Bills running back C.J. Spiller heard questions about his drop in production last year when he ran for 4.6 yards per carry after posting a robust six yards per tote in 2012.
The questions are coming again. Spiller is down to 3.4 yards per carry and he’s run for just 27 yards on 16 carries the last two weeks. His playing time has dropped as well, which is hardly where you want to be with an expiring contract and an uncertain future in Buffalo. Spiller said Wednesday that contract concerns aren’t to blame for his low productivity as he’s choosing to pin the blame on thinking too much with the ball in his hands.
“Just trusting what my eyes see and not overthinking,” Spiller said, via the Buffalo News. “That’s been the biggest thing on my end, just overthinking it too much instead of going back to that little kid in the backyard, playing with his friends and having fun. I put so much pressure on it. It has nothing to do with this being the final year of my contract, it’s just overthinking and trying to make that play when I should have just taken what they’re giving us ... and kept us out of the negative plays.”
The Bills running game is down across the board, dropping them from second in the league last year to 21st through the first six weeks of this season, so Spiller’s not the only part of the program that’s out of sync. He is the part of the program that’s shown a capability to turn a handoff into an 80-yard sprint for the end zone, though, and that weapon would be a handy one for the quarterback-challenged Bills to call on this season.