Patriots OTAs Can Give Early Glimpse of 3rd Down RB Competition
Replacing Shane's Vereen's Production a big task
With the Patriots beginning Phase III of OTAs on Tuesday, certain things are extremely hard to judge when the players wear no pads. The dirty work in the trenches is difficult to judge as is the running game as it is little more than a glorified walk-thru.
But the passing game out of the backfield to the running backs is something that can and should be watched closely, as it will again once the workouts begin in earnest in training camp and the pads come on. OTAs and mini-camps are mainly passing camps for the offenses and this is the time for the RBs to start finding a comfort level in the passing game.
The Patriots had a lot of turnover at the running back position at the end of their Super Bowl winning season in 2014 with Steven Ridley signing with the Jets and Shane Vereen heading to New York also inking a deal with the Giants.
Those were significant losses in production with those two players accounting for approximately 50 percent of the carries and more than 75 percent of the catches out of the backfield for the running backs.
Vereen in particular will be missed as he provided matchup problems for opposing defenses and was very effective at catching the ball out of the backfield. His numbers in the three playoff games were a very effective 18 catches for 144 yards. His eleven catches in the Super Bowl were instrumental in keeping the chains moving for the Patriots all game long but especially in the pivotal fourth quarter.
Current Roster: Right now the team enters the 2015 season with eight running backs. LaGarrette Blount, Brandon Bolden, Jonas Gray, Tyler Gaffney, Dion Lewis, Travaris Cadet, James White and fullback James Develin.
Blount and Gray will be in early competition for the reps as the “big back” power runner. Bolden is a proven veteran and with Blount suspended for the opener, he and Gray will immediately come to mind to take his carries against the Steelers.
In replacing the Vereen production, the team has second-year player White who was basically “red-shirted” for 2014, Dion Lewis who didn’t play last season due to injury and Cadet who was effective catching the passes out of the backfield for the Saints and Drew Brees.
The wildcard for each position is Gaffney; he’s big, 6’0, 220 and can be effective running between the tackles (330 carries for 1709 yards for Stanford in 2013), as well as catching the ball out of the backfield, nabbing 27 passes in his final two years.
He was hurt (knee injury), during training camp with the Panthers and they tried to stash him on IR via waivers where the Patriots snatched him up. We know the Patriots coaches were very high on Gaffney last season, especially Bill Belichick.
He worked hard at his rehab and is on the field this week which is a very good sign. He could potentially push both Blount and Gray for carries as well as be that 3rd down pass catching back in the Vereen mode. However, until the pads come on, I’d wait to anoint him as anything other than a factor in the mix.
Like every year during OTAs and mini-camp the Patriots players wear no numbers and it is difficult at times to tell exactly who is who out there on the field. So sometimes you may think you’re watching one player and may be watching another.
When the players are on the far field, they’re sometimes hard to distinguish, nothing like playing their cards close to the vest….
So with Vereen and Ridley gone, the Patriots have a lot of production to make up. But with the players they now have on the roster, there’s no reason to believe that it won’t happen. Over the past ten seasons, the Patriots have had six different backs lead the team in rushing. And with the running back by committee approach, that will probably change again this season.
The keys to replacing Vereen in the passing game is to find a rhythm and comfort level with Tom Brady and the ability to pass block as well as having good hands. The competition has already begun and now it’s up to the players to produce.
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