How Sean Payton, Saints Can Get the Most out of C.J. Spiller

C.J. Spiller is an explosive, dynamic, game-breaking back. At least, he was.

It was his incredible explosion that vaulted him up to the top of the draft, when the Bills took him No. 9 overall in 2010. It was his dynamic, game-breaking ability that allowed him to average a stunning 5.7 yards per carry in his two seasons as a starter before now-departed head coach Doug Marrone took over.

In two seasons under Marrone, Spiller suffered through injuries, a poor supporting cast and a system that didn't make the most of his talent. Worse, that searing blaze of instant-on acceleration, that jaw-dropping ability to cut and explode, seemed to dim.

Mike Groll/Associated Press

Spiller averaged just 3.8 yards per carry in 2014, nearly two yards off his pre-Marrone pace. The team also used him used less often, and less effectively, in the passing game; his 2.1 receptions per game and 6.6 yards per reception paled in comparison to his 2012 peak (2.7, 10.7).

When Spiller talked about signing with his new team, the New Orleans Saints, he gushed about the Saints' past utilization of explosive backs, during a conference call with local media (per the team's official site).

“I’ve been following this offense very closely," Spiller said. "We tried to do some similar stuff at Buffalo early on in my career. The way that they use their running backs in general is very intriguing. If you were in my position, you would be a fool not to visit or at least see how they could utilize your skill set, especially my type of skill set."

Spiller turns 28 this August, an age when many running backs begin to decline. Darren Sproles first came to the Saints in 2011, at the same age, and had a career year in head coach Sean Payton's offense.

Name	Att/G	Yds/Att	Tar/G	Yds/Tar
Spiller	6.7	5.24	3.4	4.98
Sproles	5.4	6.93	6.9	6.40

That season was Spiller's first as the primary back in Buffalo, and he averaged 5.2 yards per carry and 6.9 yards per reception that season. Sproles averaged a stunning 6.9 yards per carry and 8.3 yards per reception. As he said, it didn't take long for Spiller to notice that an older, smaller back with similar tools was dramatically outproducing him in a similar role.

Sproles did a little bit of everything for the Saints in 2011, despite sharing the backfield with Mark Ingram, Pierre Thomas and Chris Ivory. His role changed with the opponent and game plan, especially in the playoffs.

MIKE MCCARN/Associated Press

Against the Detroit Lions, on Jan. 7, 2012, Wild Card Weekend, Sproles had 10 carries (his third-highest on the season) and gained a healthy 5.1 yards with them, on average—yet he barely saw action in the passing game, with only five targets for four catches and 34 yards.

In the season-ending divisional-round loss to the San Francisco 49ers, Sproles had three carries for just three yards—but he caught a whopping 15 passes on an astonishing 19 targets for 118 yards. Swing passes, screen passes, curls and wheels out of the backfield; left, right, releasing up the middle off play action, the Saints called Sproles' number constantly—and quarterback Drew Brees, under massive pressure, used Sproles as his safety blanket.

The Saints often used Sproles on zone stretches and counters, getting the whole offense moving in one direction and letting him either beat everyone to the corner or find a seam and slice up it. Yet Sproles was at his most dangerous when the line gave him a big hole to fly through.

Against the Lions, the Saints saw a mismatch between their powerful guards and Detroit's wide spacing:

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

This is a first-quarter 2nd-and-4, with the Saints trailing 7-0. The Saints have blocking tight end Michael Higgins lined up in line to the right, and receiving tight end Jimmy Graham split wide to the right. Two receivers are out to the left.

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

The concept here is a wham block. Right tackle Zach Strief is going to crash down on Lions tackle Ndamukong Suh from the outside, while right guard Jahri Evans, the guy Suh thinks he's going to take on, drops behind Strief and moves up into the hole:

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

Strief makes good contact, using Suh's momentum to push him wide of the running lane, and Higgins sets the edge on the outside. Evans, leading the way, will do his job: The big ol' Pro Bowler has no problem eating that linebacker at the second level.

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

Sproles races through the hole, cuts back inside and is taken down by a pack of Lions after a 14-yard run, all just following the lead block of his guard.

Here's the rub: Spiller is devastating in space, whether that's on a swing pass, draw or run up the gut—but the space has to be there. The Saints, per Pro Football Focus, had the sixth-best run-blocking line in in 2011.

In 2014, the Bills offensive line finished dead last.

Throughout this past season, even when he wasn't hurt, Spiller looked tentative, like he was searching. He was constantly floating, upright, waiting for the crack of daylight he could burst through. It was rarely there—and when it was, as on a 29-yard off-tackle burst in Week 3 against the San Diego Chargers, it was often the result of flagged holding.

Fred Jackson was more effective than Spiller last season because he was more willing to run into a brick wall at full speed, and more effective at breaking tackles once he did so.

Spiller didn't see quite enough snaps to qualify for Pro Football Focus' rate stats at their default threshold. But if he had, he would have tied Ronnie Hillman for 57th—dead last—in average yards after contact. Jackson finished in a five-way tie for 24th, with backs like Frank Gore and Justin Forsett.

Can the Saints get Spiller touches? Yes. Payton was certainly more committed to, and creative in, involving Sproles than Marrone was with Spiller. Moreover, Brees is still one of the best short-range touch passers in the business. Kyle Orton's misfires on simple swing passes sometimes drove Spiller to visible outbursts of frustration.

Can the Saints use Spiller only as he'll be most effective? Yes, they re-signed an improving Ingram to carry a lot of the between-the-tackles water, and Payton's proved he can adapt and use a diverse running back committee as effectively as anyone in the business.

Can the Saints block for Spiller? Absolutely. They dealt Graham away to acquire Pro Bowl center Max Unger and a first-round draft pick; Unger, Evans and Strief could be the best right side of an offensive line in football.

The Saints have everything it takes to give Spiller every opportunity to use every ounce of fuel he's got left in the tank.