By Hector Longo
hlongo@eagletribune.com
September 07, 2008 02:35 am FOXBORO — If Laurence Maroney thought he'd be rewarded for his 2007 playoff performance — grinding out a pair of 122-yard games on the way to Super Bowl XLII — he was sadly mistaken. Corey Dillon churned out 1,635 yards in the Super Bowl season of 2004. The Patriots haven't had a 1,000-yard rusher since, and — if the NFL-best 38-10 record since proves anything ¬— it just doesn't matter. Don't expect one in 2008, either. Not with Bill Belichick riding a five-headed horse into the season opener today (1 p.m.) against Kansas City. As good as Maroney looked late last season, Belichick again has proven that he will make any move possible to improve his roster. In this case, he acquired free agent veteran Lamont Jordan to complement Maroney, his backup Sammy Morris, third-down specialist Kevin Faulk and versatile fullback Heath Evans. "When I looked at the backfield, I thought the backfield was pretty stacked," said Jordan, the ex-Jet and Raider. "You get a call from Coach Belichick ... It's an opportunity you want to take advantage of. I'd say I'm just an insurance policy, we have three, four, five backs that can carry the load on a given Sunday. It makes our backfield even stronger." Morris got the nod early in the 2007 season when Maroney was banged up and gained 384 yards in six games, which included two starts. Maroney took over from there, but Belichick has never been one to rest and be satisfied. Jordan's arrival on the scene via free agency was hastily consummated. Curtis Martin's former backup brings an attitude to the inside running game, with enough speed to keep defenses on the edge. "It's just more guys able to do more things," said Morris. "As a team, it's got to make you better." Five backs on a roster? It's not unheard of. In fact, it's pretty much the NFL norm. But five veterans, three of whom have at one time at least, been a featured back? "Looking at the 53-man (roster), eight players are inactive anyway," says Belichick. Morris, who is in his second year here, and Jordan, who was signed in the preseason, will learn a lesson that Faulk, Maroney and Evans absorbed almost upon their arrivals here. If you want to play in Super Bowls, there is a price, be it on kick coverage, punt returns or wherever. "There's not more pressure on us than there is team-wide because of our numbers," said Morris. "As an organization, you're asked to do more than one thing. It's not any more or any less than is asked of anyone else on this team." Faulk, who is serving a one-game suspension for an offseason marijuana charge, will sit this week. Barring injuries, either Jordan, Morris or both can expect to spend at least a game day or two in street clothes. "There isn't a bunch of (moaning) and bickering, we all know where we stand," said Jordan, whose lone 1,000-yard rushing season was 2005 in Oakland. "Our goal is to be the best backfield in the NFL. Just take advantage of every opportunity you can get." None of the five players has ever been a true feature back, not even the former first-round pick Maroney, who split time at the University of Minnesota with Marion Barber. Only time will tell if they can co-exist. Not only will they be carving the pie into four or five slices instead of two or three, but they'll have to pitch in with the dirty work, just to be allowed a taste.
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