Running in Place

AP Photo/Alan Diaz

The weak link gets weaker.

Coming into the season the New England Patriots running backs posed the biggest question on the team, at least for the offense.

A group plagued by injuries, turnovers and inconsistency made the position a revolving door of inadequate performance.

After Week 1, the Patriots finally gave up on Laurence Maroney. The former first-round pick showed flashes of good play, but for the most part he was either putting the ball on the ground or not even making the active roster.

He never ran for 1,000 yards in a season, never played all 16 games, and he fumbled quite a bit in the red zone.

So he was cast off to Denver in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft.

Instead of giving the ownership justification for trading away Maroney, the rest of the group—Kevin Faulk, Fred Taylor and BenJarvus Green-Ellis—ran for measly 52 yards on 20 carries. Faulk, was the leading rusher with 22 yards on five carries, yet was put on IR after the game because of a torn ACL.

The Faulk loss will be hard-felt. While the running game has not been a stable form of production for the Pats, Faulk has been a bright spot, if you will.

Faulk ran the ball efficiently. Over his career he has averaged 4.2 yards per carry and in his 12-year career—including the two games this season—he has only rushed for less than 3.5 yards per career for the season twice.

He also was a great receiver out of the backfield, blocked, and returned kicks and punts on occasion. He was a do-it-all back who earned Tom Brady’s trust, especially as a receiver.

He’s been a great teammate in the locker room, and he is a three-time Super Bowl champion.

So how do you replace him? How do you strengthen such a depleted group?

As it does when any team needs players, the rumor mill is circling. Willie Parker and Larry Johnson are available, and Brandon Jacobs has requested a trade away from the New York Giants. All have baggage and productivity concerns, but the Patriots did succeed with the cast-off Corey Dillon at running back.

Available names are nice, but the Patriots are currently focused on the people currently on the roster.

Brady pointed out Sammy Morris as someone who will get the opportunity to step up.

Morris has only seen the field for 16 offensive plays this season, but that could, and very well should, change.

Morris led the team in rushing yards and touchdowns in 2008 and can line-up at running back and fullback.

Why has he fallen so far down the depth chart?


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Because he can never stay healthy. In 2007, after six games in he suffered a chest injury and was placed on IR. In 2008, even though he was the team’s most productive rusher, he didn’t get the role until after Maroney went on the IR, and Morris only played in 13 games. Last season, he injured his knee in Week 6, didn’t return until Week 12, and didn’t start until the final two games of the season.

Another name that is causing a stir is newly signed Danny Woodhead.

Woodhead was signed before the Jets game, possibly as part of a continuing battle between the teams that sees players and coaches going from one team to the other much like Larry Izzo and Bill Parcells.

He is a fan favorite because of his underdog status; he is only 5’9” and played Division II college football. However, what makes him an intriguing replacement for Faulk is his similarity to the injured back.

Woodhead is very quick and has good hands—he actually originally made the Jets roster as a wide receiver. He’s also very tough and knows that he has to work that much harder to keep a job.

Still, the bulk of his play time has been on special teams. It’s not a devalued position, but the Patriots problems are larger than help on special teams.

Can Morris stay healthy?

Will Woodhead get a chance to play more running back and display a skill set similar to Faulk’s?

The Patriots need a more balanced offense. The running game is virtually absent. The Maroney trade and Faulk injury may have finally fully exposed the glaring hole at running back.

Someone needs to step up, but who will it be, if anybody?

New England Patriots Training Camp Preview: Running Back Depth

AP Photo/Steven Senne

Throughout the New England Patriots’ dynasty that encompassed the first ten years of the new millennium, one thing that was never stable was the running back situation.
The team got production from the position, whether it be Antowain Smith, Corey Dillon, or Kevin Faulk. However it was also the most inconsistent position. There was a rotating door of running backs due to spotty performances and an unbelievable amount of injuries.

Between the uneven play of the running backs and the star-studded quarterback the team has, the Patriots have evolved into a very pass-happy team, but the fans and coaches would like to add a little more balance to the attack.

Coming into the new decade, the team has found no complete answer. Players have shown flashes of brilliance, but then wound up benched because of turnovers or injuries. Who will the Patriots be able to depend on in 2010, an extremely pivotal season for the franchise?

Here is a look at the running backs on the roster.

Laurence Maroney

Maroney is arguably the most perplexing player on the Patriots roster. Drafted number 21 overall in 2006, he was the first running back New England selected in the first round since Robert Edwards was taken number 18 out of Georgia in 1998.

He has not lived up to expectations.

He has yet to reach 1,000 yards in a season or play all 16 games in a season. He turns the ball over at critical moments in the game and at critical spots on the field. Not to mention three Pro Bowl running backs—DeAngelo Williams, Joseph Addai, and Maurice Jones-Drew—were selected after him (four if you count Leon Washington who made the Pro Bowl as a kick returner).

Still, he flashes moments of brilliance that makes Pats fans think he may be able to turn this thing around yet. Just last year there were the two touchdown games against the Jets and the Saints, the 123-yard and one touchdown performance against Tennessee, and the 94-yards he put up against Carolina (three of those games were Patriot wins).

In the last year of his original rookie contract Maroney will be looking to play for a new contract as well.

At 25, Maroney is still young. The Patriots keep giving him chances, and he will likely start the season as the starting back. Can he overcome injuries and terribly inconsistent play? One has to wonder how much more patient the Pats and the team’s fans will be with him.

Fred Taylor

Taylor has had a long, successful career. The Pro Bowler was productive in his first year with the Patriots.

In six games he played in Taylor scored four rushing touchdowns and lead the team in rushing three times.

The problem is that he played in only six games. Taylor has a history of injury issues, especially lately, and the 34-year-old is in the twilight of his career.

He still has talent and can contribute on the field as well as being a good player to have in the locker room, but the Patriots cannot rely on him to be the number one featured back. One has to wonder how much Taylor has left in the tank.

Kevin Faulk

Faulk is New England’s do-it-all running back. He rushes the ball, catches passes out of the backfield, and occasionally returns kicks and punts. He’s never rushed for more than 640 yards in a season throughout his entire 11-year career with the New England Patriots, however he is the epitome of a team player and is vital to the franchise’s success.

Faulk is also surprisingly durable. Although he is 34-years-old, he has played in at least 15 games in each of the past four years and eight out of his 11 seasons overall.

Faulk resigned with the Pats this offseason and while he won’t be the featured back he is someone the team, especially Tom Brady, depends on.

Sammy Morris

Morris lead the Patriots in rushing yards (727) and rushing touchdowns (7) in 2008, and he spearheaded the most potent Patriots rushing attack in 20 years.

When he first came to the Patriots as a free agent in 2007, a cast-off of divisional rivals Buffalo and Miami, Morris was a solid backup running back that made a good contribution on special teams. However when those ahead of him fell due to injury Morris capitalized on the opportunities. He is in good favor with Patriot coaches and front office members.

Morris’ downfall is his inability to stay healthy. He hasn’t played all 16-regular season games since 2005 and has only done so three times in his ten year career.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis

An undrafted free agent signing the “Law Firm” has been an impressive signing for New England. He’s low on the totem pole, but because of constant injuries at the position Green-Ellis gets opportunities and he makes the most of them.

In 2008 when Maroney went on injured reserve, Green-Ellis was named the starter and really took over. He rushed for a total of 275 yards, compiled 3.7 yards per rush, and scored five touchdowns.

He won’t move in front of a healthy Maroney, Taylor, Faulk, and Morris but he has showed he has value and depth at this position on this team has proved absolutely necessary.

Chris Taylor

Green-Ellis’ running mate while at Indiana, Taylor hasn’t made much of a dent in the NFL. He was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2006 by Houston but has played a grand total of seven games and missed two entire seasons, including 2009—his first with New England.

It’s a mystery what he could provide and how he could climb the depth chart. Yet they re-signed him and kept him around after last season so there’s got to be something the organization sees in him.

Thomas Clayton

A burly running back at 5’11”, Clayton spent all of 2007 and all but two weeks in 2008 on San Francisco’s practice squad, then spent 2009 on injured reserve. He will battle Taylor for a spot on the team, but his outlook isn’t so rosy as of now.

Eric Kettani

The Navy graduate was placed on military reserve last season and will most likely not be a contributor in the upcoming season either.

New England Patriots' Free Agents: Who Should Stay and Who Should Go?

AP Photo/Charles Krupa

The Patriots are heading into a crucial offseason. After an embarrassing performance against the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, it was obvious that changes need to be made to the team.

Still, there are a number of free agents that the Patriots should also bring back.

The Patriots have nine unrestricted free agents and three restricted ones.

Who should be kept on to help get the team to Super Bowl XLV at the new Dallas Cowboys’ Stadium?

Who should be looking for work elsewhere?

Tully Banta-Cain, LB

Unrestricted.

Keep him.

Banta-Cain was the best pass-rusher the team had, finishing in the top-15 in the NFL in sacks with 9.5. Even if the Patriots get players through trade, the draft, and/or free agency, Banta-Cain has always been an asset on special teams. He was also around for two of the Patriots’ three Super Bowls in the past decade.

Leigh Bodden, CB

Unrestricted.

Let him go.

The Patriots secondary was bad and they need to completely retool, save for Pro Bowl safety Brandon Merriweather. Sure, Bodden lead the team in interceptions with five, but three of those came all in one game against Mark Sanchez.

Derrick Burgess, DE/LB

Unrestricted.

Keep him.

His stats were not that good. That being said, it was his first season in New England and he could have just been getting used to not only a new defensive scheme but also a new position, playing mostly at linebacker.

He is a two-time Pro-Bowler. He has the talent. With many possible departures at both linebacker and the defensive line, Burgess would be nice to have for added depth and should be more productive with a year with the Patriots under his belt.

Kevin Faulk, RB

Unrestricted.

Keep him.

Faulk is the ultimate team player, willing to do and take whatever role as long as he can contribute. These are the kind of guys that the Patriots dynasty was built around.

He is not a starting running back, but he is a good backup and a good locker room guy. He does a little bit of everything: runs, catches passes out of the backfield, blocks, and returns kicks and punts.

Faulk should be brought back and should be favored over the oft-injured Sammy Morris and Fred Taylor.

Jarvis Green, DE

Unrestricted.

Let him go.

For a guy that gets starts, his numbers aren’t that impressive. He registered 36 tackles and one sack in 13 games, certainly adding to the defense’s pass-rushing woes.

He has, on multiple times, stated he would like to test the market in free agency. His numbers show that there really isn’t much of a reason to stop him.

Chris Hanson, P

Unrestricted.

Let him go.

For the first time in his career, excluding his rookie season when he only punted in one game, Hanson's average yards per punt was less than 40 (39.7). It was a poor performance from him. Out of 33 punters listed on the individual stats leaders on ESPN.com, Hanson tied for last in average yards per punt.

For a team that expects to be elite, this is not acceptable.

Stephen Neal, OG

Unrestricted.

Let him go.

He’s been a mainstay on the O-line and has been a part of all three Super Bowl teams, but Neal didn’t actually play at all in the first two Super Bowl seasons.

The running game hasn’t been strong, part of which is the offensive line’s responsibility. Also, ever since the Super Bowl loss to the Giants, the Patriots line has struggled significantly.

Neal has mentioned possibly retiring, and the Patriots in the Bill Belichick era have done a very good job drafting offensive lineman. It looks like it is time to thank Neal for his services and move on.

Benjamin Watson, TE

Unrestricted.

Keep him.

He’s not the best pass catching tight end in the league and won’t help your fantasy team, but Brady has a good connection with him and he’s made some big catches, including getting two touchdowns in the final 2:06 of the Week One comeback against the Bills.

Stephen Gostkowski, K

Restricted.

Keep him.

Gostkowski has been under a microscope since taking over for the heroically clutch Adam Vinatieri, but he has performed admirably.

He’s been selected to one Pro Bowl, one All-Pro team, and was the NFL scoring leader in 2008.

He’s been good in the postseason too, making his first eight field goal attempts in the playoffs as a rookie, and is 9-11 in his career, while never missing a kick that cost the Patriots the game.

Logan Mankins, OG

Restricted.

Keep him.

Mankins has started every possible game of his five year career. He’s been a key member of the offensive line and is only 27. He has two Pro Bowls on his resume and there is absolutely no reason not to bring back such a reliable and productive player.

Pierre Woods, LB

Restricted.

Let him go.

A good special teams guy but he doesn’t really make an impact anywhere else on the field. The Patriots need to improve their pass rush and Woods does not factor into that.

The Patriots need to find improvements at linebacker and Woods would just be taking up a roster spot.

Vince Wilfork, NT

Unrestricted.

Keep him.

Wilfork is an elite nose tackle, a position that's crucial to the 3-4 base defense but extremely difficult to fill. The Patriots need him on defense and his backups are a significant drop off in talent.

The team is willing to put its franchise tag on him. Wilfork wants a long-term deal and is offended. The Patriots need to make this man happy.

If he leaves they will not be able to find a suitable replacement, in or out-of-house, and they need to improve their defense not lose the unit’s best player.