Oct. 21, 2012; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills running back Fred Jackson (22) drops a ball during the first half against the Tennessee Titans at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

With the new coaching staff changing the look of this team, I have some questions in how far they are looking to go. Tuff decisions will have to be made and that means players will be given there walking papers. One player I think they should definitely look at is Fred Jackson.

Fred was undrafted (2003) out of Coe College a division III school. After trying out and not catching on with Chicago, Denver or Green Bay Jackson bounced around before joining the Bills. He played for the National Indoor Football League for 2years and then NFL Europe for 1 year before joining the Bills. He was deemed to small when he first tried coming into the league but the Bills were willing to give him a chance.

In 2007 he made his NFL debut with the Bills and played his way to a starter when he beat out Marshawn Lynch late in the 2009 season. He then carried the load and didn’t do a bad job but was never that complete player in mind. I mean he wasn’t bad but I just thought this team could have gotten more out of that position at the time.

Having only one season were he eclipsed the 1,000 yard plateau in the 2009 season I wondered if he could ever get there again and sustain that for a few consecutive seasons. After advancing to the next season he drew close but came up short of hitting that mark. As 2011 hit we seen for the first time him get into injury trouble and him not being able to play the whole season. Stopping what would have been a great season for Jackson the injury to his fibula in my eyes changed him for the worse. When he returned to play the next season he then got hurt again and then CJ Spiller started to get on people radars. People had already got a glimpse of him the year before but now with a larger body of work fans realized that he could be something good. What Jackson lacked in speed and vision I believe Spiller picked up the slack greatly. This is where I started to think we could do without Jackson.

Going back to his stats he really never wowed anyone. The one season where it looked like it could be something special was actually the downfall to him. Although he has an AVG of 4.5 a carry and 24 total TD’s he does have 13 fumbles with 10 lost. As of late it has been getting worse for Jackson. Fumbles at key times and at the goal line are killers and you just can’t have that. The coaching staff prior it seemed was all about fairness and playing time but hopefully the new guys in charge will award playing time to the player who earns it.

I know Jackson is a leader on this team but as you can see I would like the Bills to go in a different direction. Something that really got to me last year when the whole thing came about “its Fred turn” is what Fred didn’t do. He was struggling and CJ was moving along nicely. Being the leader it was his reasonability to let the coaching staff know he wasn’t up to par and have let CJ continue to get the carries. This is a team game and Fred should have seen what was going on.
I know there’s a lot of Jackson fans but let me know in the comments what you think.

Dec 30, 2012; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills running back C.J. Spiller (28) stiff arms New York Jets free safety LaRon Landry (30) during the second half at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Bills beat the Jets 28-9. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

With one of my last articles dealing with respect of this team I wanted to look into it more. Looking for something more to see how long this will continue and sure enough I came across a running back list. This article listed its top 30 running back’s with Spiller ranked 14th. For what this guy has done so far and what he has shown that’s where you rank him?

When I began to check out this article I was interested to see where certain players would end up. I would’ve banked on Peterson being #1 like he was but after that it could have gone a bunch of different directions. Your next bunch of players I would have ranked in this group of top RB’s are: Lynch, Foster, Rice and maybe McCoy. Somewhere just after this I would insert Spiller. He to me has shown he’s progressed every year and also proven to produce in all situations when his number is called. Also he has been deprived of touches and that is all to do with our last coach. If he (Gailey) was still here I would be on the trade Spiller wagon because of the wasted talent. When a player has this much talent to give you have to use every part of it.

Now getting back to this article, let’s get into the guys that are ahead of Spiller. The guys above I believe for the most part are maybe a little above Spiller but these guys? They include: D. Martin, J. Charles, F. Gore, M. Forte, C. Johnson, D. Sproles and S. Ridley. All of these guys I think are not better than Spiller. They might have had more success and even play for a more popular team but come on. I just don’t understand peoples thinking. Is Buffalo disliked? Because of our lack of wins and production it seems the Bills are just over looked.

The guys below the 15th ranked RB seems be in line. There are definitely a few guys that could get into the top 10 and after this season we will see. Also another interesting thing I noticed is that the guys below the 15th rank are guys on teams that have not produced with the exception of: B. Pierce of Baltimore and W. McGahee of the Broncos.

This list certainly showed me the Bills will always be looked at as a second tier team until they win. I guess I have no problem with that but when something is a proven thing it’s just right to acknowledge it. Hopefully this season he will again produce and gain more respect throughout the league. Would definitely like to know your thoughts on this? Does it matter? Do you agree with the ranking?

You can see the full rankings here .