Spin Zone RT: Which NFL Player Has Been The Biggest Disappointment So Far?

Oct 3, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; Buffalo Bills running back

(28) rushes the ball into the end zone for a touchdown during the third quarter against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Here is another round table discussion among the writers at Spin Zone. Today’s topic is Who is the biggest disappointment in the league so far? Here are the responses from some of the writers at Spin Zone.

"I’d probably have to say either Stevan Ridley or Josh Freeman. Both were very productive last season, Ridley rushed for over 1,200 and 12 TDs, while Freeman threw for over 4,000 yards with 27 TDs. However this season has seen both Ridley and Freeman benched, Ridley could lose his job to LaGarrette Blount and Brandon Bolden if he’s not careful, and Freeman has already been benched in place of rookie Mike Glennon. While Ridley’s decline in offensive production is staggering, the benching and poor play of Josh Freeman has been more of a disappointment this season.  – Keith Demolder"

"I have to say Matt Schaub. Aging quarterback with a huge new contract, floundering Super Bowl expectations, 3 pick-six’s, and growing hometown hatred makes him disappointing across the board. I mean seriously, even a Houston restaurant dubbed a pick six deal the Matt schaub special. I know fans are harsh, but they might actually be on to something here. – Conor Cahill"

"Doug Martin, C.J. Spiller, Colin Kaepernick, Cortland Finnegan, and Will Beatty are my final five list of players who are in the midst of disappointing seasons, and I decided to select Spiller out of those five finalists. Coming into the season, he was supposed to take the reigns as the Buffalo Bills No. 1 back, and rookie offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett stated that the Bills planned on giving Spiller the ball until he threw up. The other running back in the Bills top-notch 1-2 punch, Fred Jackson, had a rough year in 2012, but it looks like that was solely because the uber-tough RB decided to return too soon from a knee injury.So far this season, the veteran is outshining the youngster, and it looks like C.J. Spiller lost out on his chance to be the Bills unquestioned feature back; I’ll say that it’s for the better. Even so, Spiller has been a huge disappointment through four weeks (remember, it’s only four weeks), because he has completely whiffed on the lofty expectations of superstardom thus far. After averaging six yards per carry last season, Spiller is averaging just 3.5 yards per pop this year. That trademark elusiveness has been nowhere to be found, and he has only turned nine receptions into 29 receiving yards.It goes further than that, though, as Spiller has also fumbled the ball three times this season through four games, and that total of three fumbles already matches the number of balls he put on the ground on 207 carries last season. Throw in an injury that feeds those who believe Spiller isn’t durable enough to be a feature back, and you have a season in which C.J. Spiller has been a disappointment in all facets. He’s far too talented not to turn it around, but his YPC has seen an increased drop-off, and he has genuinely looked worse in every part of his game this year. He’s an insanely talented player, but he has clearly been underachieving thus far. – Joe Soriano"

"Hands off, Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ quarterback Josh Freeman is the league’s most disappointing player. Surrounded by talent with running back Doug Martin, receivers in Mike Williams and Vincent Jackson, and a solid defense, all Freeman has to do is – try.Clearly, there’s something wrong in Tampa regarding Freeman. He is fresh off throwing for over four thousands last season (4,065) to nothing. It’s either Freeman could better or he need a better ‘head man’ to lead him, hint-hint. Either way, the Bucs’ situation makes Freeman look bad. – Barry Barnes"

"Through four weeks, C.J. Spiller has been the most disappointing player. After a very productive 2012 season where he averaged 6.0 yards per carry and 10.7 yards per reception on 43 catches, this was supposed to be the season where he officially became a franchise back and lived up to his high draft pick of ninth overall in 2010. But so far, pretty much every problem Spiller has had in his career has re-emerged in 2013. He’s had to leave two games early because of injury, he’s already lost a fumble this year and once again, he’s losing touches to 32-year-old backup RB Fred Jackson.Spiller had seemingly everything going his way heading into the year. He only had 250 touches last season, so there’s no reason he should be burned out or fatigued to start this season. Also, the Bills drafted a dual threat QB in E.J. Manuel, which would presumably help Buffalo’s run game as teams have to honor Manuel’s mobility. It’s still early and Spiller is talented enough to have a great stretch of games that may make his poor play seem like nothing more than a slow start. But in a season where he was supposed to make a boom, Spiller has been a bust. – Carter Mulvhill"

"My most disappointing player is Andy Dalton. He’s got weapons, he’s got a great defense, and the Bengals are squandering an opportunity to put a stranglehold on the wide-open AFC North. Dalton is 21st in passer rating with just 5 TDs and 4 INTs and the Bengals are 22nd in points per game. He’s not playing horribly, but if he’d taken even a small leap forward this Cincinnati team would be very dangerous. Instead he looks like a cross between Sam Bradford and Matt Schaub. Not a good look. – Todd Frank"

"For me, I have to select New York Giants QB Eli Manning. Manning says that he is at the elite level, but his team is sitting at 0-4 and is hoping that they can dig themselves out of the hole. It is not all Eli’s fault that they have not won a game, but when you lead the league in interceptions, that has to contribute to it a little bit. Eli has to step up and make some plays. He is suffering from the poor play all around him. He has the receivers on the roster to throw the ball out to, but he doesn’t have the time to get the ball out to them. – Ernie Padaon"