Are The Saints Making Excuses For CJ Spiller?

The Saints spent a chunk of change on CJ Spiller, and he can't even learn their playbook...or so they say. Does anybody else smell an excuse?

Adam Schefter reported this week that Spiller's future with the Saints is in even direr straits than most would expect, even with his lack of production. It could be one-and-done for Spiller and the Saints. A deal that was supposed to be an offensive match made in heaven might have to be blown up in the elementary phases. The egg is certainly scrambling in the fryer, and it's all prepare to go on their face.

Coaches and franchises hate admitting failure. It's why busts in the draft are often afforded longer than possible if they were high picks. Pride is involved, and no leader likes to admit the man they chose isn't fit for the job.

Whatever the excuse is, Spiller isn't working for the Saints. He only has a single play over 20 yards all season long, and it looks like Sean Payton doesn't trust him in games. Would he have given Tim Hightower 28 carries if he believed in Spiller? Answer that question yourself.

Sometimes, numbers speak the loudest. Let's dig into the digits.

The Saints sunk $16 million into Spiller over four years, and in his first year their return on investment is 333 yards of offense and 2 TD's with three games to go in the regular season. With Mark Ingram out for the season, Spiller only totaled six touches for nine yards in the first game in Ingram's absence. Those numbers are pretty damning, but here is the worst number: 14. Let me explain.

Three weeks away from the end of the regular season, and the Saints say Spiller still hasn't grasped their playbook. Fourteen weeks of the regular season, on top of time to study in the offseason...Is it written in Cuneiform? Does he require a translator or a decoder ring to read the playbook? The logic in their excuse really doesn't make much sense. If it really is the truth, it doesn't say much for Spiller's intelligence.

The truth is probably harder to admit for the Saints: they missed, and missed badly.

It's not a case of getting him in the right positions. Nothing he does with the ball works. He doesn't attack the holes, and a player who built his career on burst looks significantly lacking in that department for New Orleans. The Saints should also stop looking for free agents from Buffalo. That hasn't exactly worked out.

It's almost amazing to think that only a year after inking Spiller to a four year, $16 million contract, the Saints could already be parting ways with him. The kings of dead money love adding to their graveyard, but Spiller's helping dig the hole.