Eight's A Crowd in the New England Patriots' Stuffed Backfield

(Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images)

Calling the backfield of the New England Patriots "crowded" is like saying, "Dating Cristal Taylor might be a bad idea."

It's a bit of an understatement.

Not even counting fullbacks, the Patriots have eight guys on the roster right now who are fighting for the chance to carry the football on Week One.

Five of those guys played significant time last year with only one back, LaMont Jordan, not returning.

Six of the eight—Lawrence Maroney, Fred Taylor, Sammy Morris, BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Kevin Faulk, and Omar Cuff—will likely be around for the duration of camp while the other two, Eric Kettani and Shun White, will have to fulfill their military service commitments to the Navy.

Still, given needs at other positions, there is little likelihood of the Patriots carrying five active RBs into the season, let alone six, so there is going to be considerable competition throughout training camp.

Let's look at our contestants:

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