New England Patriots: Danny Woodhead Is Key To Pats' Postseason Success

In the New England Patriots' offense, it's the little guy who plays the biggest role.

We've heard many players give many reasons for Danny Woodhead's instant success. Whether it's the difficulty in seeing the little guy behind the big offensive linemen, or the quick and shifty style of running that allows his diminutive frame to squeak through bigger, slower defenders, almost everyone is quick to acknowledge that there's something special about Danny Boy.

Since joining the Patriots in Week 2, just days before the first meeting with the New York Jets, he has 907 all-purpose yards on 129 touches (good for seven yards per touch), and he's compiled six touchdowns to go with all that.

More important than all those stats, his presence provides a spark to the offense only equaled by Kevin Faulk. Funny, because he is very much seen as the successor to the utility belt-safety blanket role that Faulk once occupied.

How many times this season have we seen Woodhead break into the open field for a big gain?

On his very first carry as a Patriot, he burst through a hole for a 22-yard touchdown run that gave the Patriots a one-point lead against Buffalo. And that was just the beginning of things to come.

In all but two games this season, Woodhead has broken at least one play of longer than 10 yards. In five of his 13 games as a Patriot, Woodhead has a long play (either rushing or receiving) that went for over 20 yards.

Of course, winning postseason football games comes down to 60 minutes of execution. You have to have a good gameplan in place and execute accordingly. But all it takes is one big play to swing the momentum like a pendulum, and three of Woodhead's six touchdowns this season have either given the Patriots a lead or brought it to a tie.

Little Danny Woodhead has a chance to make the biggest impact of all by helping send the Patriots to the Super Bowl.

We all know that the running game becomes exponentially more important in the postseason, especially in Gillette Stadium where the weather may be less than favorable for the Patriots' aerial attack.

With the Baltimore Ravens, Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers all potential heavyweight playoff opponents, the going could get tough, but the tough can get it going. If the Patriots get knocked to the ground early in one of their playoff matchups, they need look no further than five feet and seven inches up to find where to turn.

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