Where Have You Gone, C.J. Spiller?

In three short weeks, C.J. Spiller has gone from one of the NFL's most electrifying runners of 2012 to the biggest disappointment of Buffalo's 1-2 start.

A year after averaging 6.0 yards per rushing attempt and 106.4 total yards per game, and following an offseason in which Buffalo's new offensive coordinator, Nathaniel Hackett, vowed to "give him the ball until he throws up," the former first-round draft choice has managed 3.6 yards per carry, 60.7 total yards a game and zero incidents of vomitus.

Remove Spiller's 46-yard breakaway against Carolina in Week 2, and he's gaining barely two-and-a-half yards on each run.

The lack of a breakaway running threat hasn't helped the development of E.J. Manuel, either. After two solid-or-better outings, the rookie quarterback looked very much like a rookie quarterback against the Jets last week.

Turns out there is a pretty good explanation for the drop-off, and it can be found in a most unexpected place.

Until recently, Bleacher Report was easily the hackiest outlet in online sports media, a seemingly unregulated, unedited pastiche of poorly researched listicles and cliche-ridden slideshows. Since Turner Broadcasting System proved quality has little to do with value, at least on the Internet, by paying $200 million for the site in August 2012, though, the addition of quality writers (like my former colleague, Lyle Fitzsimmons) has made B/R significantly less irritating. Even downright useful, sometimes.

For instance, this guy did an thorough job of breaking down the problems with the Bills running game, particularly as they pertain to Spiller.

The lack of innovative play-calling for Spiller by an offensive staff widely praised for its creativity is one factor cited in a piece full of photographic evidence and advanced statistics. Mostly, though, lousy blocking -- especially by Colin Brown, who replaced departed free agent Andy Levitre at left guard -- gets the blame:

Alas, the big Buffalo lineman has simply been an albatross to that offensive line and the running game. The Bills might get better blocking out of a tackling dummy than they have out of Brown.

With Baltimore bringing the NFL's fourth-stingiest run defense to Ralph Wilson Stadium this afternoon, the Bills need better production from Spiller (whose three fumbles in as many games matches his total from all of 2012) and Manuel, as well as Fred Jackson and everyone else who touches the ball on a regular basis. While the offensive line shouldn't get all the blame, it certainly hasn't helped.

If you're looking for a thorough breakdown of all facets of today's game, the Baltimore Sun has a pretty good one here.