BenJarvus Green-Ellis

BenJarvus Jeremy Green-Ellis (born July 2, 1985) is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at Indiana and Mississippi. He also played for the Cincinnati Bengals.

Green-Ellis is commonly known by his nickname, The Law Firm, due to his conglomerate of names. Notably, he had never fumbled the ball in the regular season or post-season as a Patriot.^[2][3]

Early years

Green-Ellis was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He attended St. Augustine High School in New Orleans, and was a student and a letterman in football and track. He was named as an All-City selection and as an All-Metro selection, and the Clarion Herald and the New Orleans Times-Picayune named him as an All-District selection. Also an standout athlete, he lettered twice in track & field, where he was an All-District selection and an All-Region selection. BenJarvus' father is Ronald "Slim" Williams, who is a part owner of the label Cash Money Records.

College career

Before transferring to Mississippi, Green-Ellis was a productive running back for Indiana University in the 2003 and 2004 seasons. Green-Ellis transferred when then-coach Gerry DiNardo was fired and replaced by Terry Hoeppner before the 2005 season. As a freshman in 2003, Green-Ellis had a breakout year with 938 yards and seven touchdowns on 225 carries. For his sophomore season at IU, Green-Ellis was a part of a two running back rotation with Chris Taylor. Still, he led the team with 794 yards rushing on 231 carries and scored five touchdowns.

At Ole Miss, BenJarvus Green-Ellis was only the second running back in the school's history to record back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. During his senior season in 2007, he recorded 1,137 yards and six touchdowns. As a junior in 2006, Green-Ellis posted 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns on a school record of 234 carries. He was named as an All-SEC first team selection by the Associated Press.

Professional career

New England Patriots

2008 season

Green-Ellis was signed by the Patriots as an undrafted free agent on May 1, 2008. He was waived by the team on August 30, 2008, and signed to the team's practice squad on September 1, 2008. He was promoted to the active roster on October 11.

Green-Ellis made his NFL debut on October 12, 2008, recording one catch for 9 yards in the Patriots' loss to the San Diego Chargers. On October 20, 2008, the same day that the Patriots placed fellow running back Laurence Maroney on injured reserve, Green-Ellis had his first NFL start in the Patriots' 41-7 victory against the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football. Green-Ellis had 65 yards on 13 rushes in the second half, and scored his first touchdown on a 1-yard run, entering the end zone untouched.^[4] During Sunday Night Football's November 2, 2008 broadcast, Al Michaels and John Madden noted that his Patriots teammates had nicknamed Green-Ellis "Law Firm," on account of his multi-part name.

"The Law Firm" in his second season with the Patriots

In Week 10, against the Buffalo Bills, Green-Ellis had his first 100-yard game in the NFL (with 105 yards), and scored a touchdown for the fourth consecutive game, giving him a touchdown in every NFL game he has started. The one-yard touchdown run capped a 92-yard drive whose 19 plays tied a franchise record for most plays on one drive.^[5]

2009–10 season

Green-Ellis was active for 12 games with the Patriots in 2009, all as a reserve, carrying the ball 26 times for 114 yards, while catching two passes for 11 yards.

2010-11 season

Following the team's trade of Laurence Maroney and early-season injuries to Fred Taylor and Kevin Faulk, Green-Ellis saw an increased role in the Patriots offense. In Week 3, he rushed for 98 yards on 16 carries (6.1 yard average) and a touchdown in a win over the Buffalo Bills. He made his first start of the season the next week, rushing for 76 yards on 16 carries and adding another touchdown against the Miami Dolphins. On Thanksgiving, Week 12, against the Detroit Lions, Green-Ellis ran for two touchdowns in a Patriots win. He added another two touchdowns in a 45–3 Patriots win over the New York Jets on Monday Night Football in Week 13. In Week 17 against the Miami Dolphins, Green-Ellis eclipsed the 1,000-yard rushing plateau on the season, becoming the first Patriots running back to rush for 1,000 yards since Corey Dillon in 2004.

Green-Ellis finished the season with 1,008 rushing yards on 229 carries (4.4 yard average), and 13 rushing touchdowns.

2011-12 season

During the 2011 season, Green-Ellis split playing time with several other running backs, primarily Danny Woodhead. He rushed for 667 yards from 181 attempts with 11 touchdowns for the AFC Champion Patriots, with a yards per carry average of 3.7. He also had 9 receptions for 159 yards.^[6]

Cincinnati Bengals

On March 21, 2012, Green-Ellis signed a three-year contract with the Cincinnati Bengals. On September 23, 2012, in a game against the Washington Redskins, Green-Ellis recorded his first career fumble, ending an impressive record of 589 touches without a fumble, the most to start an NFL career. In the following game, a 27-10 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Green-Ellis fumbled two more times, raising questions about his confidence after ending his streak of ball security. However, he did not have another fumble the rest of the regular season.

Later in the season, Green-Ellis had three consecutive 100 yard games and gained 1,000 rushing yards in a season for the second time in his career.

On August 29, 2014, he was released by the Bengals.

Statistics

References

External links

• New England Patriots bio
• Ole Miss Rebels bio