A grand afternoon for Green-Ellis

By Chad Finn

January 2, 2011

3 minutes to read

Patriots coach Bill Belichick’s words were hardly tinged with sentiment when he was asked about one of his team’s many individual achievements that added up to a 38-7 rout of the Miami Dolphins Sunday.

“The most important thing is just that the team is playing well,” said Belichick when asked about running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis becoming the first Patriot running back since Corey Dillon in 2004 to surpass the 1,000-yard mark. “He’s done a good job for us all year. Individual stats aren’t our primary focus around here. We’re trying to win games. But he’s done a lot to help us win games.”

There’s no doubt about that. Green-Ellis, who joined the Patriots as a rookie free agent out of Ole Miss three years ago and emerged as the primary back (with significant contributions from a fellow find Danny Woodhead) this season after Fred Taylor and Kevin Faulk were injured and underachieving holdover Laurence Maroney was dealt to the Broncos.

It’s difficult not to appreciate the contrast between Green-Ellis, who had 80 yards on 20 carries — going over 1,000 yards with a 10-yard gain in the third quarter, his last touch of the day — and Maroney, the passive former No. 1 pick who entered Sunday with fewer yards this season (74) than Green-Ellis had against the Dolphins.

Maroney gained a reputation as a fumbler with the Patriots. Green-Ellis, the 11th Patriot to record a 1,000-yard season, did not fumble once this season, joining the Ravens’ Ray Rice as the only NFL backs with at least 175 carries and no fumbles this season.

Green-Ellis said he was aware that he was closing in on the milestone.

“Kevin [Faulk] was on the sideline today,” Green-Ellis said. “He kept telling me, ‘keep running hard, we need to get there.’ So that’s kind of what I did.”

But Green-Ellis, like any ball carrier with the wisdom to realize that a running game is not a one-man operation, was quick to praise his offensive line.

“It’s not really an individual accomplishment,” he said. “For one person to say that they [got] 1,000 yards by themselves is lying to you. Everyone worked hard.”

While Belichick was spare with the verbal kudos, one of Green-Ellis’s accomplished partners in the backfield couldn’t praise him enough. Fred Taylor has seen it all during his 13-year NFL career, which has included seven 1,000-yard seasons. And he doesn’t hesitate to discuss how much he admires what he sees out of Green-Ellis.

“It’s in him, he wants it,” Taylor said when asked if he’s been a mentor to Green-Ellis. “A lot of times, I find him motivating me to push forward. I don’t always feel like it. Ben, he has his days where he’s like, ‘Ahh, I have to do this.’ Benny has been steady, he’s been wanting it. . . . He’s a young guy with an old soul. He’s very mature, very smart, and he’s passionate about what he’s doing. That’s just BenJarvus.”

Green-Ellis, who finished second in the NFL with 13 rushing touchdowns, fights for every yard in a straight-ahead style reminiscent of two-time Super Bowl champion Antowain Smith. And he’s had to fight for every opportunity, which may be why Belichick’s actions after Green-Ellis left the game belied the words of marginal praise he would later provide.

As Green-Ellis carried the ball to the sideline with him, he was greeted by a hug from his coach.

“He’s been pretty solid for us all the way through. I think that’s one of the biggest things about Ben: consistency,” Belichick said. “Training camp, regular season, preseason, all the way through, I think he’s been really consistent.”

* * *

Danny Woodhead, Green-Ellis’s running mate in the backfield, did not return after suffering a head injury in the first quarter following a fumble. Immediately after the play, he sat on the Patriots bench will trainers appeared to administer a concussion test. After the game, Woodhead was in the locker room but declined comment on his status.