| How much better could the Bills have been had RB C.J. Spiller carried the ball more? (US Presswire) |
The Bills endured another frustrating campaign in 2012, falling short of the playoffs for the 13th year in a row -- the longest postseason drought in the NFL.
That doesn’t mean there weren’t a few bright spots along the way, even in a trying season. RB C.J. Spiller and WR Stevie Johnson carried the load for the offense, FS Jairus Byrd and CB Stephon Gilmore led the way in the secondary on defense and free-agent acquisition Mario Williams bounced back following a dreadful start to his Bills career.
Here’s a look at this year’s RapidReports honors for 2012:
Offense -- RB C.J. Spiller: One of the biggest “What Ifs” for the Bills is a simple one -- what if Chan Gailey had utilized Spiller, his best player, more? Would Gailey still be around as coach of the Bills? It’s entirely possible. But for whatever reason, Gailey limited his star RB’s carries throughout the course of the season -- even keeping him on the bench during critical moments in games. That Spiller went on to have a tremendous season with those limitations is a testament to his amazing physical abilities. Spiller was a threat to break a big gain every time he had the ball in his hands. He finished the year with 207 carries for 1,244 yards and six touchdowns (6.0 average); he became the seventh player in NFL history to finish a season with an average of six yards per carry or better (with at least 200 attempts). The presence of Spiller on the roster is Buffalo’s most compelling selling point for incoming coaching candidates.
Defense -- FS Jairus Byrd: Even on a defense that failed to live up to its lofty expectations, Byrd continued to boost his stock as he heads into free agency for the first time. One of the better all-around safeties in the league, Byrd was a ball-hawk in the secondary with 76 tackles, five interceptions and four forced fumbles. Free safety may not be the most important position in the game, but it will be a significant blow for the Bills if they are not able to retain the services of the 26-year-old.
Special teams -- KR Leodis McKelvin: This was actually a close one. DT Alex Carrington was a revelation in a surprising area. “Megahand” blocked five kicks on the season and carved out a nice little niche for himself on special teams. But prior to his late-season injury, McKelvin was sensational as a kick and punt returner and is worthy of this honor. The former first-round pick had two punt returns for touchdowns and established a new franchise record with a season average of 18.74 yards per punt return. He also averaged 28.3 yards per kick return and his presence was sorely missed when he missed the final three games due to injury. Like Byrd, McKelvin is set to become a free agent, but he’s worth keeping around even if it’s just for his special teams play.
Newcomer -- CB Stephon Gilmore: The first-round pick had his share of ups and downs as a rookie, but it’s almost scary to think about where the Bills would have been without him at cornerback. He was the team’s top cover corner by a wide margin; the Bills had next to no depth at corner behind Gilmore. He’s not yet a finished product and will benefit from a full offseason, but he showed enough promise to give the Bills some optimism regarding his ceiling heading into 2013.
For more updates on the Bills follow correspondent Mark Ludwiczak on Twitter @CBSSportsNFLBUF and @MarkLud12.