Patriots Lack Of A Stud Running Back

New England Patriots Lack of a Stud Running Back

It’s no news to football fans, but it’s something that’s worthy of pointing out. The New England Patriots are one of the very few teams in the NFL to not have a “star” running back. They may have taken a shot at one in the past few years with the drafting of Laurence Maroney, but he’s yet to evolve into what most would consider a “star”. Instead the Pats have opted to go with a carousel of talented running backs over the years which have proven them to be very successful, but is that trend finally coming to an end for the Patriots. Do the Pats finally need to break their own mold and get a star RB to back up Tom Brady?

The Patriots have been a model franchise since the 2001 season when Drew Bledsoe went down, paving the way for Tom Brady. Ever since then they have won three Super Bowls, and the most high profile RB on the team throughout that time has been Corey Dillon, who barely has a profile at all. So is it finally time for someone with a little bit of weight to their name to take-up the RB position?

Not at all, the Pats are who they are because of their aerial attack. Tom Brady is the focal point of this team for any defense, which allows sub-par running backs like Benjarvus-Green-Ellis (the law firm) to shine because of the concern the defense has for Brady. Laurence Maroney is talented when called upon and can get the job done well enough. And of course, we can’t forget about Kevin Faulk (Mr.Clutch). Every time Faulk catches or runs the ball it’s on third down, and always goes for a first!

In finality, no, the Patriots do not need a top tier running back to succeed in the coming years. The downfall of this team at the current time has nothing to do with their offense; it has to be their defense. A feared unit that once contained the likes of Richard Seymour, Asante Samuel, Rodney Harrison (amongst others) no longer exists. It now contains the likes of a few over paid stars (Thomas, Burgess) and a bunch of young still undeveloped talent (Sanders, Meriweather, all CB’s).

In order for the Patriots to regain their success in the coming seasons they must stick with the formula that made them so strong originally, fantastic management. The management that led the team to three Super Bowls is being so wise and so prudent.

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