INJURY UPDATE: Blount is done for the year. Will go to IR

[RIpats88]

But that guy would've been Brandon Bolden or James White, I don't think you can apply that logic to guys signed off the street, necessarily. Maybe you can apply it to Trey Williams who has been here like two weeks, dunno.

I have a feeling they may feel ball can be that guy. But they will probably have him on the practice squad for a week or two to get acclimated

 

[Deus Irae]

I hate to be that guy...but running backs can be found from anywhere.

Unless you are a top elite back, losing a running back should not cripple your team

Seahawks lost lynch and kept chugging along, chiefs lost jamal charles..one of the best backs...and kept chugging along with some guy charcandrick west.

So watch ball or someone we haven't heard of replace blount and pretty much give us what he has

Every position can be found from anywhere. That doesn't change the fact that, if Blount's gone, the Patriots best current running back is Bolden.

If running backs were as easy to find as people here seem to think, Trent Richardson wouldn't still be getting looks.

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

Similar to the Jones hip issue that he had last year i guess

 

[RIpats88]

Every position can be found from anywhere. That doesn't change the fact that, if Blount's gone, the Patriots best current running back is Bolden.

Running back is one position though where you can see guys come from nowhere and put up numbers running the ball. Or be as successful. Steelers, seahawks, chiefs are all playing woth backup rbs doing just finr

You lose a top wr you rarely see teams plug and play guys like you do running back.

Bolden and some combination of ball and whomever else should be good enough. Blount was worthless in the playoffs against strong dlines last year

 

[PatsFanSince74]

This is bad, but as of right now we are projected to have the following players for the playoffs:

Tom Brady
Rob Gronkowski
Julian Edelman
Dont'a Hightower
Jamie Collins
Chandler Jones
Malcolm Butler
Devin McCourty
Stephen Gostkowski

I would say those nine are in a class of the most irreplaceable players with devastating drop offs if we lost them, with Dion Lewis and Nate Solder being close but not quite there. They would be in the next level with guys like Vollmer, Ninkovich, Sheard, Chung, Stork, Amendola, Slater, and Ryan.

As much as these injuries suck, if you told me before the season we would have all of our absolute top tier players for the postseason and many from that next group, I'd probably take it. And to put things in perspective, I'd rather have Gronkowski than Develin, Dobson, Flowers, Gibson, Blount, Easley, Solder, and yes, even Lewis combined.

Ok. You are definitely a finalist for the "Glass is Half Full" Post of the Year!

 

[Ross12]

God, I miss Dion Lewis.

 

[Deus Irae]

Running back is one position though where you can see guys come from nowhere and put up numbers running the ball. Or be as successful. Steelers, seahawks, chiefs are all playing woth backup rbs doing just finr

1. The Steelers have a guy who's been a quality runner for almost 10 years.
2. The Chiefs have a second year guy who's averaging under 4 ypa, because their original backup was averaging 2.5 ypa.
3. Seattle had a rookie who's now out for the season, but both Harris and Jackson are under 4.0 this year.

So... No, not so much.

You lose a top wr you rarely see teams plug and play guys like you do running back.

The same things happen at both positions. Nobody can replace the guys who are either 'elite' or 'integral', at either position. The other guys are just about equally fungible.

Bolden and some combination of ball and whomever else should be good enough. Blount was worthless in the playoffs against strong dlines last year

And that's just a very silly take.

 

[Mark.]

God, I miss Dion Lewis.

Any way we could get San Diego to cut Danny Woodhead. They won't be needing him in the postseason.

 

[Ross12]

Any way we could get San Diego to cut Danny Woodhead. They won't be needing him in the postseason.

Maybe we can work out a lease agreement... 3 game term, beginning in the AFC Divisional Round...

 

[Froob]

He was averaging more than a yard per run better than Both Bolden and White, despite playing behind a lousy OL that hampers a big back more than scat backs, and he is clearly the only hammer this team had in the running game.

Yeah he's definitely good just saying it's not like losing a big piece like a McCourty.

 

[VectorPrime]

So I guess he's not on IR yet.

 

[Deus Irae]

So I guess he's not on IR yet.

According to La Canfora, from about an hour ago:

Pats still gathering info on LeGarrette Blount. It may still be possible he could be back at some point in playoffs. Timetable still unclear

 

[venecol]

I may be in the minority here, but I don't see this as a huge loss. He hasn't been very good this year.

I disagree, he scored 7 TDs. He's had to work with 69 different OL combinations, hardly a recipe for consistent running schemes. It is what it is, but as it gets colder we will miss his late season production.

 

[Concussion Protocol]

I don't like Blount, so this wouldn't be too upsetting for me if friggin Dion didn't get hurt. This current RB duo that's left is pretty bad. Honestly though, after watching Gronk lying there in agony with his fake season-ending injury, I can't be too upset. There's still enough left for a SB push. Really need to be smart in blowouts/week 17 down the stretch here. Minor injuries can be season-Enders at this point.

 

[RobertWeathers]

According to La Canfora, from about an hour ago:

Hold on folks...

 

[Deus Irae]

Yeah he's definitely good just saying it's not like losing a big piece like a McCourty.

It's a replacement issue for me. Can the Patriots get by without Blount against the Tits, if they can't find some reasonable approximation? That should be a definite yes. Against better teams (The better teams where their don't want to have a game plan calling for Brady to throw the ball 50 times, not the better teams where they're all in on that strategy), though? That's where it at least has the potential to hurt.

 

[JJDChE]

I guess people are way more down on Bolden than I am. I actually think he's a serviceable runner and receiver out of the backfield. I think he can make some things happen back there. My bet is that Bolden is the starter from here on out and Ball is there to spell him.

 

[voluntarysaftey]

Maybe it is time to bring back Jonas Gray -- maybe he learned to work hard by being cut twice in a season and is ready to go. Worst case is he ends up as the #3 running back behind Bolden and White.

 

[Mark.]

Really need to be smart in blowouts/week 17 down the stretch here. Minor injuries can be season-Enders at this point.

That is my concern too. With all the injuries, we are getting players back at the right time. Don't want to reinjure Edelman or Gronk again in week 16 or 17.

 

[BelichickFan]

Maybe it is time to bring back Jonas Gray -- maybe he learned to work hard by being cut twice in a season and is ready to go. Worst case is he ends up as the #3 running back behind Bolden and White.

He went to Jax today. No longer available.