Orchard Park, N.Y. — Forget about a big contract. Right, now, Buffalo Bills running back C.J. Spiller just wants to get back to feeling right on the field.
Spiller is in the final season of his contract and is simultaneously having the worst six-game stretch to start a season he can remember. He's rushed for 234 yards in six games and is averaging 3.4 yards per carry, well of his career mark of 4.9 yards per carry. The struggles culminated in a 12-snap game on Sunday against the Patriots in which Spiller had just 19 yards rushing.
At this point, Spiller feels like he's pressing a bit.
"Just trusting what my eyes see and not over-thinking," Spiller said. "That's been the biggest thing on my end, just over-thinking 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 over-thinking and trying to make that play when I should have just taken what they're giving us when I should have just kept us out of the negative plays."
Negative plays and fumbles are what has kept Spiller from becoming the feature back for the Bills. While the run blocking hasn't been great for the Bills, and coach Doug Marrone has stressed that the struggling run game is about more than one person, Spiller's propensity to take plays outside has resulted in a few missed opportunities and created those negative plays.
"It's one of those things. You try to kill it but it's just in my DNA," Spiller said. "When you've had so much success ... you can ask Floyd Mayweather, I'm pretty sure he doesn't change too much of what he does. He hasn't lost a fight yet. Once it's in your DNA, it's there. There's nothing you can really change. The biggest thing with me is staying out of negative plays."
This rough stretch couldn't be coming at a worse time for Spiller, who is trying to prove his worth as he tries to negotiate a new contract, whether that be in Buffalo or elsewhere.
"Obviously you want to get the value that you deserve so you want to have a big year. Obviously I'm not off to a great start, but once the smoke clears, I'll be right where I need to be," Spiller said. "I'm not stressing. That just adds extra stuff that I don't need. I have a hundred things going on and my focus is to help my team win. All that other stuff will take care of itself. That's why I have an agent. That's why he gets paid his money. Me an my agent has a great communication line, and if anything comes up, if they call him about a possible Oct. 29 deadline, he will let me know. I don't think he will act out of my turn, if he (does), I guess I'll have to fire him."
Spiller laughed off the idea of a possible trade but said he knows he can't control it. He wants to be in Buffalo, but he also understands the nature of the business and wouldn't harness any ill will toward the franchise if it decided to move on before the Oct. 28 trading deal.
"All that other stuff, if it happens, it happens. It's not like I'm begging for it to to happen. That's something I can't control," Spiller said. "This organization is going to do what's best for the organization to be in position to win ballgames and win championships. I want to be involved in that, be a part of that here at Buffalo, but if this organization decides to go in a different direction, I wont have any bad feelings at all. That's part of the business. I want to be a Bill. I want to be a Bill."
At this point, Spiller is just worried about getting back on the field. His 12 snaps on Sunday were his lowest total since 2011, and he knows playing time isn't going to come easy.
"We have other guys who are very talented," Spiller said. "I can only go into the game when I'm told to go into the game. I'm not coach Marrone, I'm the football player. I go into the game and I go in when I'm told.
"I would hope they trust me. I would really hope. It would be very sad and disappointing if they don't trust me in the game. I know (running backs) coach (Tyrone) Wheatley trusts me, and I'm not saying the other coaches don't, but if they're on the sideline shaking when I'm in the game, then we have a bigger problem. We haven't had any discussions with trust issues."
Spiller called what he's going through a "slump" but couldn't remember the last time it happened to him. He smiled through questions on Wednesday and seemed confident he wouldn't have to answer these types of questions much long.
"You just go back to work," Spiller said. "That's the only way that I know to get out of it."