Going to the Ground in New England?

The Pats are certainly not known as a run first team, but after tearing up Buffalo on the ground last week, will the Pats commit more to the run?

By Mike Quagliana

(AP Photo/Bill Wippert)

The New England Patriots stunned the Buffalo Bills last Sunday scoring 35 unanswered points in the second half to secure a 52-28 victory at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Tom Brady was on his game, but this particular win was thanks in large part to 247 yards on the ground.

        

Undrafted rookie running back Brandon Bolden from Ole Miss ran the ball 16 times for 137 yards, including a touchdown in the fourth quarter. The last Patriots’ running back to rush for 137 yards in a single game was Sammy Morris on October 20, 2008 against the Denver Broncos.

Second year back Stevan Ridley from LSU added his fair share of, rushing the ball 22 times for 106 yards and two scores. This already marks the second time this season that Ridley has eclipsed 100 yards in a single game, a mark he failed to reach in all of 2011. Despite never achieving a 100-yard game in 2011, Ridley averaged a commendable 5.1 yards a rush over 87 carries last year.

        

So Patriots’ fans should look forward to more of the same, right? Along with Brady, Welker, and Gronkowski, the Pats now have a ground-and-pound, dual-back rushing attack that will lead to unstoppable play-action offense. Defensive coordinators will be up in arms trying to conjure up ways to stop it.

        

Well, not so fast.

        

Since Bill Belichick became the Pats’ head coach in 2000, just three running backs have rushed for 1,000 yards in a season. Antowain Smith accomplished the feat in 2001 (1,157), along with Corey Dillon in 2004 (1,635), and BenJarvus Green-Ellis in most recently in 2010 (1,008).  

Bottom line? The Patriots have been a pass-oriented offense for over a decade now, and you know what – it’s worked out pretty well. That is if you consider five trips to the Super Bowl, three Vince Lombardi trophies, and one unbeaten regular season a job well done.

One breakout game against the Bills, with all due respect to Buffalo’s defense, is not going to change the system, nor should it. That being said, Bill Belichick would be foolish not to add more of Ridley and Bolden to the formula.

Despite the fact that only three Pats’ running backs have rushed for over 1,000 yards in a season since 2000, two of those years (2001 and 2004) the Patriots brought a world championship back to Foxboro. It is not necessarily the fact that the Patriots are better without an emphasis on the running game, but rather the team simply hasn’t had that many great running backs to come by. Lawrence Maroney ring a bell New England?

When Tom Brady is your quarterback, your team doesn’t need a 1,500-yard rusher. But you best believe having a running back, or two, with the talent to rush for 1,500 yards can only be beneficial.

New England now has depth at an offensive position that has for the most part been forgettable since Corey Dillon’s departure a few years ago. It means that two backs of equally promising potential, at the ages of 23 and 22, look to be around for the long haul. It means that even in Week 4 of the regular season, merely tied atop the AFC East at 2-2, the Patriots already appear to be in great shape for yet another deep playoff run.