Is Sammy Morris the long-term answer at running back?

Another question the Patriots face this offseason, on top of those laid out here, is how to approach their situation at running back.

Patriots running backs had a spectacular season; the team rushed for more yards (2,135) than it had in any season since 1985. Sammy Morris rushed for 727 yards in 13 games this season and averaged 4.7 yards per carry -- and he memorably ran right over hard-hitting Buffalo safety Donte Whitner on Sunday. Among running backs with as many carries (156) as Morris this season, only six had a better yards-per-carry average.

LaMont Jordan missed two months in the middle of the season but rushed for 97, 78 and 64 yards in his three full games back from injury. He also rushed for 62 yards on 11 carries in Week 2 against the Jets, his last game with more than 10 carries before he got hurt.

Laurence Maroney played in just three games this season before going on injured reserve. Last season, he played in 13 games and started six; he rushed for 835 yards (with an average of 4.5 yards per carry) in that time. It's not far-fetched to wonder if Maroney ever is going to make it.

Morris is under contract for two more seasons. Maroney is under contract for two more seasons. Jordan is an unrestricted free agent.

There are two big questions: Who comes back? Who comes in?

Jordan isn't necessarily a feature back; he rushed for 1,000 yards in 2005 with the Oakland Raiders, but he spent four years as a complementary back with the New York Jets and seemed to be a perfect fit as a complementary back with the Patriots this season. If he's willing to come back on those terms, the Patriots would be foolish not to sign him. If he wants to make the same money as starting running backs, though, the Patriots likely will let him walk.

Maroney might get one last chance to prove himself; then again, this season might have been his one last chance. He might be done as a Patriot. Then again, his salary against the cap ($1.6 million according to this very unofficial source) is less than the cap hit the Patriots would take ($2.1 million) if they cut him after June 1. His contract doesn't expire until 2010. Either way, the Patriots certainly are not going to count on him as a starting running back next season.

Morris is the wild card. The Patriots have to decide this winter and spring if he's capable of being a starting running back on a championship-caliber team or not. He played awfully well this season when healthy; his contribution was a critical part of the Patriots' getting to 11 wins. But he's still going to be 32 years old next season, and the production of running backs can drop precipitously once they hit their early 30s.

The Patriots easily could bring back Morris and Jordan, cut Maroney and keep BenJarvus Green-Ellis as a third running back. But if they don't want to bank on Morris or Maroney, they could go after a running back in this spring's draft and try to find an impact player in the first round. Chris Johnson (first round, Tennessee), Jonathan Stewart (first round, Carolina), Matt Forte (second round, Chicago), Ray Rice (second round, Baltimore), Steve Slaton (third round, Houston) and Tim Hightower (fifth round, Arizona) all had great rookie seasons.

One possible fit for the Patriots? Pittsburgh's LeSean McCoy should be available late in the first round; Georgia's Knowshon Moreno and Ohio State's Beanie Wells might slip, too. Iowa's Shonn Greene, coached by Belichick protege Kirk Ferentz, rushed for 1,729 yards this season and won the Doak Walker Award as the nation's top college running back; he will make his decision about an NFL jump in the coming weeks. He might be a late first-round talent, which is right where the Patriots will be picking.