Running Backs

[jmt57]

Michael Whitmer of the Boston Globe says Patriots RB Green-Ellis hopes he's gaining on role for solid slot


“Every year, I just try to go out and work hard, do whatever I can to help the team,’’ Green-Ellis said. “I’ll just do the best I can at my position, whatever they ask me to do.’’

That kind of attitude is textbook Patriots. Green-Ellis — dubbed “Law Firm’’ and “Boston Legal’’ by his mates because of his corporate-sounding name — has stayed out of trouble, hasn’t ruffled any feathers, and has performed adequately when given the chance. The right people have noticed.


“Benny has been productive when he’s had an opportunity to carry the ball,’’ coach Bill Belichick said. “I think he’s improved over the last two years significantly. He’s had a good curve.


“Benny works hard. He’s tough, very professional. He really takes his job seriously. When you tell him to improve in something, he’ll work very diligently to improve on it.’’

But his youth, work ethic, attitude, and ability to produce despite going weeks without seeing any action have impressed his teammates.
“He’s a physical guy, a hard runner, a guy that definitely deserves his shot,’’ said Laurence Maroney, who has led the Patriots in rushing yards two of the past three seasons and, like Green-Ellis, is only 25. “We definitely learn together. We both listen to what [Sammy Morris, Fred Taylor, and Kevin Faulk] have to tell us, because they’ve been places that we’re trying to get to.’’


So, as he attempts to stick for a third season in New England, does Green-Ellis have a chance to become a bigger part of the Patriots’ offense?


“That’s up to him. I don’t know,’’ Belichick said. “It depends how he does. If he does well, then sure.’’


That’s all any player can hope for. Green-Ellis has had two seasons to show his skills, with inconsistent results. Starting Thursday, he might get another shot.


“My goals are always to put the team first and always work hard,’’ Green-Ellis said. “You never know when you’ll be called on and what you’ll be asked to do. If you work hard and give your best effort, not too many things can go wrong.’’

 

[jmt57]

Rich Garven of the Worcester Telegram writes that the Usual Suspects Are Back For The Patriots:


Faulk, one of the best third-down backs in the game, is safer than gold in Fort Knox. Maroney, for all his tap-dance shortcomings, is only 25 and has averaged a solid, 4.2-yards a carry during his first four seasons. In other words, he's not going anywhere.

That leaves Green-Ellis, Morris and the two Taylors competing for one or, more likely, two potential openings. Age could be a determining factor.

Fred Taylor and Morris are 34 and 33, respectively. Green-Ellis turned 25 last month and Chris Taylor turns 27 in November.

Fred Taylor rushed for 269 yards and four touchdowns while averaging 4.3 yards a carry in six games last season. But 105 of those yards came in one game, a win over Atlanta in Week 3, and half those TDs came in a meaningless regular-season finale against Houston.

Taylor hasn't looked sharp over the first half of camp. That's led to speculation age has finally caught up with the league's 15th all-time leading rusher (11,540 yards).

Not surprisingly, he'll hear none of that.

 

[Deus Irae]

I wonder if either McDaniels or Pioli would pick up BJGE as their #3/#4 RB if he were to get cut. Both of them have big names at the top of their RB rotations, but question marks after that.

 

[jmt57]

More on BJGE, this from a pre-camp roster ranking by WEEI's Christopher Price:

It Is What It Is Rating the Roster, Training Camp Edition (Part 4)


46. Running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis: When he’s gotten a chance to perform, he’s done very well — he rushed for 50-plus yards on three occasions in 2008, including a 105-yard performance against the Bills. But in this system, with all the veterans in front of him, he might not be anything more than an extra running back. The 5-foot-11, 215-pound Green-Ellis does have the benefit of having two full years in the system, which should give him an edge on Chris Taylor and Thomas Clayton for the final running back spot.

 

[jmt57]

Mike Reiss with an observation from Tuesday's practice for espnBoston:


Fred Taylor the first running back in drills. After hearing running backs coach Ivan Fears talk this morning about Fred Taylor still having a spring in his step, it caught the eye that Taylor was the first running back to take reps in full-team drills. It looks like Taylor is on top of the depth chart at this time. Overall, one positive from this practice was the space created in some parts of the running game.

 

[ScrewDrvr]

A coordinated effort - BostonHerald.com

Taylor just fine

It appears the demise of veteran Fred Taylor [stats] has been slightly exaggerated. While the running back has battled a case of the drops, he did take first-team reps yesterday.

“Have you watched him?” running backs coach Ivan Fears said. “He’s still got the bounce, doesn’t he? He still has the speed and he’s coming off that injury from last year. I think he’s recovered pretty well. As long as he can keep those fresh legs, old Pops still has it.”

 

[jmt57]

Not really earth-shattering news, but Thomas Clayton is back on the roster.

Pats re-sign RB Clayton; cut OL Stapleton by Robert Lee for the Providence Journal:


They made the move to make room for running back Thomas Clayton, who they released when they signed Stapleton. Clayton actually led the NFL in rushing during the preseason in 2007 and finished fourth in preseason rushing yards in 2008.

Clayton is hoping to beat out BenJarvus Green-Ellis for the Pats final running back slot. He spent the 2009 season on injured reserve.

 

[jmt57]

Another pre-camp roster ranking by WEEI's Christopher Price:

It Is What It Is Rating the Roster, Training Camp Edition (Part 5)


31: Running back Fred Taylor: The 6-foot-1, 228-pound Taylor is the consummate professional and a great locker room presence, especially for Laurence Maroney. He had an impressive start to the 2009 season before being hobbled by injury. There is some question as to how much he might have left — running backs do age in dog years — so he is one player worth keeping a close eye on this summer. But if he can still show he still has something, he will get more than his share of carries.

 

[jmt57]

Mike Reiss of espnBoston says Age Just A Number To RB Fred Taylor:

Taylor, who in recent days has been the first running back to take repetitions in drills, reports that his previously injured right ankle has responded well to the grind of 22 straight practices. He still feels like he has something to offer.

"When your body starts talking to you, I think that's when you should definitely shut it down. You don't want to be one of those guys who don't know when to call it quits, because then you're out there making a mockery of yourself," he said. "I don't want to be that guy, but I do want to give the game what I can give it."



Veteran Fred Taylor Is One Of New England Patriots' Top Running Backs Despite Age:

"It hasn't flared up on me," Taylor said. "You get soreness just like anything else in two-a-days because of the consecutive pounding, but it's not anything different than a regular body part."

Quietly, Taylor has been one of the surprise stories of training camp.

What might Taylor realistically give the Patriots this season?

At this stage of his career, his bell-cow days are obviously over. There won't be another 2003-like season, in which he had 345 carries for 1,572 yards, both career highs, for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

But with the Patriots once again primed to go with the committee approach -- splitting carries among Taylor, Laurence Maroney, Sammy Morris and Kevin Faulk -- it seems logical to think that Taylor could be an effective leader of the charge, getting anywhere from 10 to 15 carries per game. For that plan to come to life, Taylor knows he must stay healthy, which has been a knock on him at times over his 13-year career.

 

[jmt57]

Jeff Howe of NESN ranks BenJarvus Green-Ellis as his number one player 'on the rise' after the Saints game.

Over the next three weeks, a few dozen players have much more uncertain futures, and they're sitting on the roster bubble. Let's take a look at a few of those players who either helped or hurt their stock in the first of four preseason games.

On the Rise
1. Running backBenJarvus Green-Ellis earned a surprising start and played all right, performing steadily in the way the Patriots have come to expect since he signed as an undrafted free agent in 2008. Green-Ellis had 11 carries for 34 yards, and he made a crisp read during his six-yard touchdown run.

This is a make-or-break year for Green-Ellis, and it seems unlikely the Patriots would carry the same five running backs again. Thursday's start could have come for several reasons. First, it gave head coach Bill Belichickthe best chance to make a good evaluation of Green-Ellis, as he worked with the first-team offense against the Saints' first-team defense. It also helped the Patriots rest the three older backs -- Sammy Morris, Fred Taylor and Kevin Faulk-- and the added playing time could have raised Green-Ellis' trade value for a team looking to add a running back.

 

[RayClay]

Maroney needs to push Taylor aside while BJGE pushes Morris.

That would be the ideal. As it is, Taylor is the best back, Morris the utility man. Time for the young blood.

 

[Ring 6]

Maroney needs to push Taylor aside while BJGE pushes Morris.

That would be the ideal. As it is, Taylor is the best back, Morris the utility man. Time for the young blood.

I expect this season to go like last season was intended to at the start.

Maroney and Taylor will alternate, with Maroney probably getting about 60% of the carries between the 2 over time (game by game could vary widely just on play calling, score, field position, etc)
Morris will play FB, and spell either of these guys if needed. Morris could be inactive in some games.
Faulk will be what Faulk has always been.
BJGE will be the extra guy if he makes the squad, and slip into the Morris role if anyone is injured.

I think a healthy combo of Taylor and Maroney will look awfully good, and alternating them will keep both fresh throughout games and the season.
Taylor surely has some wear and tear. But Faulk is in there for probably 1/3 of the snaps. Asking Taylor to split the other 2/3 with Maroney is asking him to play less than half the snaps that he has thoughout his career.
I liked this group when they put it together last year, and I still like it. I expect injuries because the liklihood for injuries is exactly the reason BB hs chosen to handle the RB position this way.

 

[jmt57]

Maroney needs to push Taylor aside while BJGE pushes Morris.

That would be the ideal. As it is, Taylor is the best back, Morris the utility man. Time for the young blood.

I had never thought of it that way before, that's a very interesting way of looking at the RB unit ...

 

[jmt57]

Some more pre-camp (7/28) roster rankings and profiles by WEEI's Christopher Price:
It Is What It Is Rating the Roster, Training Camp Edition (Part 6)


27. Running back Sammy Morris: Old reliable. Even after all these years, the 6-foot, 220-pounder out of Texas Tech brings a steadiness to the running back position, as well as a little positional versatility (he took a few snaps at fullback last season). The 33-year-old, who gained 319 yards on 73 carries in 12 games last season, isn’t a feature back anymore, but will likely serve as a situational back who could get more carries if either Laurence Maroney stumbles or Fred Taylor struggles with injury.


23. Running back Laurence Maroney: He enters the 2010 season as the closest thing the Patriots have to a feature back, but now that Benjamin Watson is gone, the 5-foot-11, 220-pound Maroney is undoubtedly the singular most polarizing player on the roster: Is he a great back who just doesn’t get enough carries to prove his worth? Or is he a first round bust? There were flashes of brilliance last season (he had five games of 75-plus yards in 2009), but even his critics wonder about Maroney after the way the 2009 season ended. Four bad fumbles, including two on the goal line, ended the year on a down note for the Minnesota product. That included a Week 16 goal-line fumble against the Jaguars — his last carry of the regular season. (He had no more carries that afternoon against Jacksonville, was a healthy scratch in the regular-season finale against Houston, and in the team’s playoff loss to Baltimore, Maroney only carried the ball once, despite getting the start.) Entering the final year of his contract, it’s a key summer for Maroney, who could be somewhere else when next season rolls around if he doesn’t pick it up sooner rather than later.

 

[jmt57]

A profile on a running back that has not been discuused much in one last pre-camp roster ranking from Price:


11. Running back Kevin Faulk: He’s not this high because of what he brings to the field, although he remains the best back on the team when it comes to blitz pickup and remains a threat to catch the ball out of the backfield. Instead, he’s one of a couple of guys in the locker room who can command respect from players on both sides of the ball — players’ say his in-game sideline speeches are the stuff of legend. He won’t be as much of a factor on offense as he has been in the past, but with a renewed emphasis on leadership, the veteran remains one of the most important guys in the locker room.

 

[jmt57]

NESN's Jeff Howe gives us his opinion on what the depth chart looks like:

Running Backs
1. Sammy Morris: Strong back, but you know how this position goes in New England
2. Laurence Maroney: Good preseason debut
3. Kevin Faulk: As reliable of a third-down back and pass-blocker as there is
4. Fred Taylor: Waiting to see his first real reps in preseason before dropping him
5. BenJarvus Green-Ellis: His fate plays off Taylor's

Looks like he thinks one roster spot may be up for grabs between Taylor and BJGE.

 

[jmt57]

WEEI's Chris Price looks at some veterans on the bubble: Bubble Watch, Part 2

Price precedes the following by noting what happens to Aiken affects the #5 RB position. part of that will be dependent on Aiken's special teams play; part of that will be dependent on Pat Chung's special teams play. Chung has been used more and more as the punter's personal protector, which was Aiken's role last year.

Sammy Morris and BenJarvus Green-Ellis: That leads us nicely into our next pair of players who might be on the bubble. If Aiken is kept as an extra receiver (and considering that the Patriots are a stone-cold lock to keep all three tight ends), then here’s where the cuts would likely come, and it stands to reason that these two most game-ready backs who are the lowest on the totem pole at this point. Based on how the running backs played in the preseason opener — Green-Ellis got the start — you would think that the Ole Miss product might have an edge. But there’s a danger in reading too much into the first preseason game. This situation certainly bears watching as the preseason continues — if Green-Ellis gets the same amount of snaps against the Falcons and Rams as he did against the Saints, then that’s another matter altogether.

 

[jmt57]

Mike Rodak of espnBoston comments from Tuesday's practice: Patriots practice 27: Observations - New England Patriots Blog - ESPN Boston-


Chris Taylor struggles. Veteran running back Chris Taylor had a rough afternoon practice session. During goal line 7-on-7 drills, Taylor dropped a well-thrown pass in the end zone. Later on, Taylor had another critical drop during full-team work, drawing the ire of running backs coach Ivan Fears.


Fred Taylor drops pass; gets pulled aside by Brady. After veteran running back Fred Taylor dropped a pass from Tom Brady in 7-on-7 red-zone work, he was pulled aside by Brady and had about 10-15 footballs fired in his direction. Taylor has struggled at times in a pass-catching role in training camp.

 

[Triumph]

I'll be pulling for BJGE thursday night. Brady is gung ho for the run game to gel.

Just hit the hole and take whats there. Keep chipping away at it. Eventually, good things will happen

 

[sbpatfan]

This is a make-or-break year for Green-Ellis, and it seems unlikely the Patriots would carry the same five running backs again. Thursday's start could have come for several reasons. First, it gave head coach Bill Belichickthe best chance to make a good evaluation of Green-Ellis, as he worked with the first-team offense against the Saints' first-team defense. It also helped the Patriots rest the three older backs -- Sammy Morris, Fred Taylor and Kevin Faulk-- and the added playing time could have raised Green-Ellis' trade value for a team looking to add a running back.

Good lord.. It's hard to take Howe seriously.