RB Situation

[captain stone]

isnt james white suppose to be like vereen?

Yes, except that Vereen doesn't suck.

 

[captain stone]

People (mostly white people living in suburbia) hate on Bojangles but their chicken baskets are actually very tasty.

When I lived in Galveston TX from '95 - '02 I thought that Church's Fried Chicken was pretty good.

 

[SalemPats]

I love the Gray/Blount 1-2 punch with Gray ending up being more of the lead back. White is not Vereen, but he has more speed. I'd rather have Vereen, but what can you do

 

[captain stone]

White played probably his best game as a pro last night, but there's no way that he has more speed
than Vereen.

 

[IllegalContact]

Like Vereen?

Vereen was a star, and an important piece of our offense.

White is a second year player that has shown absolutely nothing so far.

Yes, the same position. Yes, when White was drafted, it was hoped that he could step in when Vereen left.

vereen was not a star...he showed some flashes but was not very consistent...he had a nice run in the playoffs, and it earned him some decent cash....good for him


white showed applicable ability last night catching the ball out of the backfield and picking up some blitzes....if he keep doing what he did last night, he will be a decent contributor

 

[IllegalContact]

White played probably his best game as a pro last night, but there's no way that he has more speed
than Vereen.

he is more elusive, however.....he showed some nice COD last night

 

[TommyD4207]

I think that you are undervaluing Bolden. Do not be surprised if Bolden proves to be the Edelman version of a RB. He has contributed on ST and as a reserve for years but with Ridley and Vereen he never had the reps. I predict that Bolden will have 1200 total yards this season and play the most snaps of any RB.

Brandon Bolden is a below-average RB who excels at ST.

He's a lot more Matt Slater than NFL-Starting-Caliber.

 

[Patriot Missile]

Not going to stir up a Gray debate but it just seems the last two times we've seen him he looks fantastic.

White did have his best game as a pass catcher but he has shown little ability to move the rock. That is concerning because even though he will be on the field in obvious passing downs you would think he should have the ability to gain yardage if Brady checks down into a run via Woodhead,Faulk etc. Will be watching him further for better results in that regard.

 

[RobertWeathers]

White played probably his best game as a pro last night, but there's no way that he has more speed
than Vereen.

White seems bigger than Vereen. Doesn't mean hes better.

With that said, Vereen was not a game-breaker either.

 

[TommyD4207]

Not going to stir up a Gray debate but it just seems the last two times we've seen him he looks fantastic.

White did have his best game as a pass catcher but he has shown little ability to move the rock. That is concerning because even though he will be on the field in obvious passing downs you would think he should have the ability to gain yardage if Brady checks down into a run via Woodhead,Faulk etc. Will be watching him further for better results in that regard.

Gray's ball security makes Ridley look like BJGE. Watch how he carries the ball. That's why he doesn't start.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Not going to stir up a Gray debate but it just seems the last two times we've seen him he looks fantastic.

White did have his best game as a pass catcher but he has shown little ability to move the rock. That is concerning because even though he will be on the field in obvious passing downs you would think he should have the ability to gain yardage if Brady checks down into a run via Woodhead,Faulk etc. Will be watching him further for better results in that regard.

According to Reiss' article, Gray lost 5 lbs this offseason and the coaching staff asked him to focus on being more elusive. Not sure if that helped on the 55yd run but to me, he had some giddy-up on that run. I thought for sure he was going to get caught and he wasn't.

 

[Armchair Quarterback]

A wide receiver cannot replace a pass-catching RB. They are different positions. It is NOT just a matter of counting receptions. Are we really going to go to 4 WR sets with an open backfield because we don't have a solid #3 RB who is a good receiver? Of course not. Someone will be the 3rd down back, and be expected to catch passes out of the backfield. Bolden did it (not really well) when Vereen was injured.

And yes, I understand message board poster protocols. When Vereen was here, he was a star. After we decided not to pay for his return, he was a JAG. it has been that way with regard to many, many patriot players.

He was never a star, but he was very overrated by many on this board. I never understood what all the hype as about. He was a poor runner, a good not great pass catcher and developed into an OK blocker. He was also very injury prone.

 

[Concussion Protocol]

Gray's ball security makes Ridley look like BJGE. Watch how he carries the ball. That's why he doesn't start.

He had 89 attempts with no fumbles last year. Blount has fumbled once every 54 carries in his career. I see no evidence of a ball security issue with Jonas Gray.

 

[TommyD4207]

He had 89 attempts with no fumbles last year. Blount has fumbled once every 54 carries in his career. I see no evidence of a ball security issue with Jonas Gray.

Then why doesn't he start? Seriously, watch him run. It's scary.

 

[Concussion Protocol]

Then why doesn't he start? Seriously, watch him run. It's scary.

I've never noticed anything abnormal in the way he holds the rock. Frankly, I thought Ridley's form was OK too. The only Pats player in recent years that made me cringe with the way he handled the rock was Hernandez, and yet he rarely fumbled.

As for why Gray doesn't start, could be that Belichick is uncomfortable with his pass protection, could be his attitude in practice, could be that "tweet" where he lashed out. Perhaps BB just likes Blount better, I know most in this forum do.

I'm on Team Jonas, have been for a while. I hope he gets a legit chance to be the primary RB here.

 

[TommyD4207]

I've never noticed anything abnormal in the way he holds the rock. Frankly, I thought Ridley's form was OK too. The only Pats player in recent years that made me cringe with the way he handled the rock was Hernandez, and yet he rarely fumbled.

As for why Gray doesn't start, could be that Belichick is uncomfortable with his pass protection, could be his attitude in practice, could be that "tweet" where he lashed out. Perhaps BB just likes Blount better, I know most in this forum do.

I'm on Team Jonas, have been for a while. I hope he gets a legit chance to be the primary RB here.

Blount is missing Game 1 of the regular season due to a suspension, and couldn't pass the initial conditioning test. And he STILL starts over Jonas Gray? I'd think that would be pretty telling, because I don't think Blount is any great shakes either.

None of these guys are Eric ****erson.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Blount is missing Game 1 of the regular season due to a suspension, and couldn't pass the initial conditioning test. And he STILL starts over Jonas Gray? I'd think that would be pretty telling, because I don't think Blount is any great shakes either.

None of these guys are Eric ****erson.

****erson fumbled. He wouldn't play here anyways.

 

[Patriot Missile]

Gray's ball security makes Ridley look like BJGE. Watch how he carries the ball. That's why he doesn't start.

Haven't seen him put the ball on the ground. Maybe he has in practice but I wouldn't know about that.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Then why doesn't he start? Seriously, watch him run. It's scary.

So you main concern is his technique and fundamentals on ball security?

Are there other concerns?

 

[TommyD4207]

So you main concern is his technique and fundamentals on ball security?

Are there other concerns?

Blocking, lack of speed, but that's more of a minor concern. Ability to catch, but again, in this offense, a minor concern.

There's really no reason, sheer talent-wise, Gray shouldn't be starting over Blount. Speed's ok, decent between the tackles, decent vision. And it's not like Blount is a superior pass-blocker or anything, or out of the backfield (although he's got pretty ok hands).

Also, he's got waaaaaaay less tread on the tires than Blount does.

So my question is, "why doesn't he start". And that, combined with the fact that this team overreacts when it comes to ball security in the past - the only explanation is they're afraid he's going to fumble.

Blount can return kickoffs too, but that's more of a "why you stay on the roster" than "why you start".