FOXBORO -- The Patriots are diligent in their front-office planning. They have certain types of players that they're looking for, and they do as much as they can to acquire information on potential fits before bringing them aboard.

They signed running back Dion Lewis to a two-year extension this week after just three games with the team this season, but in a press conference on Friday Bill Belichick explained why that was plenty of time for him and his staff to know what they were getting into.

In particular, it's been Lewis' off-the-field work that made them comfortable making a commitment to the 5-foot-8, 195-pounder.

"I think off the field Dion's been great," Belichick said. "Had a really good offseason for us, works hard. He's a well-conditioned player. Trains hard. He's strong. I think he does a very good job of -- I mean, the volume we have on offense is extensive, and he's done a good job of learning, obviously, all the running back stuff, but extended plays, empty plays where he's playing out of the backfield, doing various things.

"He does a good job for us in the kicking game. We could use him as a kick returner. Danny [Amendola]'s done a good job for us there too, and we have some other options, but he's shown value in the kicking game. Shown value in all three downs on offense. He does a good job of learning. He's learned a lot of different spots, a lot of different adjustments, all the different blitz pickups and so forth in the passing game. He's picked things up well.

"He works hard. He's tough. He's there every day. He's very coachable. He really tries to do whatever you ask him to do, whatever it is, he just doesn't ask any questions. He just works hard to get it right. You love to coach guys like that."

Through the first month of the season, Lewis has been the Patriots top back. He's played 154 snaps at the position, while LeGarrette Blount checks in as the next most-frequently used back with 38 snaps tallied this year.

Lewis is averaging 4.9 yards per carry and 3.1 yards after contact per attempt, according to Pro Football Focus. He's also caught 15 passes for 179 yards thanks in part to the 7.5 yards he picks up, on average, after every catch.

The Patriots have have shifty backs in the past, and Lewis has drawn comparisons to Kevin Faulk and Danny Woodhead during his brief time in New England. But Belichick pointed out that Lewis is far from a one-trick, make-you-miss pony.

"He's got good short area quickness. Good change of direction. I think for his size, he's got good power," Belichick said. "He's never going to be a 240-pound power back, but for his size, he's got good power and explosiveness. You've seen him put his shoulder down and pick up a couple of extra yards or run through those leg tackles as well as his ability to make guys miss in space and change direction.

"He's got a number of ways he can get extra yards. His ability to catch the ball, his ability to run inside and outside gives you a lot of options with a guy like that in the game. He makes the most of what he's got. He's got a good skill set. Not the same as other guys, but he can make his work, and he's done it on a number of different levels. First down, second down, third down, running game, passing game, inside, outside, kick returns. He's got a lot to work with there."

And the Patriots are looking forward to working with him for at least the next few seasons.