 Shane Vereen is excited to battle his brother on Sunday. (USA TODAY Images) |
Patriots running back Shane Vereen has already seen his role expand following the loss of lead back Stevan Ridley, who was lost for the season with a knee injury in Week 6 against the Bills.
Last Thursday night against the Jets he carried 11 times for 43 yards, averaging 3.9 yards per carry in his first game as the team's main running back. This Sunday against the Bears, he'll have another obstacle he'll face as Chicago has a key player in their secondary that will be looking to make life a little difficult for him.
The Bears drafted Brock Vereen, the younger brother of the Patriots running back, in the 4th round of this year's NFL Draft. The defensive back was a standout at the University of Minnesota and he's now carrying over his talents to a Bears defense that is ranked 14th in the NFL against the run.
However, many of New England's plays tend to move Shane out of the backfield and into open space, which may see a collision or two in the open field against his brother. Should Brock get a good hit on him, Shane knows he'll get some ribbing for it, telling Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald, "If he does get a good hit on me, I'm going to be hearing about it for a while."
The two are obviously competitive, although the two have never been on the field together at the same time due to their age difference (Shane is 25, while Brock is 22). That will change on Sunday when they face each other, which is something they've talked about for a long time. Now they're excited to battle on the field.
"Growing up, we talked about it a lot," Shane told NESN.com earlier this week. "We were never on the field at the same time because of our age difference, but now we'll finally get that chance, and we're both really excited about it."
Brock got his first start last week at free safety with Chris Conte sidelined with a shoulder injury but Conte has returned to practice this week and seems as though he'll be back in the line-up. However, according to the Chicago Daily Herald, Vereen should still see some playing time Sunday.
If he does, he's excited about the opportunity but for now he's spending this week trying to stay focused.
"It's an exciting time for my parents and my family," the rookie told the newspaper. "But from a personal standpoint, I've got to stay focused and get ready to go."
Brock said he's never hit his brother on the field but he obviously can't go easy on him. Should the two square off they both know that it's all about trying to help their respective team win, which should make for a fun story line to watch this weekend.
"(Not) with pads on," he said when asked about it. "But we're definitely looking forward to the possibility. I've got plenty of love for him. (But) on Sunday we both know we have jobs to do."
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