If the Patriots are about to sign Fred Taylor — as Shalise Manza-Young first reported in the Providence Journal — what sort of running back would New England be getting? The 33-year-old veteran has put together a borderline Hall of Fame career, rushing for 11,271 yards and 62 touchdowns in his 11-year career with the Jaguars, and a Super Bowl ring would be the perfect finish for the veteran who has been celebrated around the league as a smart and savvy player who is a good presence in the locker room. He’s certainly earned the respect of the Patriots, who were quick to compliment him before the January 2008 New England-Jacksonville matchup in the divisional playoffs.

“Exceptional … [he’s] as good as anyone we’ve faced,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said.

“Like a fine wine — he gets better with age,” said defensive lineman Richard Seymour.

“I just saw that Fred Taylor is going to replace Willie Parker in the Pro Bowl. That’s long overdue,” said linebacker Mike Vrabel.

Taylor has been a feature back for most of his career, rushing for more than 1,000 yards seven times in his 11-year career, including 1,202 yards in 2008. But he’s shared carries with Maurice Jones Drew the last few years — last year was just the fourth time in his career he finished a season with less than 200 carries. As a result, more rest may have allowed him to extend his career another couple of years. It would be more of the same in New England, where Taylor would likely be used primarily on first and second down, and be a part of a running back rotation that would include Sammy Morris, Kevin Faulk, LaMont Jordan, Laurence Maroney and BenJarvus Green-Ellis.

While running backs are the football equivalent of starting pitching — you can’t have too much or too many — if Taylor is added, it’s likely at least one of the other backs will be either traded or released.