I received an e-mail from Elisa, a big Patriots fan from Carolina, who asked me the following question:
Could the absence of fullback James Develin be the reason for the Patriots struggling rushing attack?
I wasn't sure how to respond because Develin never really stood out as such a key player in the offense. He seemed like a generally replacement level role player that could be filled by a Michael Hoomanawanui, or an Asante Cleveland, or a Mike from Accounting.
But I did some digging and found out something about the Patriots relationship with their fullback.