C.J. Spiller in the Greatest Game of His Career
by John Morgan on Mar 28, 2010 11:35 AM PDT
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PrintIf you can't get a sufficient sample, you at least want a quality sample. That is why I look for games against top competition. I look for recent games and games where the player was healthy. When I can't accomplish that, I just go with what I've got.
Georgia Tech was not top competition. Their offense looked the part, but their defense and especially their run defense was bad. Spiller was not fully healthy, but he was mostly recovered from a turf toe injury that slowed him all season. It was recent at least. Enough qualifiers, let's get to this.
1. 1st and 10 at CLEM 29 Jacoby Ford rush for 4 yards to the Clem 33.
Clemson starts at their 29 after Tech pooch kicks it to avoid Spiller. Spiller had five return touchdowns in 2009. Spiller is aligned on the right. Clemson is in shotgun, and Ford sweeps from left wide out behind the line and towards the right flat. Spiller lead blocks, but does not actually engage in a block.
2.2nd and 6 at CLEM 33 C.J. Spiller rush for 2 yards to the Clem 35.
Clemson motions out of three wide receivers and into an "I" formation. The Tiger interior gets some small push and Spiller slashes up into the gap, lowers his shoulder and takes what is given.
3. 3rd and 4 at CLEM 35 Kyle Parker pass complete to Michael Palmer for 6 yards to the Clem 41 for a 1ST down.
Clemson starts with three wide receivers right, but motions one left. Spiller and tight end Palmer are on the left. C.J. runs an angle out into the left flat. His presence overloads the zone and draws coverage off of Palmer.
4. 1st and 10 at CLEM 41 C.J. Spiller rush for 40 yards to the GTech 19 for a 1ST down.
Right guard Antoine McClain pulls left. McClain and fullback Chad Diehl run side-by-side behind left guard-left tackle. Spiller jogs left and behind his lead blockers. Diehl fires forward and fells freshman linebacker Julian Burnett. McClain can't control safety Mario Edwards and Edwards flashes free into the hole. Spiller cuts left and around the pile; finds daylight up the left sideline and sprints past four Yellow Jackets. Spiller is squeezed out of bounds after 40.
5. 1st and 10 at GT 19 C.J. Spiller rush for 1 yard to the GTech 18.
Derrick Morgan fires under McClain and nearly grasps Spiller as he is taking the handoff, but Spiller jukes back and runs forward for one. Ford's end around motion does not draw a defender.
6. 2nd and 9 at GT 18 Kyle Parker pass complete to Jacoby Ford for 15 yards to the GTech 3 for a 1ST down.
Play action: Spiller runs left, Parker boots right and finds Ford free. That is a lot of speed running opposite directions.
7. 1st and Goal at GT 3 C.J. Spiller rush for 3 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.
Clemson shows all kinds of presnap motion, but end in an unbalance formation: 2WR (left), TE (left), Offset "I" (left). Tech is in a 3-4. McClain pulls. Clemson struggles to create push. Spiller hits the hole but when no exit develops, cuts right, gets narrow and shoots a seam into the end zone.
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Yayyy.
Finally, CJ Spiller. I am very indifferent about him, but I’ve been hoping you’d do one of these on him at one point or another. Maybe I’ll learn something about him.
Talents that I covet:
Ndamukong Suh, Gerald McCoy, Sam Bradford, Mike Iupati, Golden Tate, Earl Thomas, and Freddie Barnes
Without knowing a ton about Spiller
He always struck me as a guy Carroll would love and Gibbs would leave. That should make for an interesting dynamic. And #6 is a lot to pay for any running back, my mind is yet to be made. This should be interesting.
"Confession: I love CJ Spiller"
He and Reggie Bush are the only players in college football history with 3000 rushing yards, 1500 kickoff return yards, 1000 receiving and 500 punt return yards. He’s fast and quick as hell and as explosive as frogs in a dynamite pond (HST). We all should love him.
I'm gonna go calm submissive on your ass.
I think everyone would love to have him, cost aside.
The question is, does he have the durability of Reggie Bush, or Chris Johnson? Because the next Reggie Bush isn’t worth a first round pick, but the next Chris Johnson is.
Is Reggie Bush durable?
I don’t know how much he’s been injured, but he doesn’t have a that many touches (even if you factor in catches and returns).
If Spiller turned out to be Chris Johnson… ooooh… droooooooooooooool.
I think Bush has missed games with injury every season of his career, and he does not play nearly as well when injured.
You can give it to him 5-10 times a game, but more than that on a regular basis and it seems like he breaks down pretty quickly. He’s a fantastic threat when he touches the ball though, and he had a nice run in the playoffs this year. But given his constant injury risk, I doubt anyone would take him in the first round if we had his draft to do over again.
Contrast that with Chris Johnson, who has a lot of the same talents and skills but can handle 20 carries a game. You can design a rushing offense around him, but not around Bush. Anyway, those are the two guys I always hear Spiller’s upside compared too, and I always find it odd because those two guys are so far apart in value. But I’m not much of a college fan so I have no idea if those comparisons are hype or not.
Durability has nothing to do with that comparison.
It’s a valid concern, of course. But those numbers speak to absolute crazy play-making ability only, at least as I intended it. Injury is such a wild variable, wouldn’t it be great if we knew for sure?
I'm gonna go calm submissive on your ass.
Makes me wonder where Spiller would have been drafted had he been in the Mario/Reggie draft.
Certainly top-9. Could have have conceivably been drafted higher than R.Bush? I wonder how they compare after looking at the multi-faceted production Dukeshire posted above.
Sure would be nice to have a threat at HB again.
It's Great to be a Florida Gator!
The Arizona Cardinals' plan for success:
-Lose all talent on team to retirement and free agency.
-Call it a day.
Hmmm,
Derrick Morgan fires under McClain and nearly grasps Spiller as he is taking the handoff, but Spiller jukes back and runs forward for one. Ford’s end around motion does not draw a defender.
Spiller at 6, Morgan at 14? I don’t really like the idea of drafting Spiller at 6, and it wouldn’t address our strong need of a LT, but I really don’t see how you could pass up the value of Morgan if he’s still sitting there at 14, even if you havn’t addressed the need at LT.
by Mind of no mind on Mar 28, 2010 4:00 PM PDT reply actions
I agree.
I might feel the same of JPP regarding 14, as well. Another reason that the poll/14th pick post revised to only include one of 3 OTs doesn’t make much sense. I don’t think we’re locked into an OT at 14 should we address another position at 6, though that in my mind, is more likely than the other way around. Gibbs makes me think we don’t have to have a top-6 LT prospect.
I see JPP as a luxury, for a team...
that can afford to miss. I don’t put the Hawks in that category.
I would suggest watching the Miami game
For a better understanding of Morgan. Fox dominated him.
It is what it is...
that is the idea behind ZBS
It worked in Denver and that is definitely the philosophy about running backs, which Mike Anderson can tell you. I could see Carroll taking McKnight or Johnson (or both) with our 4th round picks.
At least we aren't the Raiders?
by Generzal Zod on Mar 29, 2010 9:52 AM PDT up reply actions
Spiller's stats against TCU weren't great
Rushing: 26attempts, 112 total yards, 4.3 avg., long 34
There defense is pretty good and will probably make some starters this year. Also no matter how good a back is if they don’t have someone to open holes for them it won’t matter. I do wonder if Carroll and Gibbs believe the system will take care of itself.
At least we aren't the Raiders?
Here is our problem.
We are addressing our DE problem with the potential Sims/Brown trade. We would be upgrading Tapp to Alex Brown at defensive end. If that’s the logic, then we will probably want to upgrade from Grant to either Berry or Mays. That leaves us with one first round draft pick. That’s going to have to be LT, right? And it also leaves us with needs at WR and RB. I think we’re going to have to get a guy like Blount at 60 unless we wait on the Brown trade, sign him after he (probably) gets cut and get Chicago to give us a third by signing an offer sheet on Sims.
Rumor is Seattle doesn't want to take on Brown's $5MM contract...
and would rather have the pick. I think I might prefer Brown— although it’s possible we have all we need at PC’s idea of DE (LoJack, Reed, Kerney, Clemons, Foley, and perhaps Curry).
Chicago’s 3rd rounder is their top pick, so I doubt they’ll give it up for Rob. We need Holmgren to get in the Sims bidding— but I won’t hold my breath. I’m bracing for poor return for him. I’m hoping Chicago offers to pay a bit of Brown’s contract so the deal will happen. Maybe PC just doesn’t like him, though.
Also, I don’t want Blount at #60. If we still need a RB by then, I’d rather have Hardesty. (Blount will probably be still be available at our second 4th rounder.)
But I haven’t been invited to participate in the ‘Hawks selection process, so what I think/want doesn’t matter. (That should be my signature!)
I've always heard PC is a defensive guy
that is where he would look to upgrade and that somehow Gibbs’ system will take care of itself on the o-line and at rb.
I wouldn’t waste the 60th pick on Blount but would jump to get him in the 4th.
At least we aren't the Raiders?
by Generzal Zod on Mar 29, 2010 12:12 PM PDT up reply actions
Or he could do the opposite
So that way he can “coach up” the lesser talent on the defensive side of the ball and let excess offensive talent mask his offensive deficiencies. Or not, I don’t know. But just because he’s a defensive minded coach doesn’t mean we should assume he wants to draft and trade for mostly defensive players.
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