Excellent article on Shane Vereen article by Greg Bedard

[VrabelMayeWin]

Shane Vereen toughened up and became Patriots' most versatile weapon | The MMQB with Peter King

Oh Greg, how I miss thee. Especially being replaced by that schmuck Volin. Thankfully Greg still writes a little extra on the Patriots.

 

[Galeb]

It's surprising there was no mention on his role in pass protection. He's a very solid blocker and always seems to be in the right place.

 

[PatsFan2]

He needs to find a way to stay healthy like my man Danny Woodhead. Vereen's skills are off the charts but he's no use to us if he cannot remain healthy. We are going to NEED him for this playoff run to put pressure on the Defense...stay healthy Shane.

 

[RelocatedPatFan]

It's surprising there was no mention on his role in pass protection. He's a very solid blocker and always seems to be in the right place.

They did mention the Kevin Faulk role on 3rd downs. Patriot fans understand blocking was part of that. Guess he didn't write it for fans of other teams .

 

[patfanken]

This was a very incisive narrative. Not only for the plot line of Vareen's development, but also for the insights into how the Pats develop that relentless mental toughness that has allowed them to keep on winning despite overwhelming adversity, and the key to the Pats consistent success.

Its so subtle that people now take it for granted. I mean outside of NE the issue of Spikes going to the IR, has almost been completely ignored by the national media. Its like, "Oh, the Pats lost their best run stopping LB? So what, they'll survive somehow." So it was good that Bedard raised the curtain a bit.

 

[Sicilian]

This was a very incisive narrative. Not only for the plot line of Vareen's development, but also for the insights into how the Pats develop that relentless mental toughness that has allowed them to keep on winning despite overwhelming adversity, and the key to the Pats consistent success.

Its so subtle that people now take it for granted. I mean outside of NE the issue of Spikes going to the IR, has almost been completely ignored by the national media. Its like, "Oh, the Pats lost their best run stopping LB? So what, they'll survive somehow." So it was good that Bedard raised the curtain a bit.

Keeping with Spikes, it also sheds some light on why he kept playing through an obviously difficult injury. There's a culture there that if you're able to push through, you push through. It makes me wonder sometimes about some of the guys we IR early in their career. I wonder if they get some minor injury, and when it becomes clear they're not willing to fight through it, BB says, "Ok, you don't want to play on that, you don't play all year." Some players (like Vereen) respond by working hard and getting it. Others (Like Crable, Ras-I, etc) don't.

 

[TruthSeeker]

Keeping with Spikes, it also sheds some light on why he kept playing through an obviously difficult injury. There's a culture there that if you're able to push through, you push through. It makes me wonder sometimes about some of the guys we IR early in their career. I wonder if they get some minor injury, and when it becomes clear they're not willing to fight through it, BB says, "Ok, you don't want to play on that, you don't play all year." Some players (like Vereen) respond by working hard and getting it. Others (Like Crable, Ras-I, etc) don't.

This team is so mentally tough. Even if they don't win another game, they are winners in my eyes. I've NEVER seen a team lose so many key guys and go 12-4.

The 2004 team was amazing, they are the only team in the history of the NFL to lose BOTH their starting CB's (Ty Law and Tyrone Poole) and still win the Super Bowl (with Randall Gay and Assante Samuel).

 

[Archeryaddict12]

Excellent Vereen article by Bedard

This team is so mentally tough. Even if they don't win another game, they are winners in my eyes. I've NEVER seen a team lose so many key guys and go 12-4.



The 2004 team was amazing, they are the only team in the history of the NFL to lose BOTH their starting CB's (Ty Law and Tyrone Poole) and still win the Super Bowl (with Randall Gay and Assante Samuel).

Let's be the 1st team to win a SB with the quality players we lost this season.

 

[PatsGuy]

Shane Vereen toughened up and became Patriots' most versatile weapon | The MMQB with Peter King

Oh Greg, how I miss thee. Especially being replaced by that schmuck Volin. Thankfully Greg still writes a little extra on the Patriots.

I'm glad I'm not alone. Volin seems very weak and continues to rely on his FORMER Florida contacts. I predict that for this upcoming Sunday's column, he'll have something about Tebow's new gig at ESPN.

 

[SVN]

I'm glad I'm not alone. Volin seems very weak and continues to rely on his FORMER Florida contacts. I predict that for this upcoming Sunday's column, he'll have something about Tebow's new gig at ESPN.

volin is pretty useless most of the time. doesnt bring any useful football info. Tries to incite a controverisial story when he can. Oh and he says shaugnessy is 'awesome'.

 

[captain stone]

I'm glad I'm not alone. Volin seems very weak and continues to rely on his FORMER Florida contacts. I predict that for this upcoming Sunday's column, he'll have something about Tebow's new gig at ESPN...

...or about the Doofins' GM search...or about FannyHill's development at QB...

 

[captain stone]

volin is pretty useless most of the time. doesnt bring any useful football info. Tries to incite a controverisial story when he can. Oh and he says shaugnessy is 'awesome'.

Bedard was an oasis of football knowledge at the Glob amidst the crap desert of Breer & Volin.

 

[Bhelmet]

It's surprising there was no mention on his role in pass protection. He's a very solid blocker and always seems to be in the right place.

He did not start off that way - I think he not only learned a lot from Woody in that area, but because he did, Woody moved on (not voluntary). I remember clearly when Vereen became a reliable blocker. I forget the opponent, but the announcer had just mentioned how bad he was in pass protection and he STOUTLY stood in his lane and stood the rushing LB up NICELY and Tom got the pass off and completed it. It was late last season - his 3rd or 4th game. Anyway, he has been SOLID since - haven't heard his named called for penalties - so he is rocking it.

 

[nabwong]

But BB doesn't draft playmakers....:bricks:

 

[supafly]

I'm glad I'm not alone. Volin seems very weak and continues to rely on his FORMER Florida contacts. I predict that for this upcoming Sunday's column, he'll have something about Tebow's new gig at ESPN.

volin is pretty useless most of the time. doesnt bring any useful football info. Tries to incite a controverisial story when he can. Oh and he says shaugnessy is 'awesome'.

I lost respect for Volin when he repeatedly stuck up for, and butchered the actual facts in the Alfonzo Dennard assault case. I'm not sure if he was covering the case during the spring, but he made reference to it when Dennard was brought up on the more recent charges.

 

[supafly]

He did not start off that way - I think he not only learned a lot from Woody in that area, but because he did, Woody moved on (not voluntary).

I believe that Vereen was awfully capable in the blitz pickup while at Cal, and if I'm not mistaken, it was one of his pluses coming out of the draft. One would assume that he had some things to learn for the quicker speed of the pro game, but he was actually pretty decent coming out of the NCAAs.

As far as Vereen taking over for Woodhead, I think that Belichick typically leans towards the cheaper, younger competitor if he's fairly capable enough to handle the duties. This of course, saves us precious cap space, and we've seen it with Allen/Mesko, and Woodhead/Vereen lately.

Here is the comparison to see how it worked out:

Vereen 2013---47 catches, 3 TDs, and a 4.7 ypc ave on the ground

Woodhead 2012--40 catches, 3 TDs, and a 4.0 ypc ave on the ground

Of course the kicker is that Shane Vereen missed 50% (8 games) this season, while 2012 Woodhead didn't miss any at all. The point is that not only did Vereen outproduce Woodhead, he did it in a lesser amount of games by far. If he's able to stay healthy, he's the much better future prospect in my opinion, and the blitz pickup does play into that for sure.

 

[Armchair Quarterback]

I believe that Vereen was awfully capable in the blitz pickup while at Cal, and if I'm not mistaken, it was one of his pluses coming out of the draft. One would assume that he had some things to learn for the quicker speed of the pro game, but he was actually pretty decent coming out of the NCAAs.

As far as Vereen taking over for Woodhead, I think that Belichick typically leans towards the cheaper, younger competitor if he's fairly capable enough to handle the duties. This of course, saves us precious cap space, and we've seen it with Allen/Mesko, and Woodhead/Vereen lately.

Here is the comparison to see how it worked out:

Vereen 2013---47 catches, 3 TDs, and a 4.7 ypc ave on the ground

Woodhead 2012--40 catches, 3 TDs, and a 4.0 ypc ave on the ground

Of course the kicker is that Shane Vereen missed 50% (8 games) this season, while 2012 Woodhead didn't miss any at all. The point is that not only did Vereen outproduce Woodhead, he did it in a lesser amount of games by far. If he's able to stay healthy, he's the much better future prospect in my opinion, and the blitz pickup does play into that for sure.

Vereen's blocking was not considered a plus coming out of college, it was, in fact, considered the area he needed the most work on.

2012 Woodhead outproduced 2012 Vereen.
2013 Woodhead outproduced 2013 Vereen.
2012 Woodhead outproduced 2013 Vereen.

 

[supafly]

Vereen's blocking was not considered a plus coming out of college, it was, in fact, considered the area he needed the most work on.

2012 Woodhead outproduced 2012 Vereen.
2013 Woodhead outproduced 2013 Vereen.
2012 Woodhead outproduced 2013 Vereen.

How did 2012 Woodhead outproduce Vereen's 2013 numbers, when I just showed otherwise?

Vereen had a higher number of receptions, the same # of TD's via reception, and a higher yards per carry average at 4.7 vs 4.0.

All of this was on top of missing 1/2 the season, when Woodhead didn't miss a game last year.

And I don't agree with you that he didn't have blitz pickup capabilities that were certainly as equal or better than Danny Woodhead coming out of Cal. It's been discussed many times before here and in the draft threads. He may not have been great, but he was better than Woodhead--who was atrocious at times. Vereen never had good enough blitz pickup to be considered as an every down RB, especially since he was used to spending a lot of time split wide, but I am speaking as a primary 3rd down back. More specifically, I am using the comparison vs Danny Woodhead.

Anyone who thinks that keeping Vereen over Woodhead was a bad move is fooling themselves. Vereen has a much higher upside and would have blown Woodhead's numbers out of the water. The problem was that he suffered a broken wrist. Not only did we save precious cap space with the move, but we kept the player with a higher ceiling. Anytime that Belichick is able to keep the younger, faster, cheaper player with more upside in a close competition, he's almost always going to. We've seen that numerous times over the years, and we will see even more examples of that during this coming offseason.

 

[supafly]

As far as being considered a 3rd down RB in the role of a Woodhead or Faulk type player, Vereen was graded out as a capable enough pass blocker. Obviously, he didn't have the size or capability to be an every down RB, and was never viewed as such. Then again, neither was Danny Woodhead. If you're going to speak of his weaknesses in the blitz pickup, then you're assuming that he wasn't good enough to be an every down RB, which was never once the intention.

I am simply comparing him to Danny Woodhead, who certainly was never considered good when attempting to pick up the blitz, although he did improve in that area during his last year or two here.

These are some direct quotes from scouts coming out of Cal regarding Shane Vereen:

---"He is not afraid of pass protecting and sticks his nose in against bigger players really well."

---"He is built in such a way that he has a low center of gravity and uses it to his advantage."

 

[captain stone]

Anyone who thinks that keeping Vereen over Woodhead was a bad move is fooling themselves. Vereen has a much higher upside and would have blown Woodhead's numbers out of the water. The problem was that he suffered a broken wrist. Not only did we save precious cap space with the move, but we kept the player with a higher ceiling. Anytime that Belichick is able to keep the younger, faster, cheaper player with more upside in a close competition, he's almost always going to. We've seen that numerous times over the years, and we will see even more examples of that during this coming offseason.

We could've had both Vereen & Woody - easily.