The Ascension of James White!!!

It's happened!!

This Thread is only intended to celebrate the Ascension of James White, Fellow Patriots Fanatics!!

And I pray that we can set aside out Differences about that other fellow...at least here!!

A few weeks ago, I expressed my Hope ~ not a Prediction, mind you, so I am not here to boast ~ that Mad Bill would see clear to dramatically expanding young White's Role in our Offense...

And, my God, has he ever.

White had 12 Catches through our first 11 Games for 95 Yards...

And has 21 Catches in our last 3 for 224 Yards!!

White has never amazed me with dazzling Talent...But he's always struck me as incredibly versatile in the ways that matter: It's not that he can Run, Block, and Catch, but that he can Run, Block, and Catch effectively.

He struck me as a smart, hard-working, and hard-nosed Player when I scouted'm a few Years ago, and as a classic Belichickian Do Your Job Guy ~ a guy who will reliably help you Move The Chains.

Again: No gloating, for I have nothing to gloat about: I made no Predictions.

I merely expressed my intense Hope that White would see a dramatically increased Opportunity, for I expected that, give such an Opportunity, he would excel. And I wasn't alone in so thinking!!

And in any case: I also expressed High Hopes for Christopher Harper, that day!!

Whatever our Differences about Shifty Shane Vereen, I hope ~ and indeed I'm quite confident ~ that we all celebrate The Ascension of James White, who has become a vital part of this Team!! Probst!!

Off The Grid said:

And has 21 Catches in our last 3 for 224 Yards!!

Click to expand...

* 22 for 294 yards


*stupid ref

I like White better than Vereen (usual disclaimer about Vereen's other worldly SB) but I still like Lewis the best. Wish they'd tried a White/Lewis backfield at times.

He has been penalized by the refs pretty badly.

White got hosed on the sideline catch last week (bad overturn on replay) and then this week a 70+ harder was nullified by a terrible penalty call. Long story short, White has been fantastic.

Vereen didn't show much before last season - and even then it was mainly the big SB (which is NOT a complaint, thank you Shane).

The 4th rounder White is doing well after not showing much. I was never expecting fabulous things from him and I'm glad to see him produce and contribute. Hopefully NE plays in the big game and White gets things going.

JMC00 said:

* 22 for 294 yards


*stupid ref

Click to expand...

He had that big catch on the sidelines taken away last week too.

Brady6 said:

l
I had that big catch on the sidelines taken away last week too.

Click to expand...

23 for 314

Brady6 said:

I had that big catch on the sidelines taken away last week too.

Click to expand...

Those ****ers. Sorry, man.

I heard that the same thing happened to White.

Even more impressive when we consider who hasn't stepped up when needed (**cough**Chandler**cough**)

AQPE said:

Even more impressive when we consider who hasn't stepped up when needed (**cough**Chandler**cough**)

Click to expand...

Yeah...Never expected much from that guy.

Not a bad Reserve, though.

IIRC..there were very good reviews of him from last yr's training camp. maybe someone can lookup old threads but its not completely surprising.Its just dion was another level and took over the job.

white isn't better than vereen. not yet at least..

He doesnt have to be better than vereen, he just has to provide a comparable. We won the superbowl with basically the same core offensive skill players, so if he can step in to that same role, we know we can be in every game against any opponent.

BelichickFan said:

I like White better than Vereen (usual disclaimer about Vereen's other worldly SB) but I still like Lewis the best. Wish they'd tried a White/Lewis backfield at times.

Click to expand...

That is a lofty claim. While I like what White appears to be shaping into Vereen was an established and proven productive third down back. BB and staff could definitely count on Vereen's consistency for the things they asked of him. That's a damn fine resource to have/rely on and one that White has definitely not reached yet. With that said I like what White appears to be shaping/growing into. If his blitz pickup is coming along I feel good about White being the third down back for the POs. Today it looked like White's comfort/confidence level has grown enough to let his abilities shine through more.

Regarding Lewis, he is the most potent third down back I have seen on the Patriots in a long time. With the Patriots ability to spread the field then get the ball into the hands of Lewis with some space around him, Lewis quickness in conjunction with his ability to make people miss in open spaces means he is likely to pile up the stats over the next couple of seasons (if he can stay healthy). Damn shame we lost him this year as his productivity would have made the Patriots' O most especially difficult to contain. If we don't get to the SB or we don't win the SB and it is the O side of the ball that doesn't get it done, the loss of Lewis will probably be the single biggest factor in that failure.

That other fellow...

I can't wait for Lewis and White to compete for the starting role.... again. Training camp is gonna be awesome!

Here's some more info on White's performance

James White has another big outing, looks a lot like ex-New England Patriots RB Shane Vereen

Over the past three games, White has 236 yards from scrimmage on 27 touches. That's 78.6 yards per game, about 10 less than Lewis' average. He has also been robbed of 90 additional yards via penalty or questionable overturned replay. Factor those in and White is averaging 11.2 yards per touch.

Cool thread yo but I'mma have to bump your Shane Vereen/Woodhead thread.

farn said:

Vereen didn't show much before last season - and even then it was mainly the big SB (which is NOT a complaint, thank you Shane).

The 4th rounder White is doing well after not showing much. I was never expecting fabulous things from him and I'm glad to see him produce and contribute. Hopefully NE plays in the big game and White gets things going.

Click to expand...

i think its funny considering how many armchair Gm's on this site wanted to cut white. Aparently sitting behind the #1 pass catching back is a terrible offense that only busts make.

I think there is room for Lewis and white to have large roles, even be on the field at the same time. Lewis, white, bolden and a mid round rookie between the tackles back would be great imo.