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Rushing: Yards - Yds/Gm - Yds/Carry - TD - 1st Downs - (NFL Rank in 2008)
2278 (6) -- 142.4 (6) -- 4.44 (7) -- 21 (4) - 145 (1) --- Patriots
It's hard to totally separate the running game from the passing game. By that I mean that if you don't have a good passing attack, defenses can stack eight men in the box to stop the run, making your run game worse than it would have been.
Having Brady, Moss, and Welker alone in the passing game will make for a better running game then if that wasn't the case, no matter who is the running backs.
I think the Jets running game will suffer because they don't have the QB or WRs that are respected right now.
The Bills will be better in the run than they were last year. Love him or hate him, T.O. is going to help spread out defenses and open up the run for the Bills quite a bit. Teams shut down the Bills' passing attack last year by double-covering Evans. Now the solution isn't so easy. Buffalo can now utilize their other receivers to their strengths as well. They are pretty stacked at the position. Also, believe it or not, the Bills' RBs were the most prolific catching the ball last year...in terms of catches, I believe. Rhodes is pretty good and can catch the ball. Fred Jackson is underrated IMO, too. If Buffalo's pretty much new o-line can get it together and Trent Edwards can be the guy he was at the beginning of last year, the Bills will be dangerous on offense this year. Of course, the Patriots won't see Lynch in the season opener...he'll be suspended for that game.
As far as the Dolphins, Pennington is a smart and accurate QB who, of course, doesn't have the strongest arm after all those surgeries. Also, their WRs don't exactly strike fear into the hearts of men. I don't think their Wildcat is going to be nearly as effective this year, but they do have Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams, who might be the best duo in the division if you look at them in a vacuum.
So I picked Brown and Williams with an asterisk.
Sammy Morris is the most productive back on the Pats.
Funny that he is forgotten even here.
Sammy Morris is the most productive back on the Pats.
Funny that he is forgotten even here.
Brown and Williams are the biggest 'names' but the Dolphins were just third in the division in rushing last year. I think the Pats running game tends to be overlooked, especially outside New England, because the team utilizes a running back by committee approach rather than relying on a 'feature back' who posts gaudy individual stats. Perhaps that's the downside of so much focus on fantasy football.
Rushing: Yards - Yds/Gm - Yds/Carry - TD - 1st Downs - (NFL Rank in 2008)
2278 (6) -- 142.4 (6) -- 4.44 (7) -- 21 (4) - 145 (1) --- Patriots
2004 (9) -- 125.2 (9) -- 4.75 (5) -- 20 (5) - 94 (21) --- Jets
1897 (12) - 118.6 (12) - 4.23 (15) - 18 (9) - 111 (7) --- Dolphins
1842 (14) - 115.1 (14) - 4.20 (16) - 16 (11) - 107 (10) -- Bills
With Laurence Maroney healthy, Fred Taylor replacing LaMont Jordan, and a healthy offensive line to go along with the return of Tom Brady, I would say that the Patriots will have the best running game in the division in 2009.