It's too early to say how LeGarrette Blount will fit into the New England Patriots' backfield plans in 2013 -- or if he'll fit into them at all.
Blount at least appears to have the enthusiasm of Patriots coach Bill Belichick. That carries some currency in Foxborough.
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"We felt like we got good value for Blount," Belichick told Sirius XM NFL Radio,via ESPNBoston.com. "He's a guy that we basically gave up (Jeff) Demps for, and Demps, I'd say, is less of a proven player and there were some other issues with Jeff.
"With LeGarrette, he's been a productive player. He didn't play as much last year with the emergence of (Doug) Martin down there, so I can certainly understand that Tampa was in. We felt like he was a talented guy that we wanted to have on our team."
If Blount can make any kind of impact, he'll represent a wise acquisition by the Patriots. According to Brian McIntyre of Shutdown Corner, Blount agreed to a restructured contract that reduces his salary-cap hit by $1.07 million for the 2013 season. Blount's base salary was slashed from $1.25 million to $630,000, the league-minimum salary for a fourth-year pro.
It's a low-risk deal for the Patriots, who get Blount in return for Demps, a project player whose focus was elsewhere.
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @DanHanzus.