Patriots Backfield Status:

A lot of people are saying the Patriots downgraded their backfield by
essentially swapping out Morris for Dillon. I wonder if this is really
true. Of course Dillon is a far more talented back then Morris, but do you
think he would have shown that next season had he stuck around? It may even
end up being a wash as far as value for the Patriots. Morris actually had
better stats for the time he played last season then Dillon. Corey gained
812 yards in 199 carries last year. Morris gained 400 yards in 92 carries,
an average of 4.3 that was better than Dillon's 4.1. Morris also caught 21
passes compared to Dillon's 15 with far less playing time. Dillon made it
clear he didn't want to go through the grind of an NFL season just to be
Maroney's back up. Needless to say he wouldn't have been the most motivated
guy on the field. He won a championship, and had a damn good career with
not much left to prove. I wish him luck in retirement if that is how he
goes out. Morris on the other hand may not be as good as Dillon ever was,
but I think he will be far more motivated. The man is younger, and has a
lot to prove. Shoot... I remember watching him run for 123 yards against
the Patriots last season and getting pissed off, thinking to myself why
can't they stop that MOFO??!..lol Who knows, He may surprise us all and be
a great complement to Maroney. Throw in Faulk and Evans and they have
decent backfield. Hey.. . Didn't they win 2 Superbowls with Antowain Smith
(aka Jim Brown) toting the rock? Considering what they have now, they will
be alright, just wait and see...


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Relevant Pages

  • Re: Is Morris the answer?
    ... The loss of Dillon and Graham will hurt if Morris and Brady / Watson ... signaling an automatic passing down to the defense. ... situational back that's versatile enough to play both HB and FB, ...
    (alt.sports.football.pro.ne-patriots)
  • Re: Is Morris the answer?
    ... The loss of Dillon and Graham will hurt if Morris and Brady / Watson cannot fill the blocking schemes that Graham handled. ... Even though Dillon had only modest success last season, he did provide a rest for Maroney without signaling an automatic passing down to the defense. ... there's been much fanfare and chatter about BB and Dante employing a new zone blocking scheme for the OL to better accommodate Maroney's running style. ...
    (alt.sports.football.pro.ne-patriots)
  • Re: Patriots Backfield Status:
    ... Of course Dillon is a far more talented back then Morris, ... even end up being a wash as far as value for the Patriots. ... Best of luck to him, ...
    (alt.sports.football.pro.ne-patriots)
  • Re: Patriots Backfield Status:
    ... Of course Dillon is a far more talented back then Morris, ... even end up being a wash as far as value for the Patriots. ... caught 21 passes compared to Dillon's 15 with far less playing time. ...
    (alt.sports.football.pro.ne-patriots)
  • Dillon is in a rush to compete
    ... FOXBOROUGH -- On Laurence Maroney's first day as a Patriot, Corey Dillon ... He just didn't sweat the arrival of Laurence Maroney. ... per-carry average (3.5 yards) of his career, and carried the ball 136 fewer ... The Patriots are aware Dillon has been working diligently in the offseason, ...
    (alt.sports.football.pro.ne-patriots)