Pats Run Game: Who Will Carry The Load?

PatsFans.com Article · May 6, 2013

Pats Run Game: Who Will Carry The Load?
By: Christine Roy

With the offseason trade of Danny Woodhead to the San Diego Chargers one question heading into the 2013 season will be, who will pick up the slack?...

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Blizzzard · May 6, 2013

That's great news! What did we get in the trade? And here I was thinking his contract expired and he simply signed somewhere else

TruthSeeker · May 6, 2013

And THAT'S why you don't let chicks get involved in sports writing/reporting. How can you publish an article like that ? How embarrassing.

BradyFTW! · May 6, 2013

scott99 said:
And THAT'S why you don't let chicks get involved in sports writing/reporting. How can you publish an article like that ? How embarrassing.

Their are plenty of women who do just fine as sportswriters. Dunno why you'd try to turn it into a gender issue.

As for the question that the article itself poses, Woodhead was basically there for pass-blocking- running routes out of the backfield, occasionally motioning into the slot to create mismatches, and running draw plays that ended up being surprisingly effective. Seems to me that the Pats let him go because Vereen can do all of those things, and does most of them better than Woodhead does (with more versatility, too). Assuming that he can stay healthy--and I don't see why not; once he got on the field last year he stayed on it just fine--I think that Vereen's going to be a really big part of this year's offense.

Chopblock CB · May 6, 2013

As we have seen over the last few years...BB gameplans differently for each opponent. Some games it will be Ridley...sometimes Vereen...but always it seems that we have a fresh RB for the 4th quarter....We will see come seasons end..if everyone remains health..it should be pretty balanced!!!
No doubt Woody will be missed in "Situational" instances...but you know as well as i do that His absence will be compensated for...just like so many other instances over the years

jmt57 · May 6, 2013

I think that the question about who will replicate Woodhead's duties is a legitimate one.

However, I also believe that the Pats front office must have had enough faith in Vereen based on what they saw in practices and on film that they felt comfortable in not re-signing Woodhead; it's not as if Woodhead signed for such a huge amount that the Pats could not have afforded him if they desired to do so.

While it is true that Vereen did not play much, I would not attribute it solely to him being a player that cannot be counted upon due to injuries. Woodhead was ahead of him last year in terms of understanding and executing his role, and two years ago Vereen was a raw rookie while the Pats still had BJGE getting the snaps. A guy not getting much playing time in his first, or even second year is not necessarily a reason to assume that he cannot ever be counted upon going forward.

tonyto3690 · May 6, 2013

Seems pretty obvious to me.

Ridley is the workhorse.
Vereen is the third down back
Bolden is the workhorse backup
Blount is the low risk high reward depth guy

AzorianPats · May 7, 2013

I think Ridley is the guy to carry the load. He's shown what he's capable of. There's some good depth behind him with Vereen, Golden, Blount and Washington, but Ridley the guy. My thing with Ridley besides the fumbles is if he can take over a game when Brady having an off day. That's something he hasn't done yet. He hasn't closed a game and that's important to this offense. Here's hoping he does cuz I'm a huge fan of his.

RobertWeathers · May 7, 2013

tonyto3690 said:
Seems pretty obvious to me.

Ridley is the workhorse.
Vereen is the third down back
Bolden is the workhorse backup
Blount is the low risk high reward depth guy

I see Vereen as much more than a 3rd down RB.

I would not surprise me in the least to see this team run the ball close to 600 times this year.

I have a theory that at the end of the season, Brady was tired. All those throws & plays. Older QB. If you look at his December, he was very average.

Ridley-300
Vereen-150
Bolden-150
Washinton-50
Blount-50

Chopblock CB · May 7, 2013

jmt57 said:
I think that the question about who will replicate Woodhead's duties is a legitimate one.

However, I also believe that the Pats front office must have had enough faith in Vereen based on what they saw in practices and on film that they felt comfortable in not re-signing Woodhead; it's not as if Woodhead signed for such a huge amount that the Pats could not have afforded him if they desired to do so.

While it is true that Vereen did not play much, I would not attribute it solely to him being a player that cannot be counted upon due to injuries. Woodhead was ahead of him last year in terms of understanding and executing his role, and two years ago Vereen was a raw rookie while the Pats still had BJGE getting the snaps. A guy not getting much playing time in his first, or even second year is not necessarily a reason to assume that he cannot ever be counted upon going forward.

Seems you pretty much answered your own question. We also, once upon a time, asked who was going to fill Kevin Faulk's shoes and We all said Woody. What we did see was Welker getting targeted alot more at times filling that 3rd down roll. In my mind. No one really did fill Faulk's shoes as far as a reliable "Mr. Clutch" 3rd down back. As I mentioned, BB will find a way to fill a gap in the game plan and we will see many changes this season. I'm looking forwards to see how it unfolds.

Nunchucks · May 7, 2013

I read that Ridley has come into the off-season program looking like a beast, muscles on muscles. Ridley will obviously be the guy this year, that is his goal.

Vereen will come in as the 3rd down back, change of pace and probably the no-huddle back.

RobertWeathers · May 7, 2013

AzorianPats said:
I think Ridley is the guy to carry the load. He's shown what he's capable of. There's some good depth behind him with Vereen, Golden, Blount and Washington, but Ridley the guy. My thing with Ridley besides the fumbles is if he can take over a game when Brady having an off day. That's something he hasn't done yet. He hasn't closed a game and that's important to this offense. Here's hoping he does cuz I'm a huge fan of his.

I'm a huge fan of Ridley as well. I do recall a couple of games in which he closed out (MIA on the road comes to mind). Last year he fumbled once every 74 touches. Not too bad but not great.

RobertWeathers · May 7, 2013

Nunchucks said:
I read that Ridley has come into the off-season program looking like a beast, muscles on muscles. Ridley will obviously be the guy this year, that is his goal.

Vereen will come in as the 3rd down back, change of pace and probably the no-huddle back.

I don't think we want Ridley too big. He seemed quicker in 2011 but obviously a better runner in 2012. I trust the training staff and Fears to ensure that Ridley plays at the right weight.

Folks seem to peg Vereen as a 3rd down/CoP back. I think he actually has the potential to be more than that.

Nunchucks · May 7, 2013

robertweathers said:
I don't think we want Ridley too big. He seemed quicker in 2011 but obviously a better runner in 2012. I trust the training staff and Fears to ensure that Ridley plays at the right weight.

Folks seem to peg Vereen as a 3rd down/CoP back. I think he actually has the potential to be more than that.

I agree that Vereen could be more than that and he could show us his skills this year. Vereen has unreal vision, balance, burst, and is very strong for his size. IMO Vereen would be an excellent everydown back. However, Ridley can be a bruiser with good burst and balance. They compliment eachother well.

RobertWeathers · May 7, 2013

Nunchucks said:
I agree that Vereen could be more than that and he could show us his skills this year. Vereen has unreal vision, balance, burst, and is very strong for his size. IMO Vereen would be an excellent everydown back. However, Ridley can be a bruiser with good burst and balance. They compliment eachother well.

Even though the Pats are loading up on the passing game and that GoAT is under center, for a few reasons I actually think they'll run the ball more in 2013.

People underestimate the Ballard signing. If hes healthy, he is an absolute monster and will help the running game.

Brady will be 36. Time to lighten his load a little so the team can maximize his career.

With all the new faces in the passing game, the team will want to limit Brady's exposure and scale back the playbook a hair for the kids and Amendola in the early going.

They have playmakers in the backfield and will want to use them.

Pats Run Game: Who Will Carry The Load?

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