Running Backs For 2015

Double TE said:

Sign Forsett and play him with Blount.

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We would be buying high on Forsett.

DaBruinz said:

Pats need to look at the D-Line (NT/DT) and O-line (G/T) as priorities in this draft. Anything else should be looked at later in the draft.

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I still think there are enough pieces in place to take a shot at a true luxury pick early. I do agree both trenches warrant consideration.

Vereen is not what I would call a special player, as much as I would say hes a very safe player.

1. He knows our offense incredibly well and never seems to make a mistake
2. Very strong in a blocking role, and a very willing blocker at that
3. knows when to pull the safety valve to the flat, or across the middle on 3rd down

What he isnt

1. great as a receiver down field. Far too many drops on contested wheel routes or down the seam
2. ability to breakaway with speed or jukes. Cannot turn a 3yrd catch in to 10.
3. cannot break more than a tackle. Goes down very easy both running and receiving in space

I look at those two short lists, and i think the reason we see so much of him is because Tom and Bill value the first 3 much more than the second 3. With that said, he is not the guy who I believe you can really count on to make a game changing play, or create something out of nothing.

If thats what you expect, then you wont be disappointed. If you want Shady McCoy or Jamaal Charles, better keep looking

Interesting set of widely varying opinions. I think this is going to be a ongoing topic here right up until the day they make the final cuts. Here are mine:

1. Blount seems like a good choice to base your run game on. He's the kind of guy BB likes for his offense. He can move the sticks, good on the GL, pass blocks well, and holds on to the ball. Those are the pluses. On the minus side, he hasn't been consistent for an entire season. He goes through stretches when he forgets he's a 250lb bruiser and thinks he's CJ Spiller. He more effective when he lowers his pad level And finally would he do what he did in Pittsburgh here if things weren't going his way?

2. Gray. I like his explosiveness and quick feet in the hole. He's very much like Ridley in that sense. On the down side, not much of a resume. Can he do it for an entire season. IMHO, he's a guy you want on the roster because who knows, he has shown flashes that he can blossom into something special. But he's also a guy you can't base your run game on. Definitely keep him, but as depth.

3. Boldin - Special teams ace, adequate #3 RB. He's perfect at what he does, and a must keep on the roster at back up/ST prices.

4. White - He;s the reason I'd bring back Vareen. I have no faith in this kid. I can't think of a single carry I've seen this kid make where he wasn't dropped by the initial hit, or one where he pushed the pile a single yard. At THIS point, I don't see a single redeeming feature to him. Unless there is a remarkable improvement, I can't see him on the roster. And you know, I'm not the type to make such draconian negative pronouncements

5. Gaffney - worth a shot. Runs too high for my tastes. He'd need to learn to lower his pad level a lot. He's not gong to break through arm tackles in the NFL that he was able to do so well in college. That being said, there have been some very successful NFL RB's who "ran too high". Could be a nice steal.

6. Ridley - I love Steven Ridley and really think he got a bad rap here on his fumbling (which wasn't much different that the average RB) He probably had more 20+ yd runs than any RB in the BB era. He was very good in SY and the GL, especially at his size. He ran hard, blocked well, moved the pile and .chains.

BUT that being said, if Gray continues to develop, he becomes redundant in his skill set. There is also Blount under contract, so getting snaps would be an issue....and THEN there's the ACL problem. I just don't see there being any "room at the inn" for him, unless he comes back at the vet minimum and simply beats out Blount or Gray And that's a scenario that isn't very plausible.

That injury was just horrible bad luck that such a good kid to get such a bad injury at JUST the wrong time. I'll always root for him, but it probably not going to be as a Patriot

7. Vareen - As it turns out, NOT as good as Danny Woodhead, but "at the time" seemed like the right thing to do. When you have to pick one of two, you keep the cheaper contract with the most upside. That being said, he is pretty good at what he does....just not great at it. Based on what I see on the current roster, I think we have to sign him.

8. FA's - There is one that peaks my interest and could be an alternative to Vareen (and god forbid White). It looks like CJ Spiller is going to hit the market, and AT THE RIGHT PRICE, I think he could be a more dynamic 3rd down RB alternative than Vareen. Just a thought for down the road.

I.M. Fletcher said:

Vereen is not what I would call a special player, as much as I would say hes a very safe player.

1. He knows our offense incredibly well and never seems to make a mistake
2. Very strong in a blocking role, and a very willing blocker at that
3. knows when to pull the safety valve to the flat, or across the middle on 3rd down

What he isnt

1. great as a receiver down field. Far too many drops on contested wheel routes or down the seam
2. ability to breakaway with speed or jukes. Cannot turn a 3yrd catch in to 10.
3. cannot break more than a tackle. Goes down very easy both running and receiving in space

I look at those two short lists, and i think the reason we see so much of him is because Tom and Bill value the first 3 much more than the second 3. With that said, he is not the guy who I believe you can really count on to make a game changing play, or create something out of nothing.

If thats what you expect, then you wont be disappointed. If you want Shady McCoy or Jamaal Charles, better keep looking

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Apparently folks would like to turn this team into a running team. Vereen fits in well with regard to what Belichick wants, as you pointed out.

When I say a special player, I mean a special player for us. Vereen picks up the blitz, can run and is a decent receiver, what Belichick wants in a3rd down back.

supafly said:

Bolden is a RFA in the spring. Knowing Belichick, I'm wondering if he'll see it necessary to need to sign him to a longer term pact?

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The situation is similar to the situation with Hooman.

How much is the RFA amount to keep him for a year? It is ins't peanuts. Bolden isn't an ERFA. Belichick might be able to lock in for three years rather than a one-year RFA deal. The average compensation might be less than the ERFA amount.

supafly said:

Ridley may be forced to take a "one year, prove it" deal due to tearing his ACL and likely not being able to even take part in mini-camps/OTAs.

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Why would Ridley want a one-year show-me contract from the patriots? It is by playing for someone else for one year that he can show that he is a worthy starter. If the patriots think that he is a starter, they will pay him a good incentive laden contract where he would be able to make starter's pay if he performed as he has performed.

That being said, I'd like to have Ridley back on a 3-year contract. A one-year contract wouldn't help the patriots much.

mgteich said:

Apparently folks would like to turn this team into a running team. Vereen fits in well with regard to what Belichick wants, as you pointed out.

When I say a special player, I mean a special player for us. Vereen picks up the blitz, can run and is a decent receiver, what Belichick wants in a3rd down back.

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We agree. I think Vereen is everything Kevin faulk was, with slightly worse hands and slightly more speed. That is a hard player to find, as long as he doesnt price himself off the team in free agency.

As long as he's not cost prohibitive, I could see the Pats keeping Blount and then bringing in all new guys to compete with him. Develin is fine @ FB.

I'd love to see Vereen back at a reasonable rate, especially if White starts to develop. Vereen could easily line up at wide out for us with White taking his role. You could put them both back there and motion Vereen out. Honestly if White was ready now I'd have Vereen take some snaps at wide out with our depth as bad as it is. Nobody outside of Edelman, LaFell, and Dola can really contribute.

Bobs My Uncle said:

As long as he's not cost prohibitive, I could see the Pats keeping Blount and then bringing in all new guys to compete with him. Develin is fine @ FB.

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Blount is on the books for $745k next year. $0 cap hit if cut.

Mike Iupati or draft a G in the first or 2th cause right now the way the OL is run blocking I don't who the RB is they wont get it done

mgteich said:

That being said, I'd like to have Ridley back on a 3-year contract. A one-year contract wouldn't help the patriots much.

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Why would you give a RB who is coming off a torn ACL and MCL a 3 year deal?

patsfan-1982 said:

Mike Iupati or draft a G in the first or 2th cause right now the way the OL is run blocking I don't who the RB is they wont get it done

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Yep. Getting road-graders at the G position first is how you improve the running game.

patfanken said:

It looks like CJ Spiller is going to hit the market, and AT THE RIGHT PRICE, I think he could be a more dynamic 3rd down RB alternative than Vareen. Just a thought for down the road.

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Id love CJ Spiller in a Pats uniform but hes under contract 2015.

I.M. Fletcher said:

Vereen is not what I would call a special player, as much as I would say hes a very safe player.

1. He knows our offense incredibly well and never seems to make a mistake
2. Very strong in a blocking role, and a very willing blocker at that
3. knows when to pull the safety valve to the flat, or across the middle on 3rd down

What he isnt

1. great as a receiver down field. Far too many drops on contested wheel routes or down the seam
2. ability to breakaway with speed or jukes. Cannot turn a 3yrd catch in to 10.
3. cannot break more than a tackle. Goes down very easy both running and receiving in space

I look at those two short lists, and i think the reason we see so much of him is because Tom and Bill value the first 3 much more than the second 3. With that said, he is not the guy who I believe you can really count on to make a game changing play, or create something out of nothing.

If thats what you expect, then you wont be disappointed. If you want Shady McCoy or Jamaal Charles, better keep looking

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Vereen is a better receiver down field than you give him credit for. Most of his routes down field have been along the sideline, not up the seam. And on many of the wheel routes, Brady hasn't put the ball in a place where Vereen can grab it and go.. Many times it's been behind him and he's had to reach back, which cuts down on momentum..

I've also seen Vereen turn plenty of 3 yard catches into 10..

If you were expecting Jamal Charles or Shady McCoy, then your expectations were whacked to begin with. In fact, I really don't know anyone on this board who was expecting that out of Vereen. Most people were expected a Kevin Faulk replacement.

robertweathers said:

Why would you give a RB who is coming off a torn ACL and MCL a 3 year deal?

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I would do that because the deal would be incentive-laden and have little risk to the patriots. The total cost would be similar to what we might pay free agent to be be one of the troika with Blount and Gray.
Also, that presumes that our medical staff (did I really say that?) thinks that he will be available by the start of the season. For me, Ridley is a worthy signing as one of our 5 running backs, if the price is right.

GRAY, BLOUNT, WHITE, RIDLEY, BOLDEN, DEVELIN works for me.

As I said, I don't think that this will happen. I think that Ridley will sign a one-year deal with another team after the draft.

robertweathers said:

Why would you give a RB who is coming off a torn ACL and MCL a 3 year deal?

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Meth.

I.M. Fletcher said:

1. great as a receiver down field. Far too many drops on contested wheel routes or down the seam
2. ability to breakaway with speed or jukes. Cannot turn a 3yrd catch in to 10.
3. cannot break more than a tackle. Goes down very easy both running and receiving in space

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#3 is a legitimate issue, the first two not so much. Vereen is actually pretty agile in the open field, and most of his "unbroken" tackles on short passes were unbreakable.

The dropped passes issue is bizarre and has little basis in reality as is the "down the seam" complaint since NE never uses him that way.

mgteich said:

I would do that because the deal would be incentive-laden and have little risk to the patriots. The total cost would be similar to what we might pay free agent to be be one of the troika with Blount and Gray.

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Perhaps but unless it includes guaranteed $, a 3 year deal makes no sense for Ridley to sign. Hes better off playing on a one year deal and res-establishing himself in an offense he knows and has had some success in.

mgteich said:

Also, that presumes that our medical staff (did I really say that?) thinks that he will be available by the start of the season. For me, Ridley is a worthy signing as one of our 5 running backs, if the price is right.

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Yes. Part of it has to do with the medical staff clearing him to play but the other part is how much confidence Ridley has that his knee will handle making cuts, getting hit low, etc

mgteich said:

GRAY, BLOUNT, WHITE, RIDLEY, BOLDEN, DEVELIN works for me.

As I said, I don't think that this will happen. I think that Ridley will sign a one-year deal with another team after the draft.

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Depends on what he sees in the market. I think it's a good chance that he comes back to NE. I don't think many teams are going to clamor for the svcs for a slightly above average RB who is coming off an ACL/MCL tear.