Buffalo Bills news, 7/17: will uptempo offense help C.J. Spiller?

CJ Spiller: A Statistical Preview of the Bills Running back - SportingCharts.com

"It’s no secret among the Fanstasy Football crowd that Spiller is primed to have a big year and in all likelihood will be a first round pick in every FF draft. If he can stay healthy a lot of experts have him rated as the best running back in football this year. On that note we decided to compare his 3 year statistics, in particular his 2012 season, to some of the current and past greats."

Inside The Bills | A look at how fast ‘Cuse offense went

"In 2012 Syracuse’s offense ran a play about every 10 seconds when operating at top speed. In a 13-game season ranked 17th in the country in total offense with better than 475 yards per game (476.3)."

I don't think running more plays (like every 10 seconds) is going to necessarily help C.J. Spiller become a breakout star, but it should get the ball in his hands more than Chan Gailey did. He'll be the feature back in an offense built around protecting a quarterback and getting a lot of plays in. That's the biggest difference, and that sounds like the potential for a breakout season to me.

More clicks

#12 - Will the defense effectively stop the run? - BuffaloBills.com
"Close to half of the run plays executed against Buffalo’s run defense went for four yards or more (46.4%) good for 31st in the NFL. They were last in the league in opponent rushing plays of 10 yards or more allowing 73. The league average was 42."

Inside The Bills | Kolb: Bills ‘O’ faster than most I’ve seen
"I would think so," said Kolb. "It just makes sense to me. It makes sense in my head. It makes sense the way Nate (Hackett) does stuff. I like the way that he approaches the game and the way Doug (Marrone) approaches the game offensively and their schemes. The biggest thing is belief and I believe in what they’re doing."

#46 Buffalo Bills: The World's 50 Most Valuable Sports Teams 2013 - Forbes
"The Bills had eight games blacked out on local TV over the past three years, due to a lack of sellouts. Fans are fed up after eight straight losing seasons. The Bills get a boost from taxpayer subsidizes of roughly $7 million a year that go towards stadium operating and capital improvement costs."

Warren Sapp to Jairus Byrd: 'Go earn' Bills contract - NFL.com
"I question him because you've been there the whole time with Buffalo, and if Buffalo doesn't see you as an asset as far as their franchise player and the guy they want to put as their safety, (that says something)," Sapp continued. "If the team that watches you practice and play every day doesn't deem you the best safety in the game, then you might want to look at yourself."

Fantasy football: Ranking the IDPs - NFL.com
Mario Williams and Da'Norris Searcy rank pretty well on their lists, with Jairus Byrd coming seven spots after Searcy.

Enduring the Buffalo Bills' Jairus Byrd Franchise Tag Saga - Yahoo! Sports
"Parker did Byrd a disservice in all of this, really. His client, at the top of his game, could have had job/financial security for close to five years - at likely around $8.5 million per year. Instead, Byrd will play at slightly under $7 million this season, then the arduous process starts all over again."

2013 Buffalo Bills Positional Previews: Offensive Line | Buffalo Bills Draft
A nice looking preview of the offensive line battle.

Two New Field Generals: Hackett & Pettine - Bills Mafia -- #BillsMafia
"Normally assistant coaches don’t have the impact on a game like head coaches, but fans and media members watched as former head coach Chan Gailey was never able to bring the defensive unit higher than 22nd in his three years and only developed an offense that possessed little playmaking and scoring ability."

It Is What It Is: Catching up with the Bills - WEEI Boston
"Bottom line is that Buffalo has endured eight consecutive losing seasons and hasn’t reached the playoffs since the 1999 season, the longest active streak in the NFL. If the Bills end up at .500 in 2013, that should represent a quantum leap forward in their journey back to respectability."