One Taylor at a Time

While the Patriots are still wooing Jason Taylor, it’s another Taylor that this blogger thinks Patriots fans should be happy about, running back Fred Taylor.  The team acquired Taylor this offseason after his release from the Jacksonville Jaguars.  Taylor, who will wear the number 21 with the Pats, should help in the running game and the acquisition reminds this blogger of that of Corey Dillon earlier this decade.  Taylor is necessarily finished; he just couldn’t keep up with the little bowling ball that is Maurice-Jones Drew in Jacksonville.  Last season, Taylor received just 143 carries, the lowest total in his 11-year career aside from an injury-plagued 2000 campaign in which he played in a mere two games.

Taylor averaged just 3.9 yards per carry last season, but that had more to do with the barrage of injuries experienced by the Jaguars’ offensive line than with Taylor’s skills.  Just two years ago, Taylor averaged a mammoth 5.4 yards per carry on his way to more than 1200 yards on the ground.  Those numbers were attained while splitting carries with Jones-Drew.  The Patriots don’t have a clear-cut starter, but it looks as though they’re about ready to give up on the talented but oft-injured Laurence Maroney.  Taylor will be able to bring experience and toughness to the backfield in New England and could have a bounce-back year in 2009.
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