Between Lewis and maybe Forte - does this team have the personnel for a top 5 running game?

Wouldn't it be nice if they had a real weapon at the running game like Denver has seemed to consistently have over the last few years. They are doing something right in that department.

I'd love to see it but I don't know if the Patriots have the horses to pull it off with the roster as constructed - assuming of course a guy like Forte would come here. Thoughts?

Let's see the likes of Von Miller and Ware try to attack Brady only to watch them get gashed to the outside.

It'll depend on the development of the interior 3 linemen. The running game will improve as they do.

Probably not top 5. They don't need to be top 5 though.

The line, particularly as a run-blocking unit, as it played last year is not good enough. Hopefully with Scar back, with everyone starting off healthy (fingers crossed), and improvement in the G's, they'll be a stronger unit. The 10-0 start obscured some problems, i.e. that they missed the veteran presence and physicality of Connolly and Wendell more than most would have guessed.

Gronk said:

Probably not top 5. They don't need to be top 5 though.

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Exactly--these arbitrary distinctions are meaningless..."will the defense be elite?" or "will the running game be top 5?" etc. Pointless. Obviously Lewis was a valuable piece and it hurt to lose him. Health is always paramount, and hopefully the line (and backs) will stay healthier next year.

The key is not some random ranking, but can the running game function when it needs to, and can it be a somewhat viable threat.

with Edelman, Amendola and maybe calvin johnson do we have a top 5 receiving corps

The offense, at this point, will always run through Brady. So I doubt the running game will be "top 5" with that in mind. But, should Lewis return to health, the team sign Forte, and draft a power running back in the mold of Jonathan Williams or a Jordan Howard, they will have a very good ground game that should make it hard for opposing defenses to consistently line up in the nickel and sell out to stop the pass. Something like that will come in handy in the playoffs.

As long as it's top half of the league (around top 15) that's all they really need. Top 5 would be a bonus

As of this morning, this team has the personnel for a bottom-5 running game.

While we are debating complete hypotheticals, maybe they can trade for Peterson too and have the best running game of all times.

A strong running game would help Tom Brady it would not hurt him at all.

Very skeptical that this team would change their very effective passing offense for the sake of being a highly ranked rushing offense.. maybe if we got into the way back machine it might be more palatable, but do not see this at all.

The Patriots Economic Model does not lend itself to this type of change.. but I do think the run offense could be much better.

Even with the healthy tackles early in the season, the Pats O line was getting pushed backwards and RBs were getting blown up 2 yards behind the LOS. If it wasn't for Lewis' extreme agility dodging the penetrating DL earning 99% of his yards on his own, the Pats could have been a bottom 5 running team….OH WAIT…..NEW ENGLAND was the worst rushing team in the NFL in the regular season in total yards and yards per carry….and a pathetic 4 plays over 20 yards . NE's running sucktitude was far worse than teams that we would all label incompetent. That's how bad it was.
Personnel-wise, the RB group was poorly assembled last year relying on a diminutive scat back as the featured back, a bruiser that runs to0 vertical, and RB depth BB was reluctant to use. Maybe Scarn can work miracles and transform the O line that seemed to be lose every one on one battle …simple straight up blocking….but I expect at least one starting caliber FA O lineman to be signed, one proven RB, and a significant number of draft resources to be utilized to bolster both groupings that contributed to the worst running offense in the NFL. When BB fixes problems, he brings in high volumes of candidates and this running offense is a reclamation project….if not a complete overhaul. BB has been drafting "projects" for his O line recently using mid rounders ……..incomplete players with skills and warts. Sounds like his mid round WR drafts the past few years. They failed at WR and they're failing developing interior linemen. They need to buy some quality. Brady's clock is ticking.

It's interesting to see so many mentions of Forte but none about Doug Martin, who will also be a FA. 4 years younger, 2nd in yards last year and played in all 16 games.

Any reason not to consider him? Just curious.

Edit: Why no consideration to bring back Stephen Jackson? He's already got a taste of the system, and the staff must've liked what they saw to bring him late last year.

OhExaulted1 said:

It's interesting to see so many mentions of Forte but none about Doug Martin, who will also be a FA. 4 years younger, 2nd in yards last year and played in all 16 games.

Any reason not to consider him? Just curious.

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$$$$$$$ will cost to much
If reports of lamar miller are true wanting 5 or 6 mil a year wonder what martin wants

I don't care where it's ranked as long as it's effective.

Unless Forte accepts a 1 year deal for something south of $3m he is not coming here.

Drafting a kid and signing Blount or another of the 364 FA RBs for a discount will be their approach.

The need a reliable, intermediate WR threat

crownontherocks said:

$$$$$$$ will cost to much
If reports of lamar miller are true wanting 5 or 6 mil a year wonder what martin wants

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Forte wouldn't come free either. He's not coming here for vet min., you can bank on that.

OhExaulted1 said:

Forte wouldn't come free either. He's not coming here for vet min., you can bank on that.

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Of course hes not going to a team for vet min but hes not gonna get 5 to 6 mil.

crownontherocks said:

Of course hes not going to a team for vet min but hes not gonna get 5 to 6 mil.

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He'll probably get that elsewhere is the problem. I know he said he wants to play for a contender, but that doesn't automatically mean he'll take a big paycut and there are other good teams out there who need a RB.

There's a lot of money about to get thrown around and this is almost assuredly his last big payday.

sb1 said:

Wouldn't it be nice if they had a real weapon at the running game like Denver has seemed to consistently have over the last few years. They are doing something right in that department.

I'd love to see it but I don't know if the Patriots have the horses to pull it off with the roster as constructed - assuming of course a guy like Forte would come here. Thoughts?

Let's see the likes of Von Miller and Ware try to attack Brady only to watch them get gashed to the outside.

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.Top 5 running game? They would need all the OL and Lewis to heal up, plus sign Forte and Blount, plus have Scar return to his previous glory; and even then you'd have to count all the RB receiving yards for them to rank as a top 10 rushing attack. They aren't going to smash people in the mouth that way.

I would LOVE Forte though, I'm with the folks who want us to have a double threat at RB. Kind of a nobrainer for up to $4m IMO.