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Take some time to read this story. It is outstanding and very powerful
What did the Buffalo Bills need C.J. Spiller for? ¶ They already had a pair of 1,000-yard running backs; one went to the Pro Bowl two seasons earlier, and the other was a heart-and-soul leader. ¶ The Bills went into the 2010 draft needing help at practically every other position. They took Spiller ninth overall. Comprehension over their decision was minuscule. ¶ Sure, Spiller was dazzling. Bills owner Ralph Wilson declared he was sick of watching a dull loser, that Spiller could spice up our monotonous Sunday afternoons. ¶ Spiller rushed for zero touchdowns as a rookie. He frequently got tackled for negative yardage. ¶ He seemed unnecessary. His production was unreliable. ¶ Two preseason games into his sophomore season, a message-board thread on the Bills’ website asked, “Is it safe to say Spiller’s a bust?” ¶ “It wasn’t coming as easy as I hoped,” Spiller said two weeks ago. He leaned back in a plastic chair under an awning, away from the training-camp sun and looked off in the distance. ¶ “But I never doubted my ability. There’s no way you can doubt yourself and play this game.”
Those close to Spiller are unanimous about the depth of his resolve. They say it’s anchored by his faith in God, the memory of his late grandmother and loyalty to his family, especially his mother and daughter.
Spiller maintains the same ambitions he brought into the NFL three years ago. He doesn’t like to discuss specific goals. Maybe he’s superstitious. Maybe he wants to avoid sounding audacious. Probably both.
But the coach who recruited him to Clemson rattled off a list of Spiller’s aspirations.
“He’s going to be a College Football Hall of Famer,” Dabo Swinney said from his office in Death Valley. “He wants to be a Pro Football Hall of Famer. He wants to be a multiyear Pro Bowler. He wants to break O.J. Simpson’s record.
“He thinks like that. This guy has vision for greatness.”
Big talk like that would’ve elicited giggles from most observers in 2010 and much of 2011.
But when a leg injury ended captain Fred Jackson’s season in November 2011, Spiller, well, happened.
Spiller morphed into some other-worldly force. Over the final six games, he performed at a Pro Bowl-worthy pace. He ran for touchdowns – long touchdowns.
“He feels as though he can’t be touched,” Clemson teammate and Oakland Raiders receiver Jacoby Ford said. “He’s just a man on a mission to make people look silly.”
Those close to Spiller are unanimous about the depth of his resolve. They say it’s anchored by his faith in God, the memory of his late grandmother and loyalty to his family, especially his mother and daughter.
Spiller maintains the same ambitions he brought into the NFL three years ago. He doesn’t like to discuss specific goals. Maybe he’s superstitious. Maybe he wants to avoid sounding audacious. Probably both.
But the coach who recruited him to Clemson rattled off a list of Spiller’s aspirations.
“He’s going to be a College Football Hall of Famer,” Dabo Swinney said from his office in Death Valley. “He wants to be a Pro Football Hall of Famer. He wants to be a multiyear Pro Bowler. He wants to break O.J. Simpson’s record.
“He thinks like that. This guy has vision for greatness.”
Big talk like that would’ve elicited giggles from most observers in 2010 and much of 2011.
But when a leg injury ended captain Fred Jackson’s season in November 2011, Spiller, well, happened.
Spiller morphed into some other-worldly force. Over the final six games, he performed at a Pro Bowl-worthy pace. He ran for touchdowns – long touchdowns.
“He feels as though he can’t be touched,” Clemson teammate and Oakland Raiders receiver Jacoby Ford said. “He’s just a man on a mission to make people look silly.”
