Back to the New England Patriots Newsfeed

Patriots running game plan has legs

FOXBORO — Bit by bit, the foggy picture begins to clear as to how the Patriots will utilize their running backs in Thursday night’s season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The players got past Saturday’s cut-down day, when the phone could have buzzed at any moment with bad news.

As Dion Lewis said, “No call’s a good call.”

And while there is still a good bit of uncertainty, the one constant is the number of options the players offer coach Bill Belichick with their versatility.

After the Pats released Jonas Gray Saturday, the available running backs on the active roster are Brandon Bolden, Travaris Cadet, Lewis and James White, as LeGarrette Blount will sit out due to a one-game suspension stemming from a violation of the league’s substance-abuse policy.