"On Sunday, Fred Taylor brought back memories of a time not so long ago when the Patriots [team stats] had a legitimate feature back named Corey Dillon who carried the rock every week and left no worries about an effective running game.

There was no backfield committee when Dillon was here. He was the committee. He got the ball, taking handoffs every quarter, and occassionally got a breather.

Taylor?

Thus far, he's been the second back in, taking the baton from Laurence Maroney every week. But when Maroney tweeked a thigh in the 26-10 win against the Atlanta Falcons at Gillette Stadium, Taylor took on a heavier load.

With more carries, the NFL veteran in his first season with the Pats provided exactly what the offense needed against the Falcons. He hit the holes hard, and he was a bulldog trying to bring down. In all, Taylor rushed 21 times for 105 yards (5.0 average) with an 8-yard TD run.

All of this begs the question: Can Taylor put an end to the current committee approach?

"It looked like he carried the mail (to me)," coach Bill Belichick said yesterday when asked if Taylor was still capable of carrying the load of a feature back.

True. But it's one thing to do it in a single game, and another to do it during the course of a 16-game season, and perhaps beyond. At age 33, not having been the lead back the past three seasons in Jacksonville while riding shotgun alongside Maurice Jones-Drew, Taylor might not have what it takes for the long haul. He might be too old to last an entire season, carrying the ball 20-25 times a game.

Is it outrageous to think he might have one good year left in the tank?

Yesterday, Taylor sounded willing and able to be the man, even if he joked about his Tylenol and Aleve intake following Sunday's game.

"Whatever it takes," Taylor said. "Honestly, I've always said I just want to play until the wheels fall off. But, I understand how long the season is. This is my 12th year. I understand how important it is to take care of your body, the maintenance, the massage, the chiropractor, the accupuncture, whatever you need, you want to make sure you're healthy by next game. I understand all of that.

"Whether I can handle it or not, I'm prepared to. I'll say that. We'll just see how it goes as the season progresses."

Some of the picture should become a little clearer this Sunday against Baltimore. We'll see how well Taylor is able to bounce back from a game's worth of pounding when he takes the ball against the Ravens.

What we do know is that with Maroney nursing yet another injury, and with Taylor as the primary back, the running game finally hit its stride against Atlanta. Sammy Morris served pretty much as a backup (five carries, 16 yards) while Kevin Faulk performed his usual role as third-down specialist.

While Maroney did gain 17 yards on four carries, he's just hit too many speed bumps along the road to proving he belongs. Seeing him standing on the sideline and watching Taylor do what Maroney's been unable to do on a consistent basis - hit the holes without hesitation - kind of summed it all up.

Whether it's his fault or not, it's just not happening for Maroney. Something typically gets in the way, and it's usually an injury. So if Taylor can hold up, it's time for Belichick to make the call."