The running back position is the “strongest, deepest position on the team,” according to Bill Belichick via Tony Romo during the broadcast of the week 15 win at Pittsburgh. Assuming Tony Romo was telling the truth, it’s not surprising for Belichick to appraise his running backs as the best group on the team. The Patriots have an embarrassment of riches in 2017, a stockpile of versatile backs who give New England unprecedented positional versatility.
Nowhere is this positional versatility more pronounced than in 21 personnel (two running backs, one tight end, two wide receivers).