Should the Patriots declare a #1 Running Back?

After the struggle the Patriots had in week one against a terrible Bills team, it's obvious this isn't the 2007 Patriots or even close. This team has lots of room for improvement. One aspect of the Patriots offense that I believe needs to be addressed is the running back position. I have seen the dual running backs work for a handful of teams in recent years. In fact for the Panthers and Giants it's part of what makes their offense so hard to scheme. I do not feel the same way about the Patriots. I think it works for the Giants and Panthers because they rely so heavily on their running game. The Patriots obviously rely on Tom Brady and Randy Moss so their running game doesn't cause "as much" wear and tear on the running back position. I'm not saying that the running backs aren't still tired after each offensive set. They definitely are, but I feel like it might be difficult for the Patriots running game to find a rhythm without a definite number one back. Thoughts on the Patriots top 3 running backs: Fred Taylor Fred Taylor is the most experienced of the three running backs entering his twelfth year of NFL action. Taylor has been tearing apart defensive lines for many years, he ranks 16th all time in total rushing yards. His experience and skills can help the Patriots to develop Laurence Maroney and Green-Ellis, while also keeping defenses honest with his sharp cuts and hard running. The knock on Fred Taylor is that he's getting older, he's coming off a season where he saw very limited carries. 140 carries through out the whole 2008 season for just over 500 yards. Taylor got nine carries for 25 yards in his Patriots debut and his first TD. He's a great running back and will probably find the end zone a few more times this year but I think if the Patriots are looking for the old Fred Taylor, they'd be better off working with Maroney. Laurence Maroney Laurence Maroney is the real deal, he's proved that he is quick enough to scoot through defenses, fast enough to break loose for a big gain and strong enough to punch it in on the goal line. Learning from Fred Taylor is going to be very beneficial for Maroney, he'll learn what it takes to become an elite back in this league. I'm looking for Maroney to get the majority of the carries this season and pile up some nice numbers. The Patriots do not need greatness from Maroney, they just need someone to keep the opposition from pass blitzing Brady every down. The knock on Maroney is that he hasn't been healthy for an entire season yet. He doesn't get a TON of carries but he's yet to prove that he can carry the load for an entire NFL season. He was a star out of college but we've yet to see what Maroney really has to offer. Sammy Morris The Patriots have decided to use the 10 year veteran in the back field as a full back during Week 1. He didn't get a chance to touch the ball at all. It's clear that if the Patriots are looking for a running game Sammy Morris isn't going to be getting the carries. This doesn't mean that Morris isn't useful in our offense, he's still a very talented player and will do just fine this year. He's just not the answer the Patriots need at this point, but he'll fit in fine with the Patriots offense as another one of Belichick's weapons. What's your point? The Patriots have three real good running backs, I'm confident that Belichick will find the right number of carries for each back. I understand the idea behind the "three headed monster", I think it'd be more beneficial for the Patriots to name Maroney/Taylor the number one guy and let one or the other really develop a rhythm in the first few weeks. If they can't find it, insert the next running back and wait for him to develop.