Bills won’t line up CJ Spiller at wide receiver
By Mike Dyce
The Buffalo Bills are down a couple of wide receivers heading into this weekend. They’ll be without Stevie Johnson and Robert Woods this weekend. There was a suggestion that the Bills could move running back C.J. Spiller out to wide receiver.
“Put him at wide receiver?” coach Doug Marrone responded when asked on WGR-AM Friday morning. “Well I think in the backfield it’s much easier to hand him the football than it is to throw him the football, especially vertically down the field. Intermediate throws I have no problem, (or) screens, intermediate routes, but it’s really difficult to push that ball downfield to running backs at any position.”
Spiller is known for his explosiveness in the open area. He has lacked that this year at times because of injury. He hasn’t been particularly spectacular in the pass game either.
Spiller has 86 yards on 19 receptions for an average of 4.5 yards. By comparison, running back Fred Jackson has caught 21 passes for 252 yards and an average of 8.1 yards.
It is an interesting idea though, they’ve been splitting the carries between the two. You could put Spiller in the slot and let him run some shallow slants possibly.