The New England Patriots like their running back situation for 2008
The New England Patriots are going into battle in 2008 with the same three running backs that helped them go 16-0 in the regular season last year. The Patriots are hoping that this is the season that Laurence Maroney breaks out. He has all of the tools you look for in a feature back as he is fast, strong and he has good hands. But, Maroney has been a little bit injury prone in his career so the Patriots will be sure to let Sammy Morris and Kevin Faulk give him more of a rest than most feature backs get. Maroney played in 13 games (6 starts) for the Patriots last season and he carried the ball 185 times for 835 yards (4.5 ypc) with 6 TD runs. He also caught 4 passes for 116 yards (29.0 avg). Look for Maroney to go over 1,000 yards rushing this season and for the Patriots to get him the ball more in the passing game. Maroney has now played in 27 games (6 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 360 times for 1,580 yards (4.4 ypc) with 12 TD runs. He also has caught 26 passes for 310 yards (11.9 avg) with 1 TD grab.
Sammy Morris was very impressive last season before he suffered a serious season ending injury after six weeks. Morris played in 6 games (2 starts) for the Patriots last season and he carried the ball 85 times for 384 yards (4.5 ypc) with 3 TD runs. He also caught 6 passes for 35 yards (5.8 avg). Look for Morris to get a lot of tough yards between the tackles for the Patriots this season as he likes to run hard between the tackles. Morris has now played in 100 games (25 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 459 times for 1,853 yards (4.0 ypc) with 17 TD runs. He also has caught 118 passes for 827 yards (7.0 avg) with 1 TD grab.
Kevin Faulk is one of the better third down backs in the NFL despite his advancing age. He always seems to make the big play when the Patriots really need it. Faulk played in 16 games (8 starts) last season for the Patriots and he carried the ball 62 times for 265 yards (4.3 ypc). He also caught 47 passes for 383 yards (8.1 avg) with 1 TD grab. Look for the Patriots to limit his carries this season but for him to catch more passes in 2008. Faulk has now played in 122 games (32 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 694 times for 2,663 yards (3.8 ypc) with 11 TD runs. He has also caught 323 passes for 2,818 yards (8.7 avg) with 11 TD grabs.
PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: B
I just finished up an article with my NFL predictions on the New England Patriots at www.locksmithsportspicks.com/2008-new-england-patriots-predictions.shtml
The reason that the New England Patriots are interested in RB Kevin Jones (along with the Tennessee Titans) is because they do not know if RB Sammy Morris will be fully recovered from injuries he suffered last year. Jones represents an insurance policy in case Morris cannot recover in time for the 2008 NFL season.
Jones will be getting his big chance to show what he can do in Chicago. It would have made no sense for him to come to the Patriots unless his goal was only to win a championship and not about future dollars he could make. Most NFL players don’t think in terms of championships until they get a little bit older. I still think Kevin Faulk would do a solid job in a expanded role if the Patriots need him to as long as it’s not the everydown role.