Patriots Running Game A Key For Late Season Success

Steve Balestrieri

Nov 10, 2014 at 8:33am ET

Shane Vereen has been the workhorse for the Patriots since Stevan Ridley was lost for the season. (USA TODAY Images)

With the bye week now in the books, the New England Patriots get back to work this week as they prepare to face the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday Night Football on the road. The Patriots under Bill Belichick always take the time during the bye to do a little self-scouting as well as prep for their upcoming opponent.

The Patriots have been averaging 40 points per game the past five games as Tom Brady and the passing game has flourished. While it is hard to point a finger at the offense during the current five-game winning streak, one area that the team can definitely improve upon is the running game.

With the slate of opponents getting much tougher down the stretch, the Patriots will need the running game to get more productive. Currently the Patriots have rushed the ball 250 times for 911 yards but for only three touchdowns on the season. Their rushing yardage is good for only 19^th in the league, while their TDs have them at 28^th in the NFL.

Last year the 19 rushing touchdowns were the second most in the league, this is an area where the team really misses Stevan Ridley. Ridley was lost for the season in the win over the Bills and was the team’s major workhorse carrying the ball, providing a tough, physical, down-hill style of running.

The key to running effectively is to do when the opponent knows you’re going to run, finishing out games as well as in and around the goal line. This was an area where Ridley was most effective.

The running game is also vital to the play action passing that Brady excels at. The team has to at least attempt to remain balanced with the run/pass ratio for the passing game to freeze the safeties and linebackers long enough for Brady to find some separation for the New England receivers to get open. Last week against Denver, the Patriots could only muster 63 yards on the ground, but the 25 attempts were enough to still make play action work, where Brady was very effective at neutralizing the pass rush of the Broncos.

Offensive Line Play Key: Part of the struggle of the running game can be directly tied to the struggles of the Patriots offensive line. Thru the first four games the team mixed and matched with a myriad of different combinations. And they struggled… Brady was sacked 10 times in the first four games and was under siege countless times.

But now the team has settled on a starting unit of Nate Solder, Dan Connolly, Bryan Stork, Ryan Wendell and Sebastian Vollmer, things have solidified, especially in the pass protection. The team has only allowed 5 sacks during the current five game winning streak and has allowed Brady to stand in the pocket and find his 2^nd and 3^rd receivers.

Now they need to take the next step and develop some more push in the running game. The communication along the line has improved and with three centers in the interior (Connolly, Stork and Wendell), the blocking assignments in the running game should improve as well.

: Jonas Gray, promoted from the practice squad has the size and physicality the team needs between the tackles moving forward. (SBalestrieri photo)

Vereen/Gray Key Cogs: The team promoted RB Jonas Gray from the practice squad and he has had some success in the three games thus far rushing for 131 yards on 32 attempts, good for a 4.1 yard average. Gray is a proto-typical power runner in the Ridley mold, at 5’10, 230 and while he won’t make people miss, has the ability to break tackles and get the tough yards between the tackles.But the onus thus far has been thrust on Shane Vereen, the Patriots Swiss Army knife of the offense. Vereen is best served as a third down back, he can run effectively as well as pass block, but is most productive out of the backfield as a receiver. Many times the team will split him out wide trying for mismatches on linebackers, but as a between the tackles runner or in short-yardage? Vereen isn’t the best solution.

Brandon Bolden has been relegated to strictly special team duties at this point and rookie James White is more out of the Vereen mold, being built similarly (5’10, 205) and best suited to the 3^rd down mold as a receiver. White has been active for only two games and has just nine carries on the season, as this is kind of a red-shirt type rookie season for him.

The best solution for the team in the final seven games is to get Gray more and more work in the running game, and trust him enough to get him some touches in the red-zone especially in goal line situations. With James Develin as the fullback lead blocker, it will allow them to punch thru opponents in short yardage and give the team that boost they’ll need in the upcoming games.

With a dearth of experience behind Vereen, the Patriots need to keep him healthy and fresh for a playoff run. The best way to do that is to get Gray more involved in the power running game. Giving the Patriots an ability to pound the ball between the tackles, will not only give them a much better short-yardage option, but will really help when they get down close to the goal line in the red zone.

With the weather rapidly becoming an issue at this time of year in the Northeast and the level of competition for their opponents rising, a good running game is a must for the team to have success once January rolls around.

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