Gailey, Fred Jackson, Ryan Fitzpatrick
There’s no question that Buffalo is a bit short-handed at wide receiver after losing the likes of Marcus Easley, Roscoe Parrish for the season and Donald Jones for at least the next month. What has helped to reduce the impact of those losses has been the multi-dimensional players on Buffalo’s roster.
Versatile weapons like Brad Smith, C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson have all been split out wide this season.
“What you have to do is you have to try to take guys and move them around and put them in position to make plays,” said head coach Chan Gailey. ”We’re fortunate to have a quarterback who can adjust with those changes. Not every quarterback can do that, but he takes advantage of every mismatch he sees and he knows strengths and weaknesses of offensive players and defensive players. So we have been able to take advantage of what some guys can do that perhaps was not done before.”
Smith and Spiller figure to see even more time at receiver knowing Chan Gailey called for all hands on deck in the passing game this week.
