Getting to Know Patriots Rookie BenJarvus Green-Ellis

With Lauren, I mean Laurence Maroney done for the season, LaMont Jordan ailing, and Sammy Morris banged up, the Patriots running back corps looks to be fairly depleted heading into Sunday's game against the suddenly resurgent St. Louis Rams. Last week, we saw the Patriots rush for 257 yards, which is their biggest total since November of 1993. Granted, it was against the somewhat weak Broncos defense, but still impressive nonetheless. The Patriots have demonstrated several times this season that they can develop a run-first type of offense, 180 degrees away from their philosophy last season. This week, the Patriots host the St. Louis Rams, whose defensive skills (or lack thereof) have been exposed so far this season. But with Lauren out and Jordan's status unclear, they will have to establish a tempo for the running game early. Luckily, there is even more depth at the halfback position than I thought, as evidenced by rookie BenJarvus Green-Ellis' solid debut performance on Monday Night.  ... (link)