I know you must be sick and tired of me going back to my proclamation prior to the season about not caring about the Bills record, but caring about individual progress. Some guys have really made strides this year: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Stevie Johnson, Kyle Williams, Dwan Edwards, and Roscoe Parrish. All young players, all under the age of 30, all low round draft picks. The key being, low round picks. Where is our 2010 rookie class? And while we are at it, what about our 2009 and 2008 draft picks? I made reference to this weeks ago, but I’m still waiting for Buddy Nix to show me that he’s at least smarter than the janitor in the room.
Look, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, you need at least 3-4 years to truly evaluate a draft class. Maybe I’m pushing the panic button a little early, but for the next four weeks, I want to see these rookies and younger players show me something. I don’t care if the Bills have to bench veterans for these guys. If they need to goto a 4-3 defense to get Torrell Troup on the field, do it. As much as it pains me to say this, but if the team has to lower Fred Jackson’s carries to get the ball in CJ Spiller’s hands more, get it done. If Ed Wang has to start, well, judging by the injuries, he may start soon enough.
This is not a team going to the playoffs or the Super Bowl. Like some baseball and hockey teams do when they are out of contention and end up calling the kids from AAA to see what they got, the Bills need to have that sort of mindset. Here’s a list of players that I’d like to see more of:
CJ Spiller
If the season were to end today, I’d list CJ Spiller as being the most disappointing player on the team. To think I picked this dude to be the ROY, makes me want to turn in my blogger badge. The former 1st round pick has 199 yards rushing on the season and to give you an idea about how bad his performance has been, he had 122 yards rushing just in the preseason alone. Now, I know some will chalk up his disappointing year to Chan Gailey not giving him the ball enough or being a rookie. However, besides a couple kickoff returns, he has showed us nothing. I know taking carries away from Jackson is really a touchy subject because he’s performed well this season when he’s inserted in as the every down back. However, because of Spiller’s draft stature, the Bills need to get him as many reps as possible. He’s not going to learn a lot by riding the bench or playing every other series. Now, if the Bills don’t want to give Spiller the ball 20 times a game, fine. However, lets get him involved in the passing game. Even if the best situation means that Spiller becomes the Larry Centers of this team, I’d take that. Just show me something.
Alex Carrington
I know injuries are no laughing matter when it comes your football team. However, some good can come out of it. With the Bills being depleted because of injuries on the defensive line, Alex Carrington is starting to see more reps. I’ve liked what I’ve seen out of Carrington over the last few weeks, as he seems to be more equipped with rushing the passer, rather than stopping the run. If the Bills want the 3-4 defense to succeed, Carrington being your prototypical 3-4 end, has to step-up.
Aaron Maybin
Yes, I’m still holding on to a strand of Jim Kelly’s receding hair for Maybin to at least show something, anything, to warrant not only his first round selection, but that he can actually play in the NFL. BTW, Maybin only had 9 snaps against the Vikings, so maybe I should just give up already.
Ed Wang
OK, I don’t really know much about Wang, besides his haircut being featured on Bills.com. However, for the Bills offensive line being in the state they are in due to injuries, it won’t be a bad idea to see what the rookie can do. Yes, I’m not going to kill the guy if he plays and gets lit up, due to him being a mid-round rookie. However, if he can just hold his own, it will go a long way in trying to develop this offensive line.
Torrell Troup
Besides Spiller, Troup seems to be the other rookie that has gotten playing time throughout the year. Troup didn’t play against the Vikings due to injury (surprised?), but all signs point to him returning on Sunday. I’m really not sure what the long term plans for Troup are, because if the Bills run the basic 3-4 defense, it’s going to be hard for them to take Kyle Williams out for him. Now, if they run the 4-3, then you can have Williams and Troup man-up the middle of the line.
Arthur Moats
I’ve been bitching forever about the Bills inability to have a suitable linebacking core, especially a player who can rush off the edges and get pressure on the QB. Finally! The Bills have theirman in Arthur Moats. OK, I’m totally fabricating his impact. Moats played well on Sunday, and he probably has the best chance of making a impact of the group I listed, because he’s the unquestioned starter due to injuries. With Poz going into free agency and Chris Kelsay being on the wrong side of 30, the Bills need to find some young, hungry LBs who can show something. Moats may be that start. At least he’s a homegrown player under Nix’s watch.
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