‘Big, mean, physical back' Blount wins AFC Offensive Player of the Month

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FOXBORO -- The first three weeks of the season really couldn't have gone any better for LeGarrette Blount. 

He leads the NFL in rushing with 298 yards, and he's scored four times in three games as the Patriots have relied more on the running game in Tom Brady's absence. For his efforts, he's been named the AFC's Offensive Player of the Month. It's the first time he's earned an Offensive Player of the Month award, and it's the first time a Patriots player has been given the honor since Brady won it in September of last year. 

Blount was one of the keys to victory for the Patriots in their Thursday night win over the Texans as he ran for 105 yards and two scores. Patriots coach Bill Belichick lauded Blount for his performance -- especially his performance in the fourth quarter -- in the postgame locker room celebration. With that performance, the Patriots have called more running plays than any other club in the league (108), and Blount leads the NFL in carries with 75, one more than Houston's Lamar Miller. 

Blount is averaging 25 carries per game, which is 9.5 more than his previous career-high, which he recorded back when he was a rookie for the Buccaneers in 2010, and it's 11.2 carries more than his average last year. He could be in line to be a significant part of the game plan yet again during the final game of Brady's suspension Sunday against the Bills.

"Just a big, mean, physical back," Bills coach Rex Ryan said on Wednesday. "That’s how he runs, that’s how he’s always run."

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