Running back LeGarrette Blount is back in New England as the newest member of a deep group of running backs.
The Patriots have last week’s hero Jonas Gray, Shane Vereen, Brandon Bolden, James White and James Develin in the backfield along with Blount, who was released by the Steelers on Tuesday after leaving the Patriots to sign with them as a free agent in the offseason. Patriots coach Bill Belichick was asked how Blount, who had 266 yards on 65 carries for the Steelers would fit into that mix.
Belichick was circumspect about specifics, but said that how much Blount plays will ultimately be up to Blount.
“That’ll be up to him, just like everybody else,” Belichick said, via WEEI.com. “When he gets an opportunity, how much he can take advantage of it, how much he can be productive, what he can do with those opportunities will determine how many more there are. It’s totally up to him. He knows that. We’ve talked about that. He knows that’s the way it is and I think he’s excited about it.”
Blount knows as well as anyone how running backs can fall into and out of favor in New England. There were 10 weeks last season, including the playoffs, that saw Blount get 10 or fewer carries and eight weeks when he had 11 or more so there’s little reason to believe anyone has much of an idea about how Blount’s return to New England will play out at this point.