Run Game Gaining a Lot of Ground

The best stat from Thursday’s shredding of Tampa Bay is the Buccaneers out-gained New England 244 to 200. That’s total yards to rushing yards.

Once the Patriots stretched out the passing game, the ground game took over. By the end of the night the Pats gashed and slashed their way through a helpless T.B. defense. It was a thing of beauty.

Danny Woodhead set the tone with 63 rushing yards on just 5 carries. RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis made his preseason debut with 51 yards and two touchdowns on eleven carries. Stevan Ridley again put on a show, exploding for 84 yards on 14 carries.

The trio ran through holes big enough to sail a pirate ship through. Only one run out of 36 was for a loss.

In short, New England imposed their will on the ground. Once they decided to pound away, Tampa Bay was unable to stop what was coming. Yes the Buccaneers were 28^th against the run last year, but it was great to see a dominant run game.

Shane Vereen is missing out on all the fun.

New England’s rush offense was underrated last year as the Pats finished ninth in the NFL. But with an aging backfield and questions along the offensive line, New England had to find solutions for a coming problem.

Early looks are very promising. If the Patriots ride the young stallions into the season, the coaches can feel confident moving on from Sammy Morris and Kevin Faulk as they contributed just nine yards this preseason so far.

This production wouldn’t be possible without the stellar play of the offensive line. The unit hasn’t missed a beat with Dan Connolly replacing the retired Stephen Neal at right guard. Left guard Logan Mankins, who held himself out for the first six weeks of 2010 over the lack of a contract extension, was made the highest paid guard in the NFL and is locked up for seven years.

The most encouraging sign is rookie first round pick Nate Solder has played in place of Matt Light at left tackle and looked very good. Solder’s pass blocking gets more attention (because he must protect reigning NFL MVP, quarterback Tom Brady), but he’s a better run blocker right now.

New England has all the pieces in place for a strong running game with the rotation in the backfield and a re-fortified offensive line. Plowing through two feeble run defenses for 341 yards doesn’t say much, though. Detroit, with a talented defensive line, will be a better test of how capable New England’s run offense can be.