James White Appreciation Thread

[BobDigital]

When you talk about the Patriots weapons the first 2 names that come to mind are Edelman and Gronk. That is the way it should be. The #3 most important to this offense is James White IMO. Let me tell you why.

He doesn't miss games - Since taking over the the catching back role in 2015 he has missed just 2 games. He is always out there. BB has been quoted as saying the most important ability is availability. The fact that he has been a steady presence when so many other players have not been able to can't be understated.

He doesn't drop the ball in any sense - James White has fumbled one time in his career and he recovered it. That was back in 2015 against Denver in the playoffs. Not turning the ball over can be very difficult for a RB to do time and time again. Yet James White in his Patriots career has never given the ball over to the other team. (Did I jinx him?) The other way in which James doesn't drop the ball is by dropping passes. We don't think about it now, but how many of you recall the times Vereen again and again dropped an over the shoulder pass on a go route? It was Maddening. All those free yards wasted. Vereen had more straight line speed than White but if you can't catch the ball it doesn't matter. There is no kind of pass White can't catch. No only that. He is the least likely player on the Patriots to drop a ball. He has been incredibly consistent and steady with his pass catching.

He has versatility in the passing game - Very few RBs can do what White does and I don't mean skill wise. He can line up virtually in any position on the field aside from TE. Heck we say him line up at QB this game and do that fun little trick play with Brady. He can be anywhere in the backfield or on the LOS and run the route they want him to. I don't believe he has a single type of route he can't run at a high level. It's true the pass in the flat going towards the side line is his bread and butter play but he can play in the slot or get vertical. I think I have even see him do come back routes in the past.

Great blitz pick up - I don't think I have ever seen him screw up a blitz pick up. What else is there to say? Keeping 12 safe is top priority and he does that very well.

He has improved as a runner - We all remember early in his career when an arm tackle would bring him down. He couldn't power through those plays and it was annoying cause it made his role obvious. It isn't so much now. While he will never be a between the tackles back he has become about to transition from elusiveness to power and push forward through an arm tackle for extra yards or break them entirely. His YPC have improved every year. 2015 - 2.5, 2016 - 4.3 2017 - 4.0 and he is on pace to have his best year running the game this year. Sometimes stats lie and sometimes they tell the truth. These ones tell the trust. He has improved every year and is now a dependable and solid running if you need him to be.

While all the above may be true I want you to just ask yourself this one question. On the Patriots right now on a 4th and 5; which player do you want the ball going to with the super bowl on the line? While other options may be good, I don't see how you can pick anyone but James White.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Only reason they don't use White more is they don't want to burn him out.

Hes easily one their most important players.

 

[Kdo5]

I have always loved him as a player since 2015. He is a key cog in this offense without a doubt and has been ever since he started getting playing time.

Brady trusts the hell out of him too.

As a comment on his durability credit him for protecting his body. He gets down instead of taking unnecessary hits when surrounded by defenders.

 

[PatsFan2]

Agree James White is an excellent player but we don't want to wear him down. We now have no dept at that position which is very critical to the success of this Offense. I am hoping Sony is featured more in the passing game in the coming weeks his Draft bio says he can catch. Wouldn't surprise me if they made a move for a Scat Back just for dept around the Trade Deadline A Danny Woodhead type player. I am just concerned about White getting banged up.

 

[Uptown]

Sweet. Feet. White.

BUT.... Sweeter. Hands. White.

 

[Froob]

Best pass catching back we’ve ever had (no disrespect to Faulk).

 

[BobDigital]

Best pass catching back we’ve ever had (no disrespect to Faulk).

I agree 100%. As a pure pass catcher there is no other Patriots back I would rather have. Faulk is still probably the better overall player but it is a hell of a lot closer than I would have said it was before 2017.

 

[Bradyking12]

Crazy how big of a turn around he had from 2015-2016, I remember I wanted him cut and hated him after the 2015 AFCCG wishing we had Lewis making the plays that he couldn't but wow what a turn around he had.

 

[Chevy]

He's in the mold of Troy Brown - do whatever the team needs you to do.

 

[Kdo5]

Crazy how big of a turn around he had from 2015-2016, I remember I wanted him cut and hated him after the 2015 AFCCG wishing we had Lewis making the plays that he couldn't but wow what a turn around he had.

Sorry but you are utterly foolish to have felt that way in 2015-2016. That offense would have been in even deeper trouble post Edelman injury w/o White. He was helping to keep that group afloat in the second half of the year.

 

[luuked]

Sorry but you are utterly foolish to have felt that way in 2015-2016. That offense would have been in even deeper trouble post Edelman injury w/o White. He was helping to keep that group afloat in the second half of the year.

Well the hivemind here wanted Amendola cut as well for a long time, only to flip around this offseason and being angry that we didn't end up the team to pay him 6m for the 121 yards he has produced so far.

Or in other words.. don't be surprised about weird takes..

 

[Jackson 2]

Has developed into a ridiculously terrific player.

 

[signbabybrady]

Best pass catching back we’ve ever had (no disrespect to Faulk).

Fully agree and have said as much many times on here.

 

[BobDigital]

Sorry but you are utterly foolish to have felt that way in 2015-2016. That offense would have been in even deeper trouble post Edelman injury w/o White. He was helping to keep that group afloat in the second half of the year.

He wasn't the only one on that train though. We had a good mix of backs in 2016 in the preseason. A lot of people felt that way after 2015. It was his 3rd year and he hadn't done much in his first two years in all honesty. He could catch the ball well but was a total 1 trick pony. He didn't make the 2nd year jump in 2015 you would have hoped for. At that point there was little reason to think he would ever be more than a pass catching back. Most backs don't take 3 years to be develop the power to run through an arm tackle.

Going into 2016 the Pats had Lewis, Blount, Bolden. All were likely to be more important player than White at that point to the team and they had some promising other players looking to take his role. I think a good 1/3rd of this board shared that opinion.

 

[Simpelton]

In the preseason when we learned about the Edelman suspension one of the people I said to look out for was White, because he had the skillset to play the Danny Woodhead role and borrow targets from the slot guy.

White has done an admirable job of taking a lot of the targets that might have gone to Edelman and I think he's earned more playing time even when Edelman has returned.

Of course, we all knew White had this in him since SBLI but it's nice to see him really strut his stuff.

 

[Adam Seward]

I doubted him early on, so I can happily say now,

James Whizzle is a MFn MONSTER.

 

[Bradyking12]

Sorry but you are utterly foolish to have felt that way in 2015-2016. That offense would have been in even deeper trouble post Edelman injury w/o White. He was helping to keep that group afloat in the second half of the year.

White dropped a deep pass that would of won us the game that Lewis would of caught in '15 AFCCG I think more than once he had a drop in that title game.

 

[Kdo5]

He wasn't the only one on that train though. We had a good mix of backs in 2016 in the preseason. A lot of people felt that way after 2015. It was his 3rd year and he hadn't done much in his first two years in all honesty. He could catch the ball well but was a total 1 trick pony. He didn't make the 2nd year jump in 2015 you would have hoped for. At that point there was little reason to think he would ever be more than a pass catching back. Most backs don't take 3 years to be develop the power to run through an arm tackle.

Going into 2016 the Pats had Lewis, Blount, Bolden. All were likely to be more important player than White at that point to the team and they had some promising other players looking to take his role. I think a good 1/3rd of this board shared that opinion.

I guess I was never too concerned about White's running as we had backs who could fill that role. White's one trick was more than a little valuable for us ever since he started taking the field. He was the outlet Brady desperately needed when Lewis went down.

 

[signbabybrady]

White dropped a deep pass that would of won us the game that Lewis would of caught in '15 AFCCG I think more than once he had a drop in that title game.

If im recalling the same thing I'm pretty sure the play your thinking of would have been an extraordinary catch not just an average play.

 

[bigballas]

That was back in 2005 against Denver in the playoffs.

and he is durable lasting forever! love me some Jimmy White...BB love small white's that can catch too