FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- "We're on to Cincinnati."

"We're on to Cincinnati."

"We're on to Cincinnati."

Jeremy Hill remembers the nightmare of being on the wrong side of a focused Patriots team. He's hoping to be on the right side of that equation this season. J. Lee/Getty Images

It was an unforgettable news conference from Bill Belichick after the fourth week of the 2014 season, days after the New England Patriots were throttled 41-14 by the Kansas City Chiefs on "Monday Night Football" to fall to 2-2. At the time, many were asking if the Patriots' run of success was officially coming to an end.

Running back Jeremy Hill remembers it well, because he was on Cincinnati that year -- a rookie out of LSU set to play in his fifth career NFL game.

"We got to be blessed with the 'On to Cincinnati' game and that didn’t end well for us," Hill said Tuesday after taking part in the Patriots' offseason program, "so it’ll be good to be on the other side of that."

Hill, who signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Patriots in March after spending the first four years of his career in Cincinnati, referred to that game as reflective of what stands out to him about his new team. The Patriots rolled over the Bengals, 43-17, and it was one of the great Gillette Stadium atmospheres of the Bill Belichick era, a Sunday night and the place was rocking.

Hill had two carries for one yard, and three catches for 68 yards, in the blowout. He said that night showed him how the Patriots are "probably the most well-prepared team I've ever played [against], just defensively, offensively, low turnovers, low penalties; it’s just really tough to beat teams like that."

The Patriots, of course, went on to win the Super Bowl that year.

As for this year, and Hill, it's a crowded running-back spot. First-round pick Sony Michel, Rex Burkhead and James White are roster locks, which probably leaves Hill, Mike Gillislee, Brandon Bolden and undrafted free agent Ralph Webb (Vanderbilt) competing for one or two spots.

Hill, who entered the league as a second-round draft choice but got knocked off course the last two seasons due to injuries, welcomes the competition. He hopes to be part of games like "On to Cincinnati," only this time as a member of the Patriots.

"It started bad and it ended even worse. It was not good," he recalled. "Those guys came out fired up, locked in, very well prepared and ready to go. Like I said, it’s going to be good to be on the other side."