Look for Sammy Morris, Fred Taylor, Laurence Maroney and Kevin Faulk to form a solid committee of RBs in 2010 for the Patriots. Those 4 RBs combined to rush for 1,680 yards with 16 rushing TDs so the sum is greater than the parts. 33-year old Sammy Morris has been a Belichick favorite since coming to the Patriots. Morris played in 12 games (5 starts) for the Patriots last season and he carried the ball 73 times for 319 yards (4.4 ypc) with 2 TD runs. He also caught 19 passes for 180 yards (9.5 avg) for the Pats last season. Morris has now played in 125 games (37 starts) in his 10 years in the NFL in which he has carried the ball 688 times for 2,899 yards (4.2 ypc) with 26 TD runs. He has also caught 154 passes for 1,168 yards (7.6 avg) with 1 TD grab in his NFL career. At this point in his career Morris seems best if given 8-10 carries a game due to his very physical running style.
34-year old Fred Taylor was really playing well last season before he was injured. Taylor played in 6 games (1 start) for the Patriots last season and he carried the ball 63 times for 269 yards (4.3 ypc) with 4 TD runs. He also caught 2 passes for 17 yards (8.5 avg) last season. Taylor has had a great career in the NFL and he’s trying to get a ring with the Patriots to top it off. Taylor has played in 146 games (137 starts) in his 12 years in the NFL in which he has carried the ball 2,491 times for 11,540 yards (4.6 ypc) with 66 TD carries and he has also caught 288 passes for 2,378 yards (8.3 avg) with 8 TD grabs. Like Morris the Patriots are likely to limit Taylor to 8-10 carries in an attempt to keep him fresh and healthy in 2010.
25-year old Laurence Maroney has by far the most upside of this bunch but he also tends to break down. Maroney played in 15 games (5 starts) for the Patriots last season in which he carried the ball 194 times for 757 yards (3.9 ypc) with 9 TD carries. He also caught 14 passes for 99 yards (7.1 avg) last season. Maroney has now played in 45 games (14 starts) in his four years with the Patriots in which he has carried the ball 582 times for 2,430 yards (4.2 ypc) with 21 TD runs. He has also caught 40 passes for 409 yards (10.2 avg) with 1 TD grab in his career with the Patriots. Maroney also helps out on special teams from time to time as he has returned 41 kickoffs for 1,062 yards (25.9 avg) in his NFL career to date. The Patriots would like to give Maroney 15-20 touches per game as long as he can handle it.
34-year old Kevin Faulk is like the Energizer Bunny as he takes a licking and keeps on ticking. Faulk seems to elude Father Time and keep making big plays for the Patriots. He played in 15 games (7 starts) for the Patriots last season in which he carried the ball 62 times for 335 yards (5.4 ypc) with 2 TD carries and he also caught 37 passes for 301 yards (8.1 avg) with 1 TD grab. Faulk also helped out on special teams last season as he returned 5 punts for 31 yards (6.2 avg) and 6 kickoffs for 144 yards (24.0 avg) as he does a little bit of everything. Faulk has now played in 152 games (42 starts) in his 11 years with the Pats and he has carried the ball 839 times for 3,505 yards (4.2 ypc) with 16 TD runs. He has also caught 418 passes for 3,605 yards (8.6 avg) with 15 TD receptions. Faulk has also returned 99 punts for 932 yards (9.4 avg) and 181 kickoffs for 4,098 yards (22.6 avg) with 2 TD returns in his NFL career. Kevin Faulk is one of the unsung heroes in the history of the Patriots as he always seems to step up when they need a big play.
PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE PATRIOTS RBs in 2010: B
