Dion Lewis anyone?

Marinlik said:

Agreed. I loved Woodhead and never liked that we kept Vereen over him. But boy o boy, Lewis is like a Woodhead 2.0. Both have that ability to just find space that you don't think is there, both in the run game and in the pass game. But Lewis takes that to another level. Compared to Vereen, Lewis has probably created more yards on his own by making guys miss than Vereen did during his whole time here.

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I think we need a little more sample size but if I were to stack rank them....

Woody was both a good runner and receiver. IMO he was better than Vereen at both. Vereen might have been a littler better down the field than Woody.

I think Woody is the better runner and pass catcher than Lewis but really need a whole season of Lewis to make that call. He might be better at both. I'm just not there yet.

Pats-Phan said:

Lewis must have the worst agent in pro football. Still can not figure out why he signed that contract. Great for the Pats and Pats fans though. That TD on Sunday was unbelievable.

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Actually, his agent did well by him. Signing this deal now allows Lewis to more than double his 2015 cash intake, plus incentives.

robertweathers said:

I think we need a little more sample size but if I were to stack rank them....

Woody was both a good runner and receiver. IMO he was better than Vereen at both. Vereen might have been a littler better down the field than Woody.

I think Woody is the better runner and pass catcher than Lewis but really need a whole season of Lewis to make that call. He might be better at both. I'm just not there yet.

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I like Woodhead quite a bit, but as a runner Lewis is just a rare specimen. It's like someone took USC Reggie Bush and transmogrified him directly into an NFL body.

robertweathers said:

I think we need a little more sample size but if I were to stack rank them....

Woody was both a good runner and receiver. IMO he was better than Vereen at both. Vereen might have been a littler better down the field than Woody.

I think Woody is the better runner and pass catcher than Lewis but really need a whole season of Lewis to make that call. He might be better at both. I'm just not there yet.

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I should probably have said that if Lewis keeps this up I think he's better than Woody. He seems to add more as a runner down the middle than Woody. But the sample size is small. Hard to say anything for sure after just 4 games.

I think that Vereen was the best of the bunch on that wheel/fade route(from what I've seen so far). But I'd much rather have a player with the ability to break tackles like Woody/Lewis. Love that ability to make those yards where you just go "how the hell did he do that?!?!"

JackBauer said:

I like Woodhead quite a bit, but as a runner Lewis is just a rare specimen. It's like someone took USC Reggie Bush and transmogrified him directly into an NFL body.

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I agree. Lewis does have moves on moves and is better than Woody in that regard. With that said, Woody is a 4.5ypc ave for his career. That is outstanding. He gets so small and cuts back so well.

I just need more sample sizes to say Lewis is a better runner.

Marinlik said:

I should probably have said that if Lewis keeps this up I think he's better than Woody. He seems to add more as a runner down the middle than Woody. But the sample size is small. Hard to say anything for sure after just 4 games.

I think that Vereen was the best of the bunch on that wheel/fade route(from what I've seen so far). But I'd much rather have a player with the ability to break tackles like Woody/Lewis. Love that ability to make those yards where you just go "how the hell did he do that?!?!"

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Sheer physical ability Lewis has him. Woody has 4.3 4.4 speed so he can motor.

If Lewis keeps this up hes on a pace for 700yds rushing and 900 yds receiving. Thats awesome. At that point I'd say Lewis is a better runner & receiver.

Vereen was excellent on those wheel/fades and yea, he wasn't exactly a tough runner.

It's early and I don't want to get too hyped up based on a few performances. But I think we could be looking at a long-term true #1 back here. Blount is a perfect changeup but what we've seen so far from him doesn't look fluky to me.

Pair him up with Edelman on the crossing routes, Gronk's go routes down the field and Lafell/Amendola/Martin as possession players and you've got the best offense in the league hands down.

Rich get richer.

I am truly happy with our offensive talent currently.

Lewis and Blount are perfect compliments for each other.
Our OL whilst not a top unit has amazing depth at the moment. Players have poor games and we just simply revolve other linemen in there.
Our WR's are healthy and productive and are just going to get better with LaFell hopefully 100% by week 7.
Gronk is Gronk but Chandler and Williams have been very good also.

RE all this Lewis vs Vereen vs Woodhead comparisons.

Vereen is different to both. He is a 1 cut then speed type back who is Elite with certain routes (GO/Wheel) but not as elite after the catch.

Woodhead IMO is the more rounded of the back who is sort of "good at everything" runs all the routes and is a solid runner.

Lewis has IMO the best feet out of all 3. IMO he is also the most talented pure runner out of all three. However, that being said he still needs to prove the route running consistency the others did. Its the reason both got big contracts in FA. Reliable 3rd down backs who double as slot guys are hard to find.

JackBauer said:

I like Woodhead quite a bit, but as a runner Lewis is just a rare specimen. It's like someone took USC Reggie Bush and transmogrified him directly into an NFL body.

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usc reggie bush was a game breaker. lewis is a chain mover so far.

jsull87 said:

Gronk is Gronk but Chandler and Williams have been very good also.

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chandler hasn't done a whole lot so far.

MrNathanDrake said:

chandler hasn't done a whole lot so far.

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I think you may be under estimating the work he has done as a blocker. Like Gronk not all of Chandler's good work show's up on the stat sheet

MrNathanDrake said:

usc reggie bush was a game breaker. lewis is a chain mover so far.

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Way to completely miss the point of the comparison.

MrNathanDrake said:

usc reggie bush was a game breaker. lewis is a chain mover so far.

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I dunno.

The TD he had, and the one he damn near had (which was even more impressive to me), was pretty damned game-breaking.

That said, Reggie Bush in college was an absolute monster and a game-breaker for sure, so your point is well-taken.

I'm surprised at all the wheel route love that Vereen is getting. Wasn't there a lot of "why can't Brady and Vereen connect on the wheel route?" going on around here a couple years ago?

Dion Lewis looks to be more talented than both Woodhead and Vereen. He has the best hands, especially down the field, he has amazing agility (stop-go), a real good feel for the passing game, and he is very difficult to bring down.

If he can stay healthy, he will out pace both those other guys, by a lot.

Nunchucks said:

Dion Lewis looks to be more talented than both Woodhead and Vereen. He has the best hands, especially down the field, he has amazing agility (stop-go), a real good feel for the passing game, and he is very difficult to bring down.

If he can stay healthy, he will out pace both those other guys, by a lot.

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I mean, Dion Lewis is used to being a 3-down back. That's what he has the most experience with, which means (to me) he's more comfortable running the ball (especially between the tackles) and pass blocking than the other two.

I know people don't realize it, or don't want to realize it, but Dion Lewis is your three-down starting feature back, and Legarrette Blount is your backup. That's why they locked up Lewis.

And why not? It worked for the Giants for a couple of years with Bradshaw and Jacobs.

Concussion Protocol said:

I'm surprised at all the wheel route love that Vereen is getting. Wasn't there a lot of "why can't Brady and Vereen connect on the wheel route?" going on around here a couple years ago?

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Maybe, but I thought that Vereen was pretty good at it. Running down the side line, either with the ball after a swing route, or on a go/wheel against a miss matched linebacker. That was his YAC play.

He was good at other quick routes too. But I have too many bad memories of him almost always getting tackled by the first defender instead of making guys miss.

Marinlik said:

Maybe, but I thought that Vereen was pretty good at it. Running down the side line, either with the ball after a swing route, or on a go/wheel against a miss matched linebacker. That was his YAC play.

He was good at other quick routes too. But I have too many bad memories of him almost always getting tackled by the first defender instead of making guys miss.

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There were definitely some bad overthrows by Brady as well as a cast on Vereen's arm for a while that led to some frustration there. Shane was a good player here, and he'll be remembered fondly for going out on a high note.

It seems like BBs motto this year was speed and power. Dion Lewis has been a great surprise.

Other organizations would have pushed for White, Cadet to get playing time ahead of a player who has been cut by 3 other teams. BB evaluated based on performance and Lewis isn't just a bit player he's blossomed into an integral player in the lineup.

TommyD4207 said:

I mean, Dion Lewis is used to being a 3-down back. That's what he has the most experience with, which means (to me) he's more comfortable running the ball (especially between the tackles) and pass blocking than the other two.

I know people don't realize it, or don't want to realize it, but Dion Lewis is your three-down starting feature back, and Legarrette Blount is your backup. That's why they locked up Lewis.

And why not? It worked for the Giants for a couple of years with Bradshaw and Jacobs.

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What's great is that you can play Lewis and Blount at the same time. There is a need and role for both with Lewis being the "starter".