Could Ray Rice become a Patriot?

Could Ray Rice become a Patriot? (Justin Lane - European Pressphoto Agency)

Should Ray Rice become available, would the Patriots look into signing him? In an article by CBS's Jason La Canfora, La Canfora explains that Ray Rice could be reinstated from his indefinite suspension within the next month. An appeal hearing date is scheduled, and a final decision could come shortly after, and all of this could conclude by sometime mid-November.

Should all of that happen, and Ray Rice is reinstated, he could sign with a team shortly after. According to La Canfora's sources, many legal experts believe Rice has a strong case, and the legal issues could be resolved following week 10, making him an option to be signed. La Canfora suggests the top two teams that would be interested in Rice are the Indianapolis Colts and the New England Patriots.

If he is, would a team like the Colts, coached by former Ravens assistant Chuck Pagano who thinks highly of Rice, or New England, where Bill Belichick has very strong ties to Rice's college coach, Greg Schiano, take a chance on Rice if they need a running back down the stretch?

Regardless of Belichick's Rutgers affinity, there just doesn't seem to be any real reason why the Patriots would be interested in Ray Rice. Robert Kraft, himself, has said that he would not be welcome as a member of the Patriots, let alone any NFL team. "Well, I don't think he will play another NFL game," Kraft said. "I would be shocked if some team would pick him up." If the owner does not want a specific player on their team, especially following the Hernandez issues, their is no way he will end up on the Patriots.

Let's not forget that Ray Rice was awful this previous season. Last year, he averaged a meager 3.1 yards per carry on 214 carries, for 660 yards. In all those carries, he had only four touchdowns, along with two fumbles. While some may say that was due to the Ravens changing their run scheme, or blaming the OL for the lack of production, it doesn't hide the fact that Rice was not a good running back last year.

The Patriots seem fairly content with Shane Vereen, Brandon Bolden, Jonas Gray, and James White going forward. The run game (when they actually run) was still fairly effective last Thursday night, and that was on a short week. Hopefully, McDaniels can game plan around the running styles of these backs to maximize their productivity and continue to improve. I would not expect the Patriots to sign another running back, and if they do, it will not be Ray Rice.

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