A Young Stallion

Quick question: Would you like a durable running back?

OK, that was a rhetorical question. With alternating LaMont Jordan missing every other game and Laurence "issues" Maroney available for only three of five games this year, it would be nice to have someone the team can count on to help carry the load with Sammy Morris. While the Patriots did rush for more than 100 yards against San Diego, 29 of those yards came from QB Matt Cassel on seven carries.

How about Ben Jarvis Green-Ellis? That's what scouts say about the former Ole Miss Rebel. His scouting report reads, in part, that BJGE is a "durable workhorse and a secure ball handler." Sounds like a Bill Belichick kind of guy.

We've seen very little of this rookie free agent. I know in the few times he carried the ball in the preseason (14-50 3.4) I did notice quickness to side-step a tackler and a burst through the hole. The scouting report says he is not a good receiver, but he did make a nice diving catch in garbage time against the Chargers.

What do the Patriots have to lose? The stable of ball carriers hasn't worked as expected as Jordan and Maroney can't stay on the field. While I do encourage Cassel making a break for it when he doesn't see anyone open, he shouldn't be New England's second leading rusher on a regular basis.

If BJGE is the same runner in the pros as he was in college, then we should expect a blue-collar type game from him. In two years at Ole Miss, he totaled 2,218 yards for a 4.9 average. Green-Ellis managed this on a bad Rebels teams where opponents focused their attention on him and he still delivered. More important, he lost just 81 yards in those two years.

Barring a surprise recovery, the depth chart for Sunday's game against the Broncos will be Morris, Kevin Faulk and Heath Evans. I don't see any reason why Green-Ellis can't get a few carries to see if he can contribute. He's a healthy body, which is more than Jordan or Maroney can say.

Elsewhere in the league Dallas is dealing with injuries, but the franchise profile is hurting as owner Jerry Jones doesn't value character enough.