My whole point here is that numbers mean squat in the NFL, unlike baseball where you have individual matchups. Football is a true team sport.
The number of JAG running backs and offensive lineman that have passed through New England the last 14 years is long. Guys had their moment of glory and then did nothing once they were cut. Undrafteds, guys off the street. Mike Compton, Kenyatta Jones, Donald Thomas, Greg Robinson Randall, Stephen Neal, Grant Jennings, Joe Andruzzi, Ryan Wendell, Dan Connolly, Todd Rucci, JR Redmond, Antowain Smith, Legarette Blount, Jonas Gray, Brandon Bolden, BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Laurence Maroney, etc. None of these guys did a single thing for any other team in the NFL. And there were countless more. In 14 years, the Patriots drafted 4 lineman high. Matt Light, Nate Solder, Logan Mankins, and Vollmer. That's it. And it's not like they found real talent off the street. Most of these guys were cut and then didn't play another meaningful down in the NFL.
There's one reason for all of this, and it's Brady's fast release.