BenJarvus Green - Ellis BenJarvus Jeremy Green - Ellis ( born July 2 , 1985 ) is an American football running back for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League ( NFL ) . He was signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2008 . He played college football at Indiana and Mississippi . Green - Ellis is commonly known by his nickname , The Law Firm , due to his conglomerate of names . Notably , he had never fumble d the football in a regular or postseason game in his professional career until September 23 , 2012 against the Washington Redskins . Early years . Green - Ellis was born in New Orleans , Louisiana to Ronald " Slim " Williams , the brother of Cash Money Records ' founder Birdman . He attended St . Augustine High School in New Orleans , and was a student and a letterman in football and track . He was named as an All - City selection and as an All - Metro selection , and the " Clarion Herald " and the " New Orleans Times - Picayune " named him as an All - District selection . In track , he was an All - District selection and an All - Region selection . College career . Before transferring to Mississippi , Green - Ellis was a productive running back for Indiana University in the 2003 and 2004 seasons . Green - Ellis transferred when then - coach Gerry DiNardo was fired and replaced by Terry Hoeppner before the 2005 season . As a freshman in 2003 , Green - Ellis had a breakout year with 938 yards and seven touchdowns on 225 carries . For his sophomore season at IU , Green - Ellis was a part of a two running back rotation with Chris Taylor . Still , he led the team with 794 yards rushing on 231 carries and scored five touchdowns . At Ole Miss , BenJarvus Green - Ellis was only the second running back in the school ' s history to record back - to - back 1 , 000 - yard seasons . During his senior season in 2007 , he recorded 1 , 137 yards and six touchdowns . As a junior in 2006 , Green - Ellis posted 1 , 000 yards and seven touchdowns on a school record of 234 carries . He was named as an All - SEC first team selection by the Associated Press . Professional career . New England Patriots . 2008 season . Green - Ellis was signed by the Patriots as an undrafted free agent on May 1 , 2008 . He was waived by the team on August 30 , 2008 , and signed to the team ' s practice squad on September 1 , 2008 . He was promoted to the active roster on October 11 . Green - Ellis made his NFL debut on October 12 , 2008 , recording one catch for 9 yards in the Patriots ' loss to the San Diego Chargers . On October 20 , 2008 , the same day that the Patriots placed fellow running back Laurence Maroney on injured reserve , Green - Ellis had his first NFL start in the Patriots ' against the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football . Green - Ellis had 65 yards on 13 rushes in the second half , and scored his first touchdown on a 1 - yard run , entering the end zone untouched . During Sunday Night Football ' s November 2 , 2008 broadcast , Al Michaels and John Madden noted that his Patriots teammates had nicknamed Green - Ellis " Law Firm , " on account of his multi - part name . In Week 10 , against the Buffalo Bills , Green - Ellis had his first 100 - yard game in the NFL ( with 105 yards ) , and scored a touchdown for the fourth consecutive game , giving him a touchdown in every NFL game he has started . The one - yard touchdown run capped a 92 - yard drive whose 19 plays tied a franchise record for most plays on one drive . 2009 – 10 season . Green - Ellis was active for 12 games with the Patriots in 2009 , all as a reserve , carrying the ball 26 times for 114 yards , while catching two passes for 11 yards . 2010 - 11 season . Following the team ' s trade of Laurence Maroney and early - season injuries to Fred Taylor and Kevin Faulk , Green - Ellis saw an increased role in the Patriots offense . In Week 3 , he rushed for 98 yards on 16 carries ( 6 . 1 yard average ) and a touchdown in a win over the Buffalo Bills . He made his first start of the season the next week , rushing for 76 yards on 16 carries and adding another touchdown against the Miami Dolphins . On Thanksgiving , Week 12 , against the Detroit Lions , Green - Ellis ran for two touchdowns in a Patriots win . He added another two touchdowns in a 45 – 3 Patriots win over the New York Jets on Monday Night Football in Week 13 . In Week 17 against the Miami Dolphins , Green - Ellis eclipsed the 1 , 000 - yard rushing plateau on the season , becoming the first Patriots running back to rush for 1 , 000 yards since Corey Dillon in 2004 . Green - Ellis finished the season with 1 , 008 rushing yards on 229 carries ( 4 . 4 yard average ) , and 13 rushing touchdowns . 2011 - 12 season . During the 2011 season , Green - Ellis split playing time with several other running backs , primarily Danny Woodhead . He rushed for 667 yards from 181 attempts with 11 touchdowns for the AFC Champion Patriots , with a yards per carry average of 3 . 7 . He also had 9 receptions for 159 yards . Cincinnati Bengals . On March 21 , 2012 , Green - Ellis signed a 3 - year contract with the Cincinnati Bengals . On September 23 , 2012 , in a game against the Washington Redskins , Green - Ellis recorded his first career fumble , ending an impressive record of 589 touches without a fumble ( the most to start an NFL career ) . In the following game , a 27 - 10 win against the Jaguars , Green - Ellis fumbled two more times , raising questions about his confidence after ending his streak of ball security . However , he did not have another fumble through the rest of the regular season . Later in the season , Green - Ellis had three consecutive 100 yards games ( @ Chiefs , vs . Raiders , @ Chargers ) and eclipsed the 1000 yards rushing mark for the second time in his career .