The title says it all, and NE's seemingly run the ball less each of the past 3-4 years, with Brady at the helm. It's understandable when you're fielding a below average group of RB's, but the Patriots actually have multiple RB's on their roster who are capable of carrying the load, and posting good numbers during the process. This is an important point to get out of the way, since I want to make it clear that NE can run the ball, when they choose, it's just that for whatever reason, they're choosing to live and die by the pass.
Why do I believe NE's rushing attack can be effective? Some examples:
Game one: Maroney starts the game out with 4 carries for 27 yards, and an average of 6.75 yards per carry. Instead of continuing to run the ball with Maroney, NE takes him out of the game, and goes back to the air. When you've got a QB like Brady I can understand wanting to give him every opportunity to make plays, but if your running game is working, you shouldn't just abandon it.
Game two: Fred Taylor's given the ball 8 times, and he gains 46 yards on those 8 carries, for an average of 5.8 YPC. Maroney doesn't fair quite as well, but also had some good runs during the first half. He finishes the game with 6 rushes for 23 yards (3.8 YPC). So, with one RB gaining close to 6 yards, and another gaining close to 4 yards each time they touch the ball, why would NE again choose to abandon the run?
As I've already explained, I can understand wanting to put the ball in Brady's hands as much as possible, but you're running the ball effectively, and the passing game (especially in week 2) isn't working... In my opinion, the Patriots could have moved the ball more effectively, and put up a TD or two, if they had stuck with the run. With Brady coming back from serious injury, I can't understand the coaching staff's decision to place the outcome of these contest so squarely on his shoulders, especially since they seem capable of running the ball. Sometimes I think NE's coaching staff forgets that while Brady and the offense put up other worldly passing numbers throughout most of the 2007 regular season, it was on the back of their rushing attack (Maroney in particular) that they won two of those playoff games, before going down slinging against the Giants, as Brady attempted one bomb after another.
An added note concerning my earlier statement, where I mentioned some of these problems are 3-4 years old. I'm talking about playcalling, and NE's inability to commit to a power rushing attack. Some particular playcalling patterns that I've noticed: If they run the ball successfully 2-3 times in a row, NE's coaching staff will then believe they've sufficiently established the run, and proceed to pass the ball almost exclusively for the next 5-10 plays, even if their passing attack isn't being as successful.
On sunday just prior to Brady faking the run and going deep to Moss (instead finding Revis), I told the person standing next to me "they're going to fake the run, and go deep to Moss". I'm sure many fans on this message board had similar thoughts, and I'm also sure it was pretty obvious to the Jets defensive coaches as well. NE's being too predictable on offense has been a problem for awhile now, and I don't see anything changing.
