NFL Notebook: What will the Patriots’ ground game look like in 2019? We asked one ex-New England back for his thoughts

In this week’s edition of the NFL Notebook, we look at the possibility of the Texans poaching talent from the Patriots’ front office, get New England player rep Matthew Slater’s thoughts on what’s next when it comes to the looming labor talks, and I talk to the guy who is currently wearing No. 17 for the Patriots to get his thoughts on whether or not he has what it takes to reverse the curse. But first, we ask one former New England back whether or not New England is going to be a run-first team heading into 2019.

1. A lot has been made about how with Rob Gronkowski retired, the Patriots’ offense is going to lean on their backs more than ever in 2019. But one former New England rusher believes that while the running game will remain as important as ever to the success of the Patriots, the overall philosophy of the New England offense is not going to change.


“I think you’re going to see what we’ve always seen from the Patriots is that they will sit back and try and scheme against a teams’ weaknesses,” said fullback Heath Evans, who was with New England from 2005 until the end of the 2008 season. “Bill (Belichick) will spend all week trying to find a weakness and strap it to them as long as he can. You will see teams out there in nickel and dime against the Patriots, even when there’s a fullback like James (Develin) in the field.

“This game is always about matchups. What are the two or three weak links on that defense? Bill’s goal is to keep them on the field as long as possible and beat them to death with their weakness. And when you have a fullback like James out there who is so trusted in pass protection, Bill and Tom (Brady) can constantly adjust.”

The Patriots leaned on their running game down the stretch and into the postseason, as James White, Sony Michel and Rex Burkhead led the charge. That trio figures to be joined this year by rookie Damien Harris and part-timer Brandon Bolden, back after a year in exile in Miami. Evans says expect them to power the ground game in 2019, but still utilized as part of a larger whole.

“With Bill and Dante (Scarnecchia) and Josh (McDaniels), it’s like when it comes to offense, they’re a three-headed monster,” said Evans. “I think they’re never locked into one scheme. They always look at a player and say ‘How can he help us,’ and they try and match that with the overall integrity of the offense for that week. And they’ll do that with these backs.”