With Chan Gailey running offense, NY Jets could be the right fit for C.J. Spiller
The Jets averaged a run of at least 20 yards every 50 attempts this season. Spiller averages a 20-plus yard gain every 21 attempts in his five-year career.
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS /
Thursday, January 15, 2015, 10:49 PM
C.J. Spiller recalls his best years when Chan Gailey was with the Bills, and could see a reunion with Jets.
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/mehta-spiller-good-jets-gailey-article-1.2080522
Chan Gailey isn’t officially on the Jets’ payroll yet, but he might be able to recruit one of the most coveted running backs on the open market this offseason.
Soon-to-be free agent C.J. Spiller would provide a dynamic game-breaking presence for Gailey, who has been targeted by new Jets head coach Todd Bowles to be the offensive coordinator.
Spiller, 27, had a breakout 2012 season in Buffalo under Gailey before getting lost in the Doug Marrone abyss the past two years. He racked up 1,703 total yards, eight touchdowns, 43 receptions and tied for a league-high 6.0 yards per carry in Gailey’s final season as Bills head coach.
Spiller would be the home-run threat in the Jets backfield that has been missing for years.
“There is that familiarity between me and him in that offense,” Spiller told the Daily News on Thursday. “So that would be a perfect match. Who knows what can happen, but I’d be foolish not to have those guys on my list. I had my best years in the league with Chan. So it’d be dumb not to give it serious thought.”
The Jets are desperate for difference makers. John Idzik signed Chris Johnson to be a big-play option in the backfield, but the former Titans star managed only 663 rushing yards this season. The Jets are expected to release Johnson, who is due $4 million in 2015, to clear a path for a game changer to team with Chris Ivory.
Ivory and Johnson combined for only five explosive runs (of at least 20 yards) in 353 attempts this season.
Spiller, who missed seven games with a broken collarbone, managed three runs of 20-plus yards on only 78 carries. The Jets averaged a run of at least 20 yards every 50 attempts this season. Spiller averages a 20-plus yard gain every 21 attempts in his five-year career.
Spiller, who has a career average of 5.0 yards per carry, is expected to be the most desirable free agent running back not named DeMarco Murray this offseason. The Jets have plenty of areas of need with more than $40 million in salary-cap space. New general manager Mike Maccagnan’s to-do list must include adding players with an explosive dimension. Spiller, undaunted by the intense spotlight in the biggest media market, fits the bill.
“I have thick skin,” Spiller said. “I don’t get sensitive to what’s said. I know what type of player I am. I know I can make plays in this league. It’s proven. It’s on tape.”
“I’m not going to let a big market or big city scare me away,” he added. “I grew up in a small town (Lake Butler, Fla.), but I can adapt very well to new environments.”
Spiller played his first three seasons for Gailey, whose flexibility and penchant for tailoring schemes to exploit mismatches by his best players was always a hit.
The Jets will find that out soon enough, Spiller said.
“When you look at guys on that roster, Chan’s going to find ways to get those guys the ball and move them around,” Spiller said. “That’s the thing that I love. He loves moving his guys around so they can keep defenses off balance.”
The Bills’ pedestrian offenses peaked with a sixth-ranked rushing attack in Spiller’s breakout 2012 season (1,244 rushing yards, six TDs). On the surface, the 63-year-old Gailey, who has been out of football for three of the past six seasons, including the past two, appears like an uninspiring choice to fix the league’s worst-ranked offense. Spiller, however, believes rust or age won’t be an issue.
“He’s not going to embarrass you,” Spiller said. “He’s going to treat you like an NFL player. He’s not going to baby you. He’s not going to treat you like you’re in college. He’s going to treat you like you’re a grown man. He’s going to give you respect.”
Spiller believes Gailey’s lessened load from head coach to offensive coordinator will only enhance the finished product. “In Buffalo, he had so much on his plate,” Spiller said. “I can only imagine the things that he’s going to be able to do now.”
Spiller admitted that he’ll formulate a detailed free agency plan in the coming weeks, but the Jets, who had the league’s third-ranked rushing attack in 2013, are intriguing with Gailey in the picture. Spiller is relatively fresh with only 668 career carries, or 1,074 fewer than Johnson when he signed a year ago.
Bills GM Doug Whaley told a local radio station on Thursday that Rex Ryan’s new team is “going to try to do our darnedest to get this guy in the fold and get him back,” but Spiller will explore all his options. Ryan’s old team might make the most sense.
“I want to be somewhere where I’m wanted,” Spiller said.
There’s no doubt Gailey will want him.
