Woodhead phase out?

[livinginthe past]

I have no idea what has fans scrabbling around after a dominant road win looking for negative storylines.

There are only so many balls to go around on offense, personally I was happy at the way we ran out of a more balanced formation without all these draw plays that give zero momentum to the runner or the offensive line.

Ridely ran like a demon why are you looking for Woodhead to get the ball?

Lloyd/Gronk/Ahern did a great job catching the ball - why are we obsessing over Welker?

Most normal, rational, fans would be happy we have successfully integrated new parts into one of the NFL best offenses instead of focusing on last years top performers.

 

[Deus Irae]

Woodhead is the 3rd down/change of pace back. One game doesn't change that, any more than this game means Brady's done having 300 yard passing games.

 

[IllegalContact]

woodhead is not very useful running the ball with the QB under center. he will be phased out in that regard as the pats get more comfortable with bolden.

as a 3rd down back, he has a season to generate some value for himself on the open market as I believe demps will beat him out for that spot next year.....demps almost did it this year even though he was not ready to play NFL football.

I like woodhead, but his limitations ware catching up to him here

 

[zeroakuma]

woodhead is not very useful running the ball with the QB under center. he will be phased out in that regard as the pats get more comfortable with bolden.

as a 3rd down back, he has a season to generate some value for himself on the open market as I believe demps will beat him out for that spot next year.....demps almost did it this year even though he was not ready to play NFL football.

I like woodhead, but his limitations ware catching up to him here

What does Bolden have over Woodhead? They both barely moved the chains, but Woodhead is also a good option when it comes down to passing plays.

 

[strngplyr]

woodhead is not very useful running the ball with the QB under center. he will be phased out in that regard as the pats get more comfortable with bolden.

as a 3rd down back, he has a season to generate some value for himself on the open market as I believe demps will beat him out for that spot next year.....demps almost did it this year even though he was not ready to play NFL football.

I like woodhead, but his limitations ware catching up to him here

You honestly believe that Demps was close to beating out Woodhead? Based on what, getting like 5 snaps in the 4th quarter of week 3? Like 10 snaps in week 4 before getting injured in a game that starters didn't play?

 

[ctpatsfan77]

woodhead is not very useful running the ball with the QB under center. he will be phased out in that regard as the pats get more comfortable with bolden.

as a 3rd down back, he has a season to generate some value for himself on the open market as I believe demps will beat him out for that spot next year.....demps almost did it this year even though he was not ready to play NFL football.

I like woodhead, but his limitations ware catching up to him here

What limitations does Woodhead have that Demps doesn't?

 

[part-timer]

This is realy not to hard to see that this is his last year on the Pats. With the return of Vereen as the no.2 back and the implementation of Demps as a change of pace back next year. Any improvement of Bolden, and the RB roster is set for next year. Woody was an excelent component to the RB stable the last two years and was much apreciated, but as with every possition on the Pats squad, they have upgraded and he has been pushed out of the line up by better tallent.

In fact if Vereen can come back healthy, and prove to be so before the trade deadline in week eight, I would not be supprised if BB takes what ever he could get in trade for Woodhead. After all isn't he in the last year of his contract also? But any way you look at it this will be his last year as a Pat.

 

[ATippett56]

woodhead is not very useful running the ball with the QB under center. he will be phased out in that regard as the pats get more comfortable with bolden.

as a 3rd down back, he has a season to generate some value for himself on the open market as I believe demps will beat him out for that spot next year.....demps almost did it this year even though he was not ready to play NFL football.

I like woodhead, but his limitations ware catching up to him here

Since Vereen can hardly get onto the football field, Woodhead will be the number two running back for the New England Patriots offense this season.

 

[Deus Irae]

..With the return of Vereen as the no.2 back...

When has Vereen ever been the RB2 in a regular season NFL game?

 

[ATippett56]

I have no idea what has fans scrabbling around after a dominant road win looking for negative storylines.

I would not call it necessarily a negative storyline but the "shiny new toy theory". The "kids" want to play with their "new toys" since they have become bored with the "old ones":

Vereen vs Woodhead

Salas vs Welker/Edelman

 

[part-timer]

Since Vereen can hardly get onto the football field, Woodhead will be the number two running back for the New England Patriots offense this season.

We consistently here the same crap from the cunningham haters,Vollmer haters,Chung haters,Dowling haters, and the list goes on and on yet they still continue to buck the pattern that the team obviously has better telent evaluators than you are. Odds are much greater that the talent of the second round pick Vereen will out shine the Jets cast off that the team has put in a situational roll to shine occasionaly. Woodhead was a stop gap fill in for an injured and ageing Faulk, and has been upgraded with a second round pick in Vereen, and now a RB with similar build but world class speed, in Demps. Do you actualy think that the current investment in both Vereen and Demps will be upstaged by the need to Keep Woodhead. Now there is loyalty, and there is stupidity, never let the two intertwine.

 

[PatsDeb]

We consistently here the same crap from the cunningham haters,Vollmer haters,Chung haters,Dowling haters, and the list goes on and on yet they still continue to buck the pattern that the team obviously has better telent evaluators than you are. Odds are much greater that the talent of the second round pick Vereen will out shine the Jets cast off that the team has put in a situational roll to shine occasionaly. Woodhead was a stop gap fill in for an injured and ageing Faulk, and has been upgraded with a second round pick in Vereen, and now a RB with similar build but world class speed, in Demps. Do you actualy think that the current investment in both Vereen and Demps will be upstaged by the need to Keep Woodhead. Now there is loyalty, and there is stupidity, never let the two intertwine.

Huh? Last I checked Demps won't be playing this season and Vereen hasn't yet shown he will either. Why is what he said so outrageous? I don't hate Vereen, but so far he hasn't shown much, and until he does, I don't think Woodhead is going anywhere.

 

[ivanvamp]

It's one game. To think Woodhead or Welker is on his way out doesn't take into account the Pats' penchant (esp. with McDaniels back calling plays) for featuring different people on different game days to keep opponents guessing (and guessing wrong, hopefully).

Besides, Woodhead remains important while Vereen remains delicate.

Bingo. The Patriots have so many weapons, that from game to game someone else will come up big. Welker wasn't targeted much today, but that's largely because Brady only threw 31 times and they ran it 35 times. Last year, the ratio per game was 38.3 passes vs. 27.3 runs per game.

If (a) Welker catches that first pass, which would have been good for about 20 yards, and (b) Brady throws his "normal" 38 times, there's a good chance Welker catches 1 or 2 more balls for between 10-30 yards. Then his stats, with those two things combined, look something like this:

6 rec, 59 yds

Not a very good game by Welker's usual lofty standards, but those stats would project out to this line over a full season: 96 rec, 944 yds

I mean, not too bad.

Woodhead, like Welker, will be involved in the offense. It's just a matter of them having SO many options. Other guys played really well, so they went that direction. It's a nice problem to have.

 

[Bill B.]

Woodhead had 6 carries in the game. I don't usually see him carry any more than that. He may have had only 20 yards, but he was also running when the Titans were expecting run. I don't understand why anyone would think he is being phased out.

 

[patsfan13]

What does Bolden have over Woodhead? They both barely moved the chains, but Woodhead is also a good option when it comes down to passing plays.

Bolden is backing up Ridley, he has nothing to do with Woodhead.

 

[BradyBranch39]

Particularly if he hasn't even had a chance to BE in a rut!!

yes, that's part of it.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

We consistently here the same crap from the cunningham haters,Vollmer haters,Chung haters,Dowling haters, and the list goes on and on yet they still continue to buck the pattern that the team obviously has better telent evaluators than you are. Odds are much greater that the talent of the second round pick Vereen will out shine the Jets cast off that the team has put in a situational roll to shine occasionaly. Woodhead was a stop gap fill in for an injured and ageing Faulk, and has been upgraded with a second round pick in Vereen, and now a RB with similar build but world class speed, in Demps. Do you actualy think that the current investment in both Vereen and Demps will be upstaged by the need to Keep Woodhead. Now there is loyalty, and there is stupidity, never let the two intertwine.

Ummm . . . the Pats signed Woodhead before Faulk was injured, and BB went out of his way to say that at the time they signed him, they felt he was the best player available not on an NFL roster, at any position.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

One other point: imagine what we'd be saying if the Pats had kept Gaffney and/or Branch, and one of them only had 1-2 catches. . . .

 

[ATippett56]

We consistently here the same crap from the cunningham haters,Vollmer haters,Chung haters,Dowling haters, and the list goes on and on yet they still continue to buck the pattern that the team obviously has better telent evaluators than you are. Odds are much greater that the talent of the second round pick Vereen will out shine the Jets cast off that the team has put in a situational roll to shine occasionaly. Woodhead was a stop gap fill in for an injured and ageing Faulk, and has been upgraded with a second round pick in Vereen, and now a RB with similar build but world class speed, in Demps. Do you actualy think that the current investment in both Vereen and Demps will be upstaged by the need to Keep Woodhead. Now there is loyalty, and there is stupidity, never let the two intertwine.

A player's position on the depth chart is earned. Until Vereen has proven to be a better player than Woodhead, Woodhead will be the number two back this season.

 

[part-timer]

Woodhead had 6 carries in the game. I don't usually see him carry any more than that. He may have had only 20 yards, but he was also running when the Titans were expecting run. I don't understand why anyone would think he is being phased out.

Woodhead hit the field when the game was in the books, only to avoid subjecting Ridley to any more chance of injury. With Vereen having greater size and speed, how many rep do you see Woodhead getting when Vereen returns? Also Bolden with greater size will make a better time killer, late game, when the defence is gased. You also have AH takeing reps from out of the back field.
Redundency has made his necesity obsolete. No knock on Woodhead, but his value is slowly depreciateing