Buffalo Bills 2010 Preview: CJ Spiller on the Wall of Fame

I have a few theories about the failure of the Bills franchise, however one stands out about the rest.

The Bills have won one playoff game since the OJ Chase (Celebrate the wild card victory 14 years ago. The Bills have only had 40 painful losses since then.)

OJ is the black cloud looming over the franchise, on top of "No Estate Tax If He Dies In 2010" Stadium (I originally wrote Luxury Tax, I live near Robert Sarver. The obsession rubs off on me). The fact that the Bills have no problem having a Wall of Fame with a convicted felon and non-convicted murderer has led to a 16 year streak of negative karma like few others. The Bills, for the good of the franchise, can do one simple act to reverse the negativity.

After his first TD, replace OJ with CJ Spiller on the Bills Wall of Fame.

Ralph Wilson is cheap and a bad business man, so surely he is unwilling to pay for the removal of OJ's name from the wall. However if CJ replaces Simpson, this will greatly reduce the cost. Spiller wears No. 21, so only the "3" in OJ's number will have to be removed. A "1" has to be cheap to produce also, much less than an "8".

The first name doesn't even need to be replaced, just have a person cut off part of the O. For the last name, only four letters need to be bought. Just like the number "1", the two "L"s have to be among the cheapest of letters to buy. The only letter that might cost a little is the "E". If the worker is already up there cutting off part of the "O", he might be able to work wonders and cut off part of the "N" in Simpson to make the "R". 

CJ Spiller provides some desperately needed excitement to an offense that has needed a play-maker for years. Bills fans were so desperate for one that they fully embraced a former play-maker in TO last year. Having a running back be that guy may not be in line with the modern pass-happy NFL, but luckily in most cases a player like Spiller doesn't need a good QB to make plays. For the complaints Bills fans had about drafting a running back first, those fans now see that Buffalo needed a better player at a position coming out of college, just to infuse some talent and excitement into what is otherwise a grinding group of castoffs.

Who knows what Spiller will be like in the NFL, the one thing known is that a preseason with him has actually led to some excitement headed into the regular season. Otherwise this would have been a time where the anticipation was similar to Tax Day.

Everyone is picking the Bills to finish last in the AFC East, people like Peter King picked them to be 2-14, Yahoo wondered if they could go 0-16. Without Spiller this season instantly looked like a disaster. Now, there may be some positives.

I still think the Bills will finish last in the division, mostly because their flaws are still major flaws and the schedule did them no favors. The Bills aren't in a situation like the Rams, where St. Louis plays tough road games against New Orleans and San Francisco and then no others. I can see why people think of them as 2-14 through the schedule, since their easiest road game is Kansas City, who may make the playoffs because they play a Rams-esque schedule.

The experts have an interesting take on the Bills, supposedly on the way to 2-14, starting with Week 1. A lot of experts aren't sure Miami is going to win, mostly because of No. 21. Vegas has Miami only as a three-point favorite. Spiller stands out as an X factor. If Miami can't stop him, and if Chan Gailey can get him the ball in the right spots, the Bills could get enough big plays to win.

That's not me as a Bills fan thinking that, that is the view of a lot of NFL writers. Spiller's presence in this game is an amazing take given a lot of people have Miami in or near the playoffs, and Buffalo in the basement.

Looking at the season, separated from any delusions of success, I have broken out what I see as negatives and positives leading into the 2010 NFL Season.

The Bills' flaws include:

1. A shaky, inexperienced offensive line that a lot of people question wonder if they have enough talent, especially at tackle.

2. Complete lack of pass rush, hindered even further by the retirement of Aaron Schobel.

3. A quarterback that often lacks confidence and has a nickname no successful QB wants. He's become the Red Light Racicot of the NFL.

4. Big questions at wide receiver and if players can get open and make plays to free up Lee Evans for bigger plays downfield.

5. The TE position has the worst talent in the NFL. A shaky QB who often throws short desperately needs a TE to get open.

6. Probably still one of the worst linebacker groups in the NFL, which was terrible in a 4-3, now there are more of them playing. People like Ray Rice and Jamal Charles are salivating at facing the Bills front seven as it currently stands.

7. Ralph Wilson is still alive.

8. Russ Brandon is somehow still part of the organization.

9. Smart coaches become stupid in Buffalo. Mike Mularkey is doing well in Atlanta, Greg Williams won a Super Bowl in New Orleans and that defense hindered the Vikings on Thursday. Chan Gailey may have strong football credentials, but with the OJ black cloud and owner/crypt keeper lingering over the franchise, Gailey is in for a struggle to break the habit of losing and stupid decisions.

10. One of their winnable home games is being played in Toronto. Given that Chicago fans travel pretty well, this will not feel like a friendly environment.

Normally if you gave a fan base a list with the items listed above, they would be depressed about the upcoming season. Luckily, as a Bills fan, there is little hope going into the season. Everyone is picking them for last. People already have the Hurt Locker countdown to the 2011 draft for the Bills. However there are some gleams of light, causing fans to still watch every Sunday and dreams of a win or few.

Positives for Bills Fans Going Into the Season:

1. Every game is at 1 p.m. No pesky wondering when-the-game-is-on issues. Very easy tailgate scheduling. You can still go out to dinner or a movie and get away from the loss. The entire season is already lined up and most likely the Bills will not be flexed out of 1 p.m.

2. The secondary should make some big plays. Given this is a passing league, it is exciting to know that the Bills have a deep, talented secondary. As long as they stay healthy, the guys back there can and will make big plays and can steal a game or two, like they did last year against the Jets and Panthers. For all of the great aspects of the Patriots, I guarantee they would trade their back four for the Bills secondary.

3. Limited exposure to Dan Dierdorf and Phil Simms. Yes, that usually means the team stinks, however, it also makes the Sunday afternoon experience much more enjoyable. Spero Dedes will feel like Van Miller by the end of this season.

4. At any given point, the Bills offensive line could have Wood, Wang, and Levitre playing together. How they will be able to block in that condition, I don't know. I do know it will lead to many drunken childish chuckles.

5. History. In nine of the last 11 years, at least two teams with six wins or less the previous year made the playoffs the next year. Only nine teams fit that criteria in 2009. In theory, the Bills have a 22 percent chance to make the playoffs. Sounds much better than 2-14.

6. CJ Spiller. The hype may be more than the reality. I just know that the first time he hits open field, it will be an exciting moment to be a Bills fan.

Realistically this looks like a 5-6 win team. The schedule is tough and the talent still appears to be lacking. I just think that if they can win six games with the junk they threw out there last year and 21 guys on IR, they can win five with the junk they have this year.