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BenJarvus Green-Ellis
File:BenJarvus Green-Ellis.JPG
Green-Ellis during the 2011 NFL season
No. 42     Cincinnati Bengals
Running back
Personal information
Date of birth: (1985-07-02) July 2, 1985 (age 39)
Place of birth: New Orleans, Louisiana
High School: New Orleans (TX) St. Augustine
Height: 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) Weight: 215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
College: Mississippi
Undrafted in 2008
Debuted in 2008 for the New England Patriots
Career history
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
  • Sporting News Big Ten All-Freshman (2003)
  • First-team All-SEC (2006)
  • Honorable mention All-SEC (2007)
  • AFC champion (2011)
  • Longest streak of carries to start NFL career without a fumble (589)[1]
Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2012
Rushing yards     3,158
Rushing average     4.0
Rushing touchdowns     35
Stats at NFL.com

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

Green-Ellis is commonly known by his nickname, The Law Firm, due to his conglomerate of names. Notably, he had never fumbled the football in a regular or postseason game in his professional career until September 23, 2012 against the Washington Redskins.[2][3]

Early years[]

Green-Ellis was born in New Orleans, Louisiana to Ronald "Slim" Williams, the brother of Cash Money Records' founder Birdman. 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. In track, he was an All-District selection and an All-Region selection.

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.

File:BenJarvus-Green-Ellis 8-28-09 Patriots-vs-Redskins.jpg

"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 3-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 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 through the rest of the regular season.

Later in the season, Green-Ellis had three consecutive 100 yards games (@Chiefs, vs.Raiders, @Chargers) and eclipsed the 1000 yards rushing mark for the second time in his career.

Statistics[]

Season Team G Yds TDs
2008 New England Patriots 9 275 5
2009 New England Patriots 12 114 0
2010 New England Patiots 16 1008 13
2011 New England Patriots 16 667 11
2012 Cincinnati Bengals 15 1094 6

References[]

External links[]

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