"That’s what Kevin [Faulk] and I were talking about last year at the end of the season," Pats running back Sammy Morris said last week. "I actually was the strongest I had been since I have been playing."
Morris turned 33 last month. Faulk turns 34 in June, and Fred Taylor turned 34 in January. Each are well-conditioned and extremely health conscious, and those factors also greatly attributed to how they felt at the end of the year. But, whether it was due to midseason injuries, a split workload or a combination of both, none of the elder statesmen even reached 75 carries in 2009.
The trio combined with Laurence Maroney and BenJarvus Green-Ellis to form a committee approach. Granted, that multi-back system doesn’t have the splash or appeal of a team with a feature back such as Adrian Peterson, Chris Johnson or even Steven Jackson, but there was an obvious correlation with the Patriots’ increasing effectiveness on the ground in December.
"We’ve got a lot of guys who do a lot of things well," said Morris, who had 319 rushing yards and two touchdowns in 2009. "It’s a good compliment for each other. We’ve got guys that can play special teams, third down, regular running backs or whatever you want to call it. Me and BenJarvus played some fullback. I think we’ve got a good group. I think it helps us out a lot as far as keeping us fresher and having to step in with injuries, which is obviously a part of the game."
Morris is entering the fourth and final season of his Patriots contract, and he has adapted well with the New England area, even moving his family to Massachusetts and enrolling his children in the school system. That, in part, has helped Morris really concentrate on keeping himself in good football shape, which is of the utmost importance for 30-plus-year-old running backs.
"It’s something you learn along the way or something you should learn or could learn along the way," Morris said. "I’ve played with guys who have played a long time. It would be foolish of me not to take something from everybody across the board. I turned 33 [last month], so I know age-wise, I’m getting there. But physically, I don’t feel really old. Again, we’re talking football years, so it’s not that 33 is old anyway."
Morris has always been serious about his conditioning, and he said he feels like he is still 26 or 27 years old. That aside, he is conscious enough of his age to prepare himself for the rigors of a season. Players get in trouble when they’re too stubborn to realize they’ve got to make changes as they accelerate in age, but Morris is one of the responsible ones.
"When I was 23 or 24, I kind of just did it," Morris said of the necessity of offseason workouts. "I didn’t really think about it as much. Now, it’s more of a methodical, 'I need to do this by this time period.' I always find it funny that with my kids, setting a bed time for them is productive as an adult, as well. That’s something I learned along the way, as well. Little things as far as getting rest."
Morris said he doesn’t plan to whip out a crystal ball and try to forecast how much longer he’ll keep strapping on the pads. He feels good, and there’s no reason for him to label his limitations. After all, he has only registered 100 carries twice in his 10-year career, so he should have more gas in the tank than most 33-year-olds. The Patriots’ committee approach has definitely elongated his career, too, and he might have another contract left in him.
"Each year is a different entity in itself, so you don’t really know what to expect," said Morris, who spent three seasons with both Buffalo and Miami. "But when I signed here, I figured that, physically, I could still play through four years. But at the same time, you never really know what each year, each offseason is going to bring, the different bumps and bruises from the year before. I physically felt I could sign for four and definitely play through that. Fortunately, it’s worked out, and I just want to keep plugging away until my body says I can’t go anymore."
