It's been two months since C.J. Spiller has seen the field on Sunday.
Now four days from the Bills' Week 16 matchup against the Oakland Raiders, coach Doug Marrone is pretty confident the former Pro Bowler is ready to go.
"He looks good. I mean, he really does," Marrone told reporters Thursday, via buffalobills.com. "It's just a matter of waiting until the end of the week, make a move there. The only concern I have is just to make sure -- just from a standpoint of, it's not really being in shape but to be able to play and run plays, in and out, in and out -- that his conditioning is right at that level.
"It's seems to be OK. I just think it'll get better. He looks explosive. He's moving well."
That's welcomed news for the Buffalo backfield, which has struggled to keep guys on the field this season. Backups Anthony Dixon and Bryce Brown have combined for more than 130 carries while Spiller and fellow back Fred Jackson struggled through injury, all the while sustaining the run game as a legitimate enough threat to keep the offense from turning one dimensional.
"We're definitely going to have to get to work early," Dixon said Thursday. "I'm just happy to have him (Spiller) back. If he can get out there and get going and we can run the ball all day, then that'll throw more carries on me.
"I'm pretty sure (the coaches are) not going to run him into the ground, but if they see the running game working, then we're gonna try to run the ball. I'm happy to have him back."
Spiller practiced for the third straight day Thursday, though he has not been officially added to the active roster yet. That decision that is expected to come Friday.
