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That's not what was expected out of a player who earned his first Pro Bowl selection two years ago after finishing second in the NFL by averaging 6 yards a carry — a fraction of an inch behind Adrian Peterson. Last year, Spiller's production dropped because of a series of injuries,Cheap Jerseys From China, and yet he still had a team-best 933 yards rushing in helping Buffalo finish with the NFL's second-best run total.
That doesn't mean Spiller can't be better.
"Nope. I'm not worried at all," Spiller said with a defiant tone this week. "Obviously, you want to play more. But certain things happen throughout the game where you have to go to different packages. But I'm not concerned. I'm not there at all."
And yet,Cheap Jerseys From China, he acknowledged he has no control over what the team does.
The numbers, however, indicate he's been barely there of late. And they're raising questions over Spiller's role in the Bills offense and whether the 2010 first-round draft pick's days in Buffalo are running out with his contract set to expire after this season.
"Obviously, I'm not off to my best start," Spiller said. "But I still have all the confidence in the world that I'll be where I want to be when the smoke clears."
Spiller laughed when the topic of the NFL's trade deadline on Oct. 28 was brought up.
He had six carries for 19 yards and no catches in a 37-22 loss to New England on Sunday. It didn't help that he lost a fumble, which led to Stephen Gostkowski hitting a 53-yard field goal to put the Patriots up 13-7 at the end of the second quarter.
Jackson and Dixon are more dependable blockers than Spiller in passing situations. That makes it difficult for Spiller to get on the field especially when the Bills are trailing.
"Just over-thinking it too much instead of going back to that little kid in the backyard, playing with his friends and having fun," Spiller said. "I just have to start trusting my eyes."
"I think C.J. would tell you that,Cheap Jerseys China," Marrone said. "Yes, he has to improve on things,Cheap Jerseys From China, too, as well as everyone else."
The Bills (3-3) host Minnesota (2-4) on Sunday.
Spiller blames himself for the run-game's struggles,Cheap Jerseys For Sale.
Marrone insists he's not lost faith in Spiller.
Spiller is still leading the team with 234 yards rushing and has 13 catches for 106 yards and a touchdown. His best outing came in a 29-10 win over Miami in Week 2, when he had 12 carries for 69 yards, and also scored on a 102-yard kickoff return.
"All 32 organizations are going to do what's best for them," Spiller said. "I want to be part of something special that's going to happen here. But if I'm not, I can't have any bad feelings."
No worries, he added.
The Bills entire run attack is sputtering.
"I would say that I'm definitely not losing confidence," Marrone said.
Too often, he's fallen back into bad habits by lacking patience in waiting for holes to open.
Buffalo hasn't topped 100 yards rushing in its past four games — something it failed to do just five times all last season. And it's the Bills' longest drought since a four-game stretch from Oct. 25 to Nov. 22, 2009.
Concerns about Spiller's role come on the heels of one of the player's least productive games.
What also raised eyebrows is that Spiller was on the field for only 12 of 69 offensive plays, his lowest percentage in Doug Marrone's two seasons as coach. And it came in a game in which co-starter Fred Jackson was hampered by a sore right ankle, and had third-stringer Anthony Dixon eating into Spiller's playing time.
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Bills running back C.J. Spiller still has high confidence in his abilities, even though his playing time and production are suddenly diminishing.
"I block it out,Cheap NFL Jerseys, man. I honestly do," Spiller said. "I want to be a Bill. That's what I said from the beginning. I want to be a Bill." |
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