belichick

FOXBORO — With leading rusher Sammy Morris officially out again this week, rookie running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis figures to see significant time against the Colts this weekend. The Mississippi product scored a touchdown last week against the Rams, but had trouble finding the holes overall, gaining only 16 yards on nine rushing attempts.

That said, he isn’t expecting to do anything different this week against the Colts.

“I take it one day at a time,” Green-Ellis said. “Just same old, same old, man, just going to practice and working hard.”

On his touchdown last week, the second of his career, he said he didn’t do anything special.

“Offensive line did a good job opening up holes and I try to run through them,” Green-Ellis said.

It has been a roller coaster year for 5-foot-11, 215-pound Green-Ellis, a punishing runner who went from being undrafted and beginning the year on the Patriots’ practice squad, to starting in the NFL within a half-season. He split time with Kevin Faulk last week, and figures to do so again this week.

“Whatever way I can contribute, any part of the team, running back, blocking, special teams, whatever it may be, I’m just trying to do my part to help the team win,” he said.

Stadium roof factor

The Colts’ new field, the $740-million Lucas Oil stadium, could be one wildcard in the seemingly annual Colts-Patriots matchup. Unlike the closed-roof RCA Dome, Lucas Oil Stadium has a partially retractable roof, and a decision on whether to leave it closed or open will be made roughly 90 minutes before game time.

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick expects that the status of the roof could have a limited impact on the kicking game, but doubts it would be too dramatic.

“When we have been in those dome stadiums like Houston and even Dallas to an extent, it is just an opening on top so the wind doesn’t really affect the kicking game like it does in a normal outdoor stadium like ours or even the bigger stadiums,” Belichick said.

Belichick has some nostalgia for the RCA Dome, which has been the site of so many dramatic Colts-Pats matchups –– Belichick named last year’s 24-20 Patriots win as his favorite.

“There have been some interesting moments there — Deion Sanders running a 40-[yard dash] straight off into the tunnel and stuff like that. It is always a little bit of mixed feelings when you see these stadiums that had so many great moments in them, both ways, go. RFK [Stadium], The RCA Dome, now it is going to be Giants Stadium and even Foxboro [Stadium]. They all had their certain moments that were special,” Belichick said.

Would Belichick, a former New York Giants assistant coach, want any mementoes from Giants Stadium when it is demolished next year?

“No, I don’t think so. They will still be digging through looking for Jimmy Hoffa’s body,” Belichick joked.

Pats work on curbing passes

The Patriots have worked all week on clamping down on one of their biggest vulnerabilities, the big pass plays that have let other teams eat up yardage in big gulps in several of the last few games.

That onus has fallen hard on the team’s injury-riddled secondary, which has seen several young players pressed into service mid-game, especially during last week’s contest against the Rams. That was a growing experience for the unit, free safety James Sanders said.

“We’ve got a mentally strong team, especially in that secondary. In the first half, we gave up some big plays, but we came back and played well in the second half. We’re going to have to carry on and do better against Indianapolis,” Sanders said.

Defensive coordinator Dean Pees, however, sees a silver lining in the Patriots’ big-play difficulties, even last week against the Rams. While they were victimized by the long pass on a 69-yard touchdown to Donnie Avery, the defense also tightened up following some big plays, and generally held the Rams to field goals once they reached New England’s 20-yard-line.

Even on the Avery play, Pees had confidence that if the secondary had dragged him down, the defense could have held the Rams to a field goal. “Yeah, we gave up a big play, but had we just made the tackle, who knows, we might have been able to hold them in the red area,” Pees said.

“That was the thing that killed us in San Diego … it wasn’t just a big play; it was usually a big play before a touchdown,” Pees said. “We gave up a big play in Kansas City, too, and then we held them in the red area.”

dbarbari@projo.com