"The Patriots boasted two runs of 20 yards or more in Thursday night's preseason win against the Falcons, and both plays shared a similar characteristic. They featured downfield blocking commitment from a receiver.

On Fred Taylor's 28-yard scamper, it was Julian Edelman who sprung him once he hit the hole and turned a moderate gain into a touchdown. On Sammy Morris' 20-yard score, he followed Brandon Tate to the goal line as the second-year receiver blocked his man for nearly 10 yards.

"Oh yeah, runs like that definitely come from downfield blocking," Morris said. "I didn't see all of Fred's, but I know on mine, Brandon Tate and Sam Aiken did a great job of blocking, obviously. I think always long runs definitely have to come with second-level help."

That's two runs of 20 yards or more in one game. Last season, the Pats had just seven in 16 games. While coach Bill Belichick noted that the offense had seven runs of negative yardage, he took far more pride in the big plays."