Morris: Happy returns

Running back Sammy Morris held a conference call with media members today (1 p.m.), and the Patriots’ hard-charging running game was a topic of discussion. The Patriots totaled 277 rushing yards against the Raiders.

But it wasn’t just the running game the produced big results; the kickoff return team did, too.

Morris was used as the “off" returner along with Ellis Hobbs – assuming the role that has regularly been held by rookie Matthew Slater – and he recapped Hobbs’ 95-yard return for a score in the second quarter.

“It’s a great feeling,” Morris said. “It’s good when you can see the play unfolding and you have your block, and you don’t know where the returner is but you can hear the crowd. And just by the sound the crowd was making, you knew a big play was coming. Especially at that point in the game, where they were making moves back to kind of gain the advantage, we were able to take that right back."

In addition to Hobbs and Morris at returner, the Patriots had Stephen Neal, Russ Hochstein and Le Kevin Smith in the wedge, and Sam Aiken, Heath Evans, Larry Izzo, Gary Guyton, David Thomas and Ray Ventrone up the field.