Having Spiller back is comforting to Clemson coach

By Robert Rousseau  |   Monday, April 20, 2009  |  Comments( 2 )

Clemson Tigers
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Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney wrapped up spring football by talking to the media last Wednesday. He spoke about the quarterback battle, the receiver position and what he gained out of having his staff visit Mack Brown at Texas. But he also talked about C.J. Spiller.

“In my opinion he is the best player in the conference, and the best player in the country. I am very biased, but I am extremely high on C.J. Knowing we have a weapon like that is more important than ever. Having C.J. back is a great comfort.”

Of course, what he said is pretty obvious. Standing at 5-foot-11 and weighing 190 pounds, Spiller is a big play waiting to happen. He's quick as a cat with excellent speed. He makes people miss. And when he's healthy and used correctly, he gets results.

That said, sharing touches with James Davis has perhaps limited Spiller's ability to show what he has so far. In accordance with that, his totals in terms of rushing yards have gone down some over the years, regressing from 938 (2006) to 768 (2007) to 629 (2008). That said, his receiving yards have gone up from 210 to 271 to 436 during those same seasons, demonstrating Clemson's desire to get him the ball in the open field.

It will be up to Swinney and his staff to get the most out of Spiller, something which really hasn't occurred to this point. If Swinney is able to accomplish that, having Spiller will be comforting indeed.

It will be interesting to see how Spiller, no longer paired with the departed Davis, steps up with new coaches.
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About Robert Rousseau

Robert Rousseau is a sports writer that has been published in a variety of print and online venues. He’s been writing for RealFootball365.com for almost three years now. When Rousseau isn’t writing about college football he tends to be penning mixed martial arts pieces for MMAFighting.com or...
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