Buffalo Bills running back C.J. Spiller has no intention of sitting out a game to rest his sprained left ankle, but head coach Doug Marrone may be mulling that exact option for his star tailback.
Spiller appeared on The John Murphy Show on Tuesday evening, and gave a blunt response when the titular host asked him about the idea of taking a game off to rest up: "No, I don't like that idea at all," Spiller said. "If we were going to do that, it should've (already) been done."
"People saying that I need to rest - that's not in my DNA," Spiller continued. "I'm gonna gut it out. That's without a doubt. The only way that I can't go is if they tell me not to get on the plane - and then I'll just get my own flight and meet them at the hotel."
Speaking with reporters after practice on Wednesday, Marrone noted that Spiller was among five non-participants for the Bills, then suggested that the team is considering the option of holding Spiller out of a game.
CJ Spiller's ankle isn't doing as well this week as it was this time last week. Marrone sounds on the fence about him playing #Bills
— Joe Buscaglia (@JoeBuscaglia) October 23, 2013
Spiller says he's "10 times better" this week than last week. Him and Marrone telling two different stories today.
— Mike Rodak (@mikerodak) October 23, 2013
Spiller told Murphy on Tuesday that he and Marrone talk daily about the progress of the runner's ankle, with Marrone acknowledging on Wednesday that Spiller wants to play on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints. Spiller also told Murphy that both he and Fred Jackson are trying to play through their respective injuries until the team's Week 12 bye, at which point Spiller expects to be much closer to 100 percent if he can avoid a major setback over the next four weeks.
We'll know later this week whether or not Spiller will be playing, but for the first time since his Week 4 injury, it sounds like the Bills are open to the idea of sitting him. This is obviously a situation that will be closely monitored over the next four days leading up to Sunday's kickoff.
Joining Spiller on the did not participate list from Wednesday's practice: Jackson (knee), quarterback EJ Manuel (knee), defensive lineman Kyle Williams (Achilles) and outside linebacker Manny Lawson (hamstring). Marrone sounded confident that both Jackson and Lawson would be available, and there's no doubt that Williams will be playing. Manuel, of course, is out another 3-5 weeks with his sprained LCL.