The Law Firm

It has been quite a while since New England had a premier running back.  Based on the success of the passing game over the past five years, it is difficult to argue that the Patriots needed one.  However, it remains a fact that we in New England have not seen a Super Bowl victory since 2004, coincidentally the same time New England had a running back that amassed 1,000 yards on the season.  That is before the 2010 season.

With the addition of huge blocking tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Algae Crumpler, along with the development of young tackle Sebastian Vollmer, the only thing missing from an explosive Patriots rushing attack to compliment Tom Brady's consistent greatness was...well, a running back.  BenJarvus Green-Ellis filled that void in 2010, rising from barley making the practice squad, to being the 16th leading rusher in the NFL.  This may not sound like much being that the league has a total of 32 teams, but what we must remember as fans is that this is the Patriots we are talking about, and when we think Patriots, we think passing. 

Since the 2007 season, the Patriots ran what was called a “Spread Offense”.  A Spread Offense does exactly what the name implies: it spread apart the offensive (and subsequently the defensive) players.  Below is an example of a typical Spread set called “Shotgun Formation.”

Y                     B                      O  O  O  O  O             Z                      X

     QB   HB

The “O’s” represent the offensive line, with the bold “O” being the Center.  Obviously, QB is Quarterback (Tom Brady) and HB is Halfback (BenJarvus Green-Ellis).  The Y, B, Z, and X symbols stand for the four receiver that are on the field.  With the minimum number of offensive linemen (5) and a large amount of pass catchers on the field, it is evident that this formation is meant for a passing offense.  This is in comparison to the “new” formation that we saw the Patriots run in 2010.  I quote the phrase “new” because if you’ve been watching the Patriots for as long as I have, you might recognize that the 2010 offense was the same style of offense that the Patriots ran from 2000 to 2006 (a time period in which they earned 3 Super Bowl titles).  The new formation looks more like this:

Y                                 TE  O  O  O  O  O  TE                                    X

   QB

                                                               HB

As I mentioned before, the Patriots acquired some new tight ends (TE) in 2010.  By taking away two of the receivers and substituting them with the new and talented tight ends the Patriots have created a balanced offense in which that had a 60/40 pass to run ratio last season (approximately).  This new formation (known as “Singleback”) allows for better protection for the running back.  It also makes for an effective passing attack because those tight ends are talented receivers as well as blockers. 

With the new set, BenJarvus Green-Ellis gained 1,008 yards in 2010, creating another weapon that defenses had to plan for when facing the Patriots which, in the end, helped to take some of the pressure off of Brady and the receivers.  Again, while there were 15 running backs in the NFL that had more yardage than Green-Ellis, where the newly found rushing attack was most effective was within the red zone.

The red zone is the length of the field from the 20 yard line to the goal line on either side of the field.  It is kind of like, in baseball, when a runner is on second base they say he is in “scoring position.”  The red zone is a 20 yard space where short runs and passes grind away at the defense towards the end zone in an attempt to score.  This is where the new offense shined because while having the new tight ends (tight ends are notorious for being a threat in the red zone) the real work came from the legs of Green-Ellis who earned 13 rushing touchdowns in 2010, tied for 2^nd best in the NFL with Pittsburgh Steelers star running back Rashard Mendenhall.  The only person with more touchdowns was the league’s top running back from 2010, Arian Foster, who ended the year with 16 touchdowns during his breakout season with the Houston Texans.  1,008 yards doesn’t sound too bad when you have the second most scores in the league, does it?

There is one special thing about Green-Ellis that many people do not know though.  The Law Firm, as his teammates call him because of his hyphenated name, has played football since he was an All-Star at St. Augestine High School in New Orleans.  From there he attended Indiana University in 2003 until he transferred to Ole Miss (University of Mississippi) in 2006 where he posted record breaking numbers for the school.  He was drafted in 2008 by the Patriots and started his first full season in the NFL in 2010.  What’s so special about the fact that he played football in high school and college?  BenJarvus Green-Ellis, since starting at running back for his high school as a freshman in 1999, has never fumbled the football.  By this I don’t mean that he’s never lost a fumble.  By this I mean that during a game, Green-Ellis has never dropped the ball at all…ever.

Knock on wood, please.

With it looking as though the Patriots star guard Logan Mankins will sign his tender and the acquirement of new tackle Nate Solder to possibly replace the aging Matt Light, it looks like this rushing attack for New England is only going to get stronger.  This means the rushing attack as a whole, though, as the Patriots do still have running back

Danny Woodhead and drafted two running backs, including the speedy Shane Vereen, in the 2010 draft.  Keeping in mind that veteran and captain Kevin Faulk

will be returning from an injury this year (should he choose to not retire), that is a lot of running backs to split carries with.  As it stands, though, Green-Ellis will still have the bulk of the carries and continue to be an effective weapon for the Patriots as long as he is resigned during this year’s free agent period.  His contract is up and will be an unrestricted free agent should the Patriots choose not to resign this hard working player that earned his way from the practice squad up to the starting spot.

Greg's 2011 Prediction for BenJarvus Green-Ellis:
753 Yards Rushing
11 Touchdowns
0 Fumbles

Overall Grade: B+