Things have literally not gone as planned for the Buffalo Bills run game this season.
The unit came into 2014 after a record-breaking year where it put up 144 yards per game on average and more than 2,300 yards on the ground in total. With the coaching staff coming into its second season, as well as some key additions in both the backfield and on the line, this year's ceiling seemed even higher.
Unfortunately, that hasn't happened.
While showing glimpses of greatness, the team has averaged only 100 yards a game, currently 22nd in the league. And though veteran Fred Jackson has averaged about 4.5 yards per carry, fellow back C.J. Spiller hasn't been as productive, only putting up 3.5 per try. The two have combined for only one rushing touchdown.
Coach Doug Marrone addressed the issue Wednesday, saying he's certainly not happy with the ways things have gone to this point. The corrections, he said, are a "collective effort," from the schematic down to execution.
That being said, he hasn't lost faith in Spiller or the rest of his backs quite yet.
"I would say that I’m definitely not losing confidence," he said via buffalobills.com. "I think that happens when everything is right there and the play is right there for you and then someone doesn’t make the play or take the play or finish the block. At any position, when it is right and you’re not doing it then that becomes a problem and that’s when coaches start making decisions and moving different guys to see who’s going to take it.
"I haven’t seen that yet."
Much of the heat from the squad's inefficiency has begun to come down on offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, who's also caught flack on issues with the passing game. Marrone didn't pull punches when asked about the play calls, saying there's improvement that can be done there, as well.
