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Hard to believe the days of Antowain Smith and Corey Dillon in New England could be missed, but in a way those were good times. New England had one main running back and a viable fantasy option.
Now they've added Joseph Addai, and here he is saying all the right things about being a team leader and just wanting the team to win. Music to Bill Belichick's ears, no doubt, but not so much for those hoping Stevan Ridley or Shane Vereen would have a breakout season.
Vereen, the team's second-round pick a year ago, looked good coming out of college. Ridley looked good in the preseason and at times during the year, until a couple of fumbles problem got him benched.
It's early, but passing downs work figures to go to Addai, over Danny Woodhead. With the Patriots, it's mostly passing situations, so maybe both backs will play. And if they think Woodhead offers more as a pass catcher, maybe Addai will be more involved in early carries -- at the expense of Ridley or Addai.
Addai just turned 29 years old and missed 12 games over the last two seasons, so it's far from certain he'll stay healthy or even make the team. But it's a strong reason to only throw a late-round pick at Ridley (or even later at Vereen) rather than count on one of them to be a featured guy.
--Andy Richardson
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