Running back. The often overlooked position in the Patriots' offense. But it shouldn't be. Antowain Smith. Corey Dillon. Kevin Faulk. They not only carried the ball during the Pats Super Bowl runs, they also carried a big part of the load.
So who carries the load this season? That will be THE most interesting question in training camp and during the preseason. Watching second-year guys Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley battle for the starting spot will almost be worth the full ticket price for the two preseason games. Almost.
STARTERS
I'm going with Ridley as the guy who will win the job. Of course that means it will probably be Vereen. Ridley showed break-away potential last year, leading the team in rushes over 20 yards. But he had a few fumbles near the end of the season and come playoff time was banished to the bench. He'll need to fix that. Vereen was injured early last season and didn't get back on the field till the end. The California grad is a Kevin Faulk third-down type back. That's a key role. Danny Woodhead's play dropped off after his outstanding first season with the Pats but he's still a playmaker. Veteran Joseph Addai, the former Colt, is a player I have high hopes for. But I thought that about Tory Holt a few years ago, and Fred Taylor, and Anthony Gonzalez. Those guys didn't work out so well.
BACK-UPS
It has long annoyed me that Belichick, the great student of the game that he is, has not had a fullback on his roster for most of the past decade. You have to have a fullback. It's about hard-nose football. Well, I've changed my mind about tight ends so maybe the coach is changing his mind about fullbacks because there are currently three on the roser. Tony Fiammetta, Eric Kettani, and Spencer Larson. Hopefully one of them will see a lot of action this year. Rookie Brandon Bolden is a dark horse to make the team.
It won't be easy for any of these guys to fill in for Bennie. He was a rock. He may not have had a lot of long rushes, but inside the ten he was almost a sure thing. And he never fumbled. Very tough to replace.
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