FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – He’s been doing it for so long with one team, surely Kevin Faulk must think he’s been pigeon-holed, type cast if you will, as a third down/utility back.
“Is that a bad thing?” he asked.
Well, some backs would like to be thought of as the guy once they’ve been in the NFL for seven years, as Faulk has. Some would like to be called the every down back and get the 20 to 25 carries per game that come along with that designation.
“Just as long as I come in the game and I’m ready to take care of business and help my team win,” Faulk said, “they can call me whatever they want to call me.”
Well, then how about “Mr. Versatile,” “playmaker” or “leader,” or perhaps, as quarterback Tom Brady put it, as good a pass catcher as he’s ever seen.
“I think Kevin is one of the most versatile players on the team. He’s certainly one of the most valuable,” Brady said. “He catches the ball like a receiver, runs routes like a receiver. The most natural catchers (on the team) would be Kevin, David Givens, and Troy (Brown). But Kevin is as good as anybody I’ve ever seen.”
Faulk may be an afterthought to even the most knowledgeable Patriots observer, especially now that Corey Dillon has established himself in New England and is already breaking team rushing records. But it’s not just by attrition that he now trails only Willie McGinest and Adam Vinatieri in service time with the Patriots
“He’s a very valuable member of the team. It’s not any one thing that puts him over the top, but a collection of a lot of things that he does, and his attitude and willingness to do whatever is asked of him,” said head coach Bill Belichick. “The things that he’s been asked to do since he’s been here, and the work that he’s put into it has been as good as any player I’ve coached. I’d put him right up there with guys like Anthony Pleasant, guys like that who totally commit to what you ask them to do and then the results show it.”
The results show a running back who appears to have found his niche after some ups and downs early in his career.
Up and down the depth chart
Faulk was drafted in the second round of the 1999 draft by the Patriots’ previous regime of Bobby Grier and Pete Carroll. Because of his size (5-foot-8, 200 pounds), he was projected as a backup running back despite leaving LSU as its all-time leading rusher and second only in SEC history to Herschel Walker. Following a solid rookie season, Faulk got his chance to be a featured back when Belichick was hired in 2000.
It did not go well. Faulk averaged just 3.5 yards per carry and had trouble hanging on to the football. Belichick brought in Antowain Smith the following year to be the top runner, and relegated Faulk to passing situations and kick returns.
It took Faulk some time to adjust, but by 2002, he developed into a weapon in three fazes of the game, running (career-high 5.2 yards per carry), receiving (career-high 10.2 yards per catch) and kick returns (27.9 yards per return and the only two touchdowns of his career).
“Kevin can help us out in a lot of ways and has helped us,” Belichick said.
Faulk’s role on the team has been defined more by the circumstances surrounding him than his own abilities. Injuries hampered Smith in 2003, so Faulk became less involved in the kicking game and posted a new career best in carries (178).
Faulk’s place on the depth chart never seems settled, although he thinks it is.
“My mindset is I’m the number one guy, no matter who the number one guy is,” he said. “If that guy happens to get hurt, God forbid he does get hurt, I might be the guy that has to step in, so I have to be ready regardless.”
Adaptability brings respect
Faulk was himself hampered by a knee injury that caused him to miss five games last year. The addition of Dillon once again reduced his running responsibilities, but as Troy Brown was called upon to play more defense, Belichick turned to Faulk to take over some of the punt return duties.
“Even if Kevin hasn’t done that skill in a while, or you ask him to do something that maybe hasn’t been in the game plan for two or three weeks, he’s versatile enough to jump in there and do it pretty well,” Belichick said. “He has good recall and he has not only a lot of position flexibility but within his position he has a lot of flexibility. He can run routes different ways. He can handle the same running play a couple of different ways depending on the way the defense plays it. Those are all big assets for him.”
“My role when I come here every season is the same,” Faulk said. “Whatever the team asks me to do, I’m able to do it. I help them out in any kind of a way that they think they need me to.”
It’s not surprising that with his attitude and his adaptability, Faulk’s standing with his coach and his teammates has been on the rise over the last few years, even if he is overlooked by those outside the locker room.
“I think he’s one of the most respected players on the team,” Belichick said. “He has a significant role and he’s prepared for all of those different aspects of his role, including the leadership that he brings to the club.
“That’s all that matters to me, the organization, the team, the coaches,” Faulk said. “As long as they’re not overlooking me for everything that I do, it doesn’t matter.”
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