Thanks to the Patriots' Loaded Running Game, Josh McDaniels Won't Be Missed

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In 2007, the Patriots set the NFL ablaze, breaking offensive records seemingly week in and week out. 

Tom Brady had world-class wide receivers for the first time in his career. New Patriots like Wes Welker and Randy Moss had to prove that they belonged, and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was a young kid trying to put his fingerprints on a revolutionary offense.

Clearly this worked, as the Patriots were not afraid to come out in the shotgun set with three wideouts on the first possession of any given game, using that formation liberally.

Last season, even without No. 12 under center, the Patriots showed their aggressiveness and ran most of their plays from that same set. With the ability to go deep, call a draw play, or hit Welker with a short pass from the slot, this formation has been successful over the past few years.

This year, the Patriots added a huge piece to their championship puzzle, as Tom Brady will make his long awaited return to Foxboro. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, however, has since moved on to coach the Denver Broncos.

There is no longer any need for a Patriot quarterback to "manage the game," as was Matt Cassel's role early last year.  Tom Terrific is back, and the play calling will be better suited to a veteran like Brady.

However, an underrated strength of this 2009 edition of the New England Patriots will be their running game.

In my first article here at Bleacher Report last year, I wrote about the Patriots' depth at running back and how the running game would set the tone early in the season. 

With Brady's tender knee, a strong and healthy running game will do wonders in helping Brady get adjusted to the speed of the NFL. Remember, he hasn't played a full game since Super Bowl XLII.

However, the depth at the running back position, coupled with the loss of the gunslinging McDaniels, may increase the number of touches for the veteran group.

According to Patriots Football Weekly, here is the Patriots' projected depth chart at running back: Sammy Morris, Fred Taylor, Laurence Maroney, Kevin Faulk, BenJarvus Green-Ellis, and undrafted free agents Omar Cuff and Eric Kettani.

Here are a few reasons why I think the Patriots' ground attack can be more important than ever this season.

The addition of Fred Taylor

One of the most consistent running backs over the last decade, Taylor is coming off of a season where he had just 556 rushing yards and one touchdown. 

Formerly the feature back in the Jacksonville offense, Taylor worked mostly as a complementary piece for the younger Maurice Jones-Drew.

I'm thinking that he will play a similar role for the Patriots this year, supporting Maroney, Morris, or Faulk. 

Taylor has all the motivation in the world to have a great season, as he is chasing that elusive Super Bowl ring. 

Taylor will also push other running backs to bring their "A game" in training camp and in the preseason, as a positional battle will emerge during the dog days of summer.

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