Shane Vereen

[EJ Blitz]

Why is he not playing? why did they use a 2nd round pick on him if they didn't plan on using him? Is this an injury thing or is it just because we have a legion of RBs, which was evident before he became a Patriot. That pick could have been used to cater towards the defense they intended to change.

 

[FalconHeavy]

Why is he not playing? why did they use a 2nd round pick on him if they didn't plan on using him? Is this an injury thing or is it just because we have a legion of RBs, which was evident before he became a Patriot. That pick could have been used to cater towards the defense they intended to change.

may be he is in our coaches "legendary dog house". ok I just made this up completely, but who can say I'm right or wrong

 

[Shelterdog]

Why is he not playing? why did they use a 2nd round pick on him if they didn't plan on using him? Is this an injury thing or is it just because we have a legion of RBs, which was evident before he became a Patriot. That pick could have been used to cater towards the defense they intended to change.

When we drafted Vereen we had one healthy running back under contract, Woodhead. (Faulk was hurt, BJGE was a free agent and since there was no CBA we couldn't be sure we'd be able to get him back.)

I do agree that drafting two backs if you're actually legitimately planning to bring Faulk back is excessive.

 

[Rob0729]

Vereen missed most of the preseason because of injury. He is probably still learning the playbook since he didn't have the benefit of an offseason to learn it. With so many RBs on the roster and most of them producing, they are probably not rushing him to play.

 

[FalconHeavy]

Vereen missed most of the preseason because of injury. He is probably still learning the playbook since he didn't have the benefit of an offseason to learn it. With so many RBs on the roster and most of them producing, they are probably not rushing him to play.

Is this not true for Ridley too ? may be they are not rushing him from his injury

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

I still don't understand why they can't at least try him out at KR. The guys we have back there now can't even sniff the 25 yard line

 

[SyN65]

Because the legendary Faulk is back and it's hard to get on the field when you carry 5 RBs.

I'm sure he'll be useful once we get him 3 carries a game in his debut 2 yrs from now though!

 

[EJ Blitz]

Because the legendary Faulk is back and it's hard to get on the field when you carry 5 RBs.

I'm sure he'll be useful once we get him 3 carries a game in his debut 2 yrs from now though!

and he may be cut 2 years from now 'just because'. If you spend a 2nd round pick on guy, you'd think he'd get to touch the ball once in the season, even if it's in returns as stated above.

Edelman is busy fondling sexy women, maybe Vereen has an opening on special teams.

 

[DarrylS]

Depth is a good thing.. not every RB makes it through the season.

This could be BJGE and Faulks last season..

 

[mgteich]

A) We had two starters in Green-Ellis and Woodhead, and a 3rd round back in Faulk. Some would say we had 2 running backs in Green-Ellis and Faulk/Woodhead.
We also had Morris and Taylor whose contracts were up and needed to be replaced.

B) We needed backup backs for 2011, and backs for the future.

C) Belichick spent two high draft picks for the future.

D) I did not expect the two to be major factors in 2011. There was a short off-season. Vareen was injured. Ridley had indeed been productive. That's great. I wouldn't feel better if it had
been Vareen instead of Ridley.

E) Only 3 running backs are used in a game plan. If a 4th is active, he is expected to play special teams.

F) One unknown is the effect of injuries on our running backs.

G) The bottom line is that our running game was fine last year. The issue is that we need to run more more. The issue is NOT that Green-Ellis and Woodhead are not capable running backs and that we must get our rookies on the field.

 

[BlueThunder]

I would say it's Faulk's last year. If BB is smart he'll concentrate on defense next off season....

 

[Bronx Jet]

Trade down for value

 

[TruthSeeker]

and he may be cut 2 years from now 'just because'. If you spend a 2nd round pick on guy, you'd think he'd get to touch the ball once in the season, even if it's in returns as stated above.

Edelman is busy fondling sexy women, maybe Vereen has an opening on special teams.

Edelman fondling and Vereen has an opening, in one sentence, is a recipe for disaster.

 

[cstjohn17]

The bigger question is why was he drafted.

 

[Gumby]

I agree somewhat and disagree somewhat.

(imo) BB values ball security higher than everything else. Law-firm is a known quantity who does not drop the rock.

From that standpoint i understand going slow about integrating vereen or ridley; especially in a strike shortened off-season.

& on the otherhand: we are now at mid-season and I would think at this point that you would be able to find a way to integrate them in at least a couple of plays/times a game as both for change of pace & in a game-plan schemed play (to take advantage of a specific weakness with their specific talents).

Not only would that add to the O production; but would also give something for future teams to have to plan against.

 

[Lansdowne]

Pats used the Ingram pick to draft Vereen and acquire the Saints' 2012 1st rounder (which will probably be traded for a 2013 1st rounder and so on and so forth). Vereen's lack of playing time is frustrating. He's drawn comparisons to Ray Rice in his versatility in the passing game and low center of gravity when running with the ball. He's the ultimate weapon out of the backfield and unfortunately he seems to be a distant 5th in the pecking order. Hopefully whatever problems that are keeping him back will be solved soon because it would be a waste of a pick and of a talent not to use him this year.

 

[IllegalContact]

Depth is a good thing.. not every RB makes it through the season.

This could be BJGE and Faulks last season..

depth is pointless if the guy can't play

 

[borg]

Seven DBs from last years roster have been cut or not resigned. Clearly BB didn't foresee the secondary demise or he would of foregone a RB or two or a 3rd QB or a blocking TE...and drafted more than one DB in April. Some messed up things are going on up in Foxborough. How did his secondary go from roster safe to near complete turnover in a matter of months. Sure the writing on the wall was there for Butler and possibly Wilhite/Wheatley, clearly camp fodder.....but to clean house and then rely on other teams' scraps is beyond puzzling
Reset: Now the"passing" team has 5 RBs on the roster...and the most vulnerable secondary in the NFL consists of two premium draft picks, some JAGS, and zero depth. Who is responsible for balancing this roster

 

[TruthSeeker]

The bigger question is why was he drafted.

Are you saying him specifically ? Or why did we pick running backs ? I was hoping we'd pick Demarco Murray instead of Shane Vereen. Murray was picked 16 slots after Vereen, and 2 slots ahead of Stevan Ridley. Dallas doesn't seem to redshirt talented rookies like we seem to do. I know Murray had a similar injury to Vereen during the preseason, and may have been in the same boat as Vereen if he was a Patriot. Who knows.

 

[IllegalContact]

he's your typical patriots 2nd round draft pick......what do you really expect?

pats 2nd rounders:
vereen
dowling
gronkowski
cunningham
spikes
vollmer
brace
butler
chung

they're at 33% in terms of producing guys who contribute.....as we go along, clay matthews was the needed move......could have still landed gronkowski without this, but now that it basically turns into a matthews for gronkowski straight up deal, I would take matthews in a heartbeat, especially given that just about every TE drafted in the 1st 4 rounds of the 2010 draft is very productive in the NFL right now...

could have had matthews, barwin, and brooks reed who has started playing well.......and still had mccourty, gronkowski, chung, vollmer, solder....the pats would be a much better team now

I'm just wondering out loud why these guys did not project to fit the system, how the guys they did draft do fit the system (cunningham, spikes) versus the other guys, and WHAT's the damned system now?