Vereen - stay or go?

deters said:

I don't put anything dumb past the Raiders.

I would guess he goes to Houston or Cleveland if he leaves in FA.

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The Raiders already paid Umpa Lumpa MJD almost 5mil to stand around the sidelines and watch their other running backs carry the ball. The certainly are dumb enough.

sambam94 said:

when a player is making under 3m, I can see him wanting to maximize his earnings. 2m vs 3m is a huge difference compared to say 10m to 12m. I like Vereen and think a very good 3rd down back is more important in this offense than the starter. I hope they can sign him. Sure, you can get away with a decent back against the average joes of the league, but up against the tough defenses, a back like Vereen is VERY important.

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Hope they keep him,if the price is right of course.Was a clutch player in the big game...

Would luv to have Vareen back. He proved his value bein clutch in SB drives and role as 3rd down specialist goes without sayin'. Brady obviously has trust in him and watchin him in SB on those drives reminded me so much of Faulk in SB36 BUT, with that said/typed, If BB decides to let Vareen walk to another team BB should address that area. When Welker left for Denver BB signed Amendola, ok it didn't pan out I guess what it was supposed to be. No one thought Edelman would fill that role better than both of them and as for DA he paid dividends when it counted, in playoffs.

I think people are placing way too much importance on Faulk-like backs. Sure they are nice to have, but the main RB situation is more of a concern with Ridley coming off ACL injury not to mention his ineptitude with ball security. I hope the Pats focus on POWER running in this draft and not focus so much on Faulk like backs and WRs which are usually a failure here. Blount was horrible in the SB and against non-Colts teams---we haven't seen a workhorse back in NE in years and I think it's time. Before the Super Bowl, Vereen was a nice complementary player, but we are overvaluing him based on his 12 catch performance.

I'd rather overpay Gostkowski over Vereen

Since WRs are so hard to develop here, why not go for the sure thing and bolster the power run game in the draft. Hopefully the Patriots offense adapts a slightly different approach and limit Brady's passing attempts to 30s instead of 40s every game to minimize injury exposure. I am one of those few that wished the Pats went after McFadden in the draft. Do we really need to beat the Jets 500-0 in September with Brady throwing for 1000 yds? Sure I'd love to watch that every day but beating the Jets 21-0 is just as good---BB needs to be like Greg Popavich of the Spurs and and monitor Brady a bit more---and limit Brady's exposure to pointless hits. I really liked the way Denver built their offense in 1997 and 1998 and how Terrell Davis was the focal point and Elway took a bit of a backseat to not expose his body to injury and keep his arm fresh in the postseason against the elite teams.

I was very disappointed in seeing the RB's at the combine ... overall very slow! Vereen would have been the #3 RB in this years draft class. The two top players Gurley and Gordon might get selected in the 1st round. The only two I think the Patriots would be interested in and Jeremy Langford Mich St and David Johnson N. Iowa.

Mark Morse said:

I was very disappointed in seeing the RB's at the combine ... overall very slow! Vereen would have been the #3 RB in this years draft class. The two top players Gurley and Gordon might get selected in the 1st round. The only two I think the Patriots would be interested in and Jeremy Langford Mich St and David Johnson N. Iowa.

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Langford may be a nice selection in the middle rounds, although he opened up some eyes with a fast 40 yd dash time today.

He is the 13th rated RB on the walterfootball.com board, so he would be a fine selection in the 4th round or so.

TheFlyingWedge said:

The Raiders already paid Umpa Lumpa MJD almost 5mil to stand around the sidelines and watch their other running backs carry the ball. The certainly are dumb enough.

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I was actually just thinking about them and MJD... in the "why haven't they cut him yet?" way.

Del Rio and MJD are very close if he can still play chances are he restructures and stays for a friendlier deal.

Tyler Gaffney's combine numbers from last year would have been #3 in this years class! Holy Crap

Reggie Bush just got released. Scheduled to make $3.25 million in 2015. Too much for the Lions.

I think bush would be a good alternative to vereen for the pats. If he can stay healthy of course

chasa said:

I think bush would be a good alternative to vereen for the pats. If he can stay healthy of course

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I don't see the Pats as being terribly interested in a 30 year old RB, but I think Reggie Bush's release helps shed light on what Vereen might realistically expect and his asking price of $5 million a year.

hwc said:

I don't see the Pats as being terribly interested in a 30 year old RB, but I think Reggie Bush's release helps shed light on what Vereen might realistically expect and his asking price of $5 million a year.

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I agree that any kind of "5 million dollar" projections seem insanely high, much like last year's rumored 7-8 that Edelman would likely be pulling in. Personally, I see Vereen anywhere between 2.75--3.75 myself.

That said, I think the fact that DET has the position well covered with RBs who can both run and catch certainly helped to make their decision much more realistic.

I'm so confused...what should Vereen do????????????? Let me listen to a little music and see if I can find a solution to this vexing conundrum...

Mark Morse said:

Tyler Gaffney's combine numbers from last year would have been #3 in this years class! Holy Crap

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Combine numbers mean sweet **** all when considering playing ability. They are a small component that addresses a player's athleticism. It is entirely possible to play with quickness and faster than your opponent if the space between the ears works.

Tom Brady would never play in the NFL if it were left to combine numbers.

hwc said:

I don't see the Pats as being terribly interested in a 30 year old RB, but I think Reggie Bush's release helps shed light on what Vereen might realistically expect and his asking price of $5 million a year.

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And this is because the patriots never hire 30 year old running backs?

mgteich said:

And this is because the patriots never hire 30 year old running backs?

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No. They wouldn't rule it out, of course, if the 30 year old running back is willing to sign for somewhere within shouting distance of vet minimum.

The Pats already have their cheap vet in Blount. I see them stoking the pipeline with another rookie on a 4 year rookie contract. Seems to me that filling certain positions with rookie contracts is one way that the Pats manage their salary cap structure. Belichick seems to see certain positions as just not having a lot of delta between cheap guys and expensive guys.

If they wanted to spend $3 million on a third down RB, they'd probably just resign Vereen rather than a one-year rental on Reggie Bush.

I just don't think RB is high on Belichick's priority list.

Theo Riddick replaced Bush, while Bush was hurt, and showed a lot. He might be the best RB on the roster with Bell's inability to break tackles. I don't think Bush was cut just because of his cost, but because they have cheaper, possibly better alternative on the roster.

Mark Morse said:

I was very disappointed in seeing the RB's at the combine ... overall very slow! Vereen would have been the #3 RB in this years draft class. The two top players Gurley and Gordon might get selected in the 1st round. The only two I think the Patriots would be interested in and Jeremy Langford Mich St and David Johnson N. Iowa.

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Ameeer Abdulah is going to make a very good third down back.

I hope they keep Vereen, he knows the offense and has been consistent.

Looks like someone wants to stay.

Shane Vereen ✔ @ShaneVereen34
Haha not true but who wouldn't be?!?! RT @_D_Flo: “@jeffphowe: Source: @ShaneVereen34 hopeful for $5 ... http://tmi.me/1eZYEy