Every week over the course of the 2011 NFL season, we’ll present a list of the Patriots’ “offensive touches,” a running tally of which one of the offensive skill position players is getting the most looks. Like our weekly look at targets, it can occasionally be an inexact stat, but it remains a good barometer of how confident the coaches (and quarterback) are when it comes to the skill position players at their disposal. Twelve games into the season, here’s a breakdown of the New England offense for 2011:

BenJarvus Green-Ellis: 162 (156 carries, six receptions) seven touchdowns — 11 negative plays
Wes Welker: 96 (3 carries, 93 receptions) eight touchdowns — two negative plays
Danny Woodhead: 71 (57 carries, 14 receptions) zero touchdowns — two negative plays
Rob Gronkowski: 66 (1 carry, 65 receptions), 14 touchdowns
Aaron Hernandez: 55 (1 carry, 54 receptions), five touchdowns — two negative plays
Stevan Ridley: 51 (48 carries, 3 receptions), one touchdown — five negative plays
Deion Branch: 48 (0 carries, 48 receptions), four touchdowns
Tom Brady: 24 (24 carries, 0 receptions) 30 passing touchdowns, zero rushing touchdowns — 20 negative plays, all sacks. (Brady took a zero-yard sack Sunday against Indy.)
Kevin Faulk: 19 (13 carries, 6 receptions) zero touchdowns — two negative plays
Shane Vereen: 15 (15 carries, 0 receptions) — two negative plays
Chad Ochocinco: 12 (0 carries, 12 receptions), zero touchdowns
Julian Edelman: 6 (3 carries, 3 receptions) zero touchdowns — two negative plays, both runs
Tiquan Underwood: 1 (0 carries, 1 reception), zero touchdowns
Matthew Slater: 1 (0 carries, 1 reception), zero touchdowns
TOTAL: 627 touches (321 carries, 306 receptions) — 47 negative plays (excluding kneeldowns)