Patriots Legend James White Confirms Belichick Has Always Coveted Ezekiel Elliot

I struggled a bit with the use of "covet" in that headline, just because it's such a charged word. One of the things that most stuck with me from Sunday School was how Moses came down from the mountain with just 10 Commandments, and coveting was explicitly banned in two of them, or 20%. And like nun told us at the time, they're Commandments, not the 10 Suggestions. 

But since an All Pro running back is neither your neighbor's goods or his wife, I think I'm not damning Bill Belichick to eternal torment with my word choice. The NFL tampering rules don't cover what's in your heart, just so long as you don't say anything in public. Besides, the Jets were found guilty of tampering with Darrelle Revis, and Woody Johnson was able to pay the fine out of the petty cash in his fanny pack. So it's not a mortal sin to lust after somebody else's franchise player it seems. 

Which is relevant today, because James White went on the NFL's SiriusXM channel and had this to say about Ezekiel Elliott coming to the Patriots:

There's just so much to process here. But all of it points to one thing: Elliott is the prototype of a Belichick Guy at his position. He's everything HC Bill looks for in a running back. And has going all the way back to this memo he wrote for his scouting staff in his Cleveland days: 

The "Mack" he was referring to, who was his Platonic ideal of a running back, was Kevin Mack. A 6-foot-0, 224 pound bruiser and two time Pro Bowler out of Clemson. Elliot is a 6-0, 228 lbs bruiser out of Ohio State. Rhamondre Stevenson, the back he'll be alternating with and sharing two-back sets alongside, is a 6-0, 227 lbs bruiser out of Oklahoma.

When it comes to his backs, Belichick has a type. That size, and preferably from a big college program, or else he's not swiping right. He prefers that North/South running style. Someone versatile enough to catch passes, but the toughness and football IQ to stand up in pass protection. Does that sound like anyone you know? Somebody new in town, perhaps?

And that's not just in blitz pickup, but also when it comes to opening holes for his running mate. Pro Football Focus gave Elliott a run blocking grade of 77.6 last year, which was third best in the league at his position among RB's with 75 or more blocking snaps.

And just to circle back to one of the first things that '90s memo mentioned, being "tuff inside," there was this. Even in a supposedly down year for Elliott:

So it's small wonder why they made this deal. Elliott checks virtually every box the coach has been seeking in a back since the pre-internet days. 

You can quibble about why, if Elliott is such an object of his lust, he waited until the second week of August to sign him. But I just chalk that up to him reading the running back market, watching the price of the top talent at the spot go down as the summer dragged on, and him patiently waiting for a motivated seller to agree on a team-friendly deal. Which is something he's done before, waiting until camp was well underway, or even into the regular season, to sign productive guys like Bryan Cox, Ted Washington, Rob Ninkovich, LeGarrette Blount, Kyle Arrington, Alan Branch and Danny Woodhead, just to name a few. All of them became starters. And all the Pats are asking of Elliott is that he be a tough, versatile, heads up, all purpose back to complement the one they already have in Stevenson. 

Zeke is reportedly flying with the team to Green Bay for joint practices. There's a chance he could see some snaps in the game Saturday night. Either way, this Patriots offense we've been so panicked about all year gets more interesting by the day. Kickoff can't come soon enough.