Buffalo Bills running back C.J. Spiller (28) runs the ball against the Miami Dolphins in the first quarter of a game at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports
Buffalo Bills running back C.J. Spiller was supposed to fully take the reigns over veteran back Fred Jackson this season and become a true superstar in this league, but a nagging ankle injury has had other plans. Jackson has also shown that he is still a very valuable running back in this league, so his role on the team isn’t going away any time soon; he’s run the ball very well and continues to make a positive impact in every facet of the game. Spiller, on the other hand, has been a big disappointment this season, but he’s due for an improvement once he gets healthy.
Based on what I’ve seen, the Bills plan all along was to have Spiller rest this week, because he didn’t practice on Wednesday and Thursday and barely practiced on Friday. Although Spiller tried to downplay his ankle injury, head coach Doug Marrone basically refuted that. It was clear watching last week’s game that the ankle injury has severely hobbled C.J. Spiller, and that’s really been the story of the season for the 26-year-old Clemson product.
Spiller is fully expected to miss today’s game against the New Orleans Saints, and I have no idea why Marrone recently referred to Spiller as a game-time decision; I don’t even think the Saints are going to fall for that one. The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that Spiller is “highly unlikely” to play today, and this is a confirmation of his status at this point. Not only has Spiller been listed as doubtful (which is just a formality for calling a star player “out”), but it was reported earlier this week by WGR 550’s Joe Buscaglia that Spiller’s chances of playing this week are “extremely slim”.
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