By Tim Graham
NEW ORLEANS -- C.J. Spillman does not get winded.
That's what the San Francisco 49ers backup safety and special-teamer told me Tuesday in the Superdome.
I thought Spillman might have more in common with Buffalo Bills running back C.J. Spiller that all but a few letters when I saw Spillman stationed next to a Gatorade dispenser on media day.
Was Spillman out of gas?
"No, man, because when we play special teams and stuff like that, we're used to 70-, 80-yard sprints every play," Spillman said. "So the way we condition, we don't get tired."Spillman laughed when I asked him about Spiller.
"People are always, 'Yeah, man, you did great at Clemson!' Or 'You're on my fantasy team! You got me a lot of points!' " Spillman said. "I'm, like, 'You got the wrong guy, man.' "
Spillman knows about Spiller. Buffalo played San Francisco in Candlestick Park in Week Five, and Spiller's skills were emphasized in meetings. San Francisco held Spiller to 24 yards seven carries and no receptions.
"He's a fast guy who'll try to stretch the corner," Spillman said. "He's a downhill runner."
Spillman is the backup free safety behind All-Pro DaShon Goldson. Spillman didn't start a game, but he played in all 16. He was third on the Niners with 10 special-teams tackles and a fumble recovery in the regular season. He also had a special-teams recovery in the playoffs.
"This year has been a fun year," Spillman said. "From last year to this year, knowing the team that we have and where we wanted to be and what we wanted to accomplish, we wanted to just build off that and keep things going."
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