PATS running into a mess ?

[Homeless]

Updating our annual Antowain Smith conditioning drill tracker…

You guessed it, for the third straight year the beefy running back has failed Bill Belichick's running test. The Boston Globe says Smith was one of 17 players who didn't make the grade. Other backs who didn't pass the test included Mike Cloud, Patrick Pass, Fred McCrary, and Antwoine Womack.

While Anto is busy preparing for the re-test, Kevin Faulk will continue sneaking up on him on the depth chart during first team practice drills. I would not be at all surprised to see Faulk take his starting job this summer.

Then again, if the rumors are true about the Pats' serious interest in signing pass-catching back Larry Centers, all bets are off. It could be all or nothing for Faulk; either he takes Smith's job and Centers becomes the third down back, or Smith stops eating so much, holds Faulk off, and Centers takes Faulk's job. This confusion will need to be worked out in the weeks to come.