Thanks LeGarrette Blount for the Good times

[Tony2046]

When you put it like that, it really outlines just how useless he's been in the postseason, considering that 300 of those yards and 7 of those TDs have come against Indy - a team that Gray (Jonas Gray, who has literally not done a single thing in this league other than pound Indy) put up 200 on in a single game.

Adrian Peterson vs Seattle: 23 carries 45 Yards. 0 TD's.

LeGarrette Blount vs Seattle: 14 carries 40 yards.

LGB > Adrian Peterson by your logic. Or Seattle's defense was pretty good.

 

[FourierSeries]

Adrian Peterson vs Seattle: 23 carries 45 Yards. 0 TD's.

LeGarrette Blount vs Seattle: 14 carries 40 yards.

LGB > Adrian Peterson by your logic. Or Seattle's defense was pretty good.

Completely different offenses. AP was basically Minnesota's entire offense that year, and Seattle gameplanned around that. He's also got a string of much better playoff performances throughout his career against a variety of teams, so you can't really extrapolate much from this 1 game sample size.

 

[A Defiant Goose]

Blount over Dillon?

Maybe not better, more likable to me

 

[Tony2046]

Completely different offenses. AP was basically Minnesota's entire offense that year, and Seattle gameplanned around that. He's also got a string of much better playoff performances throughout his career against a variety of teams, so you can't really extrapolate much from this 1 game sample size.

Well first you have to get to the postseason. 1161 yards and 18 TD's helps get you there.

So a team can gameplan against AP but not LGB? Teams don't try to stop the run and pressure Brady?

AP's Postseason: 3.55 Y/A That's awesome because they game planned against him.

BTW: 6 Fumbles during the regular season. (2015)




LGB's Postseason: 4.23 (He sucks)

BTW: 0 Fumbles during the regular season. (2015)

 

[FourierSeries]

Well first you have to get to the postseason. 1161 yards and 18 TD's helps get you there.

So a team can gameplan against AP but not LGB? Teams don't try to stop the run and pressure Brady?

AP's Postseason: 3.55 Y/A That's awesome because they game planned against him.

View attachment 16954


LGB's Postseason: 4.23 (He sucks)

View attachment 16953

This was just covered. 2/3 of his production came against 1 team. 2/3. The same team that Jonas Gray put 200 on, and then went on to do nothing for the rest of his career. That should tell you about the quality of RB that it takes to pound Indy. I mean, just look at the huge discrepancy between the Indy games and the non Indy games. 6.9 avg and 4.9 avg vs Indy. Below 3.0 avg in all but one of the other games.

AP has played for horrendous teams and wasn't lucky enough to ride the coattails of the GOAT QB, so he doesn't have as big a sample size.

 

[BradyFTW!]

Well first you have to get to the postseason. 1161 yards and 18 TD's helps get you there.

So a team can gameplan against AP but not LGB? Teams don't try to stop the run and pressure Brady?

AP's Postseason: 3.55 Y/A That's awesome because they game planned against him.

BTW: 6 Fumbles during the regular season. (2015)

View attachment 16954


LGB's Postseason: 4.23 (He sucks)

BTW: 0 Fumbles during the regular season. (2015)

View attachment 16953

Not really an apples to apples comparison - when Peterson gets to the postseason, look at who his QBs have been. During his 2000 yard season, he dragged a team that had no business making the playoffs into the playoffs, and for the wildcard round his quarterback was... Joe Webb. Joe Webb cannot throw a football to save his life. Joe Webb completed went 11/30. Joe Webb is now a kick returner. So naturally the Packers stacked the box all day since the only way they could possibly lose that game was if Peterson ran for 200+ yards.

And I think that's the main point. Throughout Blount's Patriots career, nobody spent the week leading up to a game determined to stop Blount, under the understanding that Blount was the engine driving the Patriots' offense. Blount saw very few stacked boxes in his time here. To his credit, I can think of a few games when Brady was suspended last season, and maybe an Indy game or two, where that might have been the case, and when it was he delivered. But the overall point--that having a good QB makes a RB's life much, much easier--still remains. Put prime Adrian Peterson on any of these Pats teams for their playoff runs, and the teams are significantly better. Put prime Adrian Peterson on the 2015 team's playoff roster, we'd be looking back at a threepeat. Put Blount on some of those Vikings teams that Peterson dragged to the playoffs, and they're probably going 5-11.

Having said all of that, I do agree with your first point. Blount slowed down and was a lot less effective as the year went on, but he was a huge part of going 3-1 in the first month. No way we could've done that without him, and he was a big part of the team last year. At this point I'm not sure I'd take Peterson over him, either. Peterson's still an unknown; he might be 90% of what he used to be, or he might be 50% of what he used to be. I'll take the known quantity in Blount if I have to choose between them. And I'm sad to see Blount go because I like the guy, and I'll miss seeing some of the fantastic, punishing runs he delivers, but I think it was the right move.

 

[Tony2046]

This was just covered. 2/3 of his production came against 1 team. 2/3. The same team that Jonas Gray put 200 on, and then went on to do nothing for the rest of his career. That should tell you about the quality of RB that it takes to pound Indy. I mean, just look at the huge discrepancy between the Indy games and the non Indy games. 6.9 avg and 4.9 avg vs Indy. Below 3.0 avg in all but one of the other games.

AP has played for horrendous teams and wasn't lucky enough to ride the coattails of the GOAT QB, so he doesn't have as big a sample size.

What wasn't covered was his 1161 yards and 18 TD's. AP's fumbling issue wasn't covered. AP's salary vs Blount's salary wasn't covered.

You've dismissed a lot of really good stuff to prove Blount was a bum.

 

[Tony2046]

Not really an apples to apples comparison - when Peterson gets to the postseason, look at who his QBs have been. During his 2000 yard season, he dragged a team that had no business making the playoffs into the playoffs, and for the wildcard round his quarterback was... Joe Webb. Joe Webb cannot throw a football to save his life. Joe Webb completed went 11/30. Joe Webb is now a kick returner. So naturally the Packers stacked the box all day since the only way they could possibly lose that game was if Peterson ran for 200+ yards.

And I think that's the main point. Throughout Blount's Patriots career, nobody spent the week leading up to a game determined to stop Blount, under the understanding that Blount was the engine driving the Patriots' offense. Blount saw very few stacked boxes in his time here. To his credit, I can think of a few games when Brady was suspended last season, and maybe an Indy game or two, where that might have been the case, and when it was he delivered. But the overall point--that having a good QB makes a RB's life much, much easier--still remains. Put prime Adrian Peterson on any of these Pats teams for their playoff runs, and the teams are significantly better. Put prime Adrian Peterson on the 2015 team's playoff roster, we'd be looking back at a threepeat. Put Blount on some of those Vikings teams that Peterson dragged to the playoffs, and they're probably going 5-11.

Having said all of that, I do agree with your first point. Blount slowed down and was a lot less effective as the year went on, but he was a huge part of going 3-1 in the first month. No way we could've done that without him, and he was a big part of the team last year. At this point I'm not sure I'd take Peterson over him, either. Peterson's still an unknown; he might be 90% of what he used to be, or he might be 50% of what he used to be. I'll take the known quantity in Blount if I have to choose between them. And I'm sad to see Blount go because I like the guy, and I'll miss seeing some of the fantastic, punishing runs he delivers, but I think it was the right move.

I was just playing around with the comparisons. If selective stat picking is the tool to prove Blount's apparent lack of value why can I not use it to discredit AP's ?

Your post is dead on btw.

 

[FourierSeries]

What wasn't covered was his 1161 yards and 18 TD's. AP's fumbling issue wasn't covered. AP's salary vs Blount's salary wasn't covered.

You've dismissed a lot of really good stuff to prove Blount was a bum.

I didn't mind having Blount on the team. He cost the team peanuts. I'm just pointing out that he's vastly overrated here. There's a reason why, other than his rookie season, his numbers outside of NE weren't anything impressive. He won't do anything noteworthy next season either. Guaranteed.

 

[letekro]

Not the 2004 Dillon.

But YES against the 2005 and 2006 Dillon.

Over 3 seasons comparison in a Pats uni, I'd take the Blount 3 over the Dillon 3.

.

That's fair. My mind only remembers 2004 Dillon, and that, my friend, was a sight to behold.

 

[willard]

Sam Cunningham
Jim Nance
Kevin Faulk
Curtis Martin
Corey Dillon
Tony Collins

Blount is in the mix with Don Calhoun, Antowain Smith and Larry Garron for the rest of the top ten running backs in franchise history.

Yes, Blount does not deserve to be denigrated on his way out of Foxboro.

But as @Elijah points out, it is also best for both parties to move on now.

yup time has passed

Good list, but for me Blount beats out Tony Collins by a long shot. Debatable from a stats point of view and certainly Collins was the more gifted runner. Blount wins in the number one stat though of winning. Collins also left a bad taste and Blount with his enthusiasm, celebration with the minutemen and touchdown production gave a lot more to cheer about. Lastly Blount's salary relative to production allowed other money to be directed other places. So much credit is given to Brady because he "willingly" foregoes salary. Even if Blount did not willingly do it, his low salary helped the team. Agree with your first 5, but I would put Nance in 4th as his accomplishments were in the AFL which was the junior league of the time, but maybe that diverts from my original premise.

 

[Tony2046]

I didn't mind having Blount on the team. He cost the team peanuts. I'm just pointing out that he's vastly overrated here. There's a reason why, other than his rookie season, his numbers outside of NE weren't anything impressive. He won't do anything noteworthy next season either. Guaranteed.

Not overrated just appreciative. He outperformed his contract. He was a positive member of the team and a great locker room guy. He provided boosts throughout the season with some poor man beast mode type runs. His performance during the first 4 games of the season can't be overstated.

2015: Salary
AP 11 Million
LGB 949,000

2016:
AP 7.75 Million
LGB 1.5 Million

AP cost $7,400 per yard in 2015
LGB cost $1,300 per yard in 2016

I think BradyFTW's post is dead on. I don't mind the team trying to upgrade the position and it looks like they have but at the same time I enjoyed having Blount on the team.

 

[sb1]

I'll miss Blount. Not sure I agree that he is one of the top backs in Pats history but I loved the chemistry he brought to the team and he had his moments on the field too.

 

[Bobs My Uncle]

There have been plenty worse Pats players than Blount over the years. I am thankful he was around to enjoy watch play.

 

[shmessy]

Not overrated just appreciative. He outperformed his contract. He was a positive member of the team and a great locker room guy. He provided boosts throughout the season with some poor man beast mode type runs. His performance during the first 4 games of the season can't be overstated.

2015: Salary
AP 11 Million
LGB 949,000

2016:
AP 7.75 Million
LGB 1.5 Million

AP cost $7,400 per yard in 2015
LGB cost $1,300 per yard in 2016

You just showed a very good reason why the Patriots have gone to 2 AFCCGs and 1 SB while Minnesota didn't see squat the past two years.

Value to performance ratio.

The NFL ain't Fantasy Footballs, kids, with a salary cap it's Sudoku.

.

 

[supafly]

When Lewis was healthy in 2015 he was an absolute beast. He was the featured player in the offense. He isn't going anywhere.

Times have changed from 2015, so that really doesn't have much to do with it, not to mention that he's 2 surgeries away from that time period. There have been more weapons added, and White has some more experience behind him, as well. The unit has improved in dramatic fashion. I'd put his chances at making the team around 75 percent.

That will be up to the coaching and training staff to decide. It's good to have the competition, and I look forward to seeing if he can return to that form.

 

[Ring 6]

Times have changed from 2015, so that really doesn't have much to do with it, not to mention that he's 2 surgeries away from that time period. There have been more weapons added, and White has some more experience behind him, as well. The unit has improved in dramatic fashion. I'd put his chances at making the team around 75 percent.

That will be up to the coaching and training staff to decide. It's good to have the competition, and I look forward to seeing if he can return to that form.

The player hasn't changed and his rile will be the same as 2015.
Zero percent chance he is gone unless he sustains a new injury.
People forget the focal point he was in 2015.

 

[supafly]

The player hasn't changed and his rile will be the same as 2015.
Zero percent chance he is gone unless he sustains a new injury.
People forget the focal point he was in 2015.

First of all, the player may certainly have changed. He was already an oft injured player who has had 2 more surgeries/procedures since then.

Secondly, you cannot pretend to definitively know that his role would be the same as in 2015. Obviously, Belichick has brought in two new free agents where he wasn't afraid to absorb some nice cap hits (4m and 3.15m) this year to do so. He also extended White, who was the SB hero, not Lewis. There's a fine chance that Lewis' role may not be the exact same that it previously was.

 

[Simpelton]

I didn't mind having Blount on the team. He cost the team peanuts. I'm just pointing out that he's vastly overrated here. There's a reason why, other than his rookie season, his numbers outside of NE weren't anything impressive. He won't do anything noteworthy next season either. Guaranteed.

A year of difference is so huge for a 30+ year old running back that I don't care what Blount does next year, especially for a completely different system. He was valuable here.

He had a notable failure in the Superbowl that marred an otherwise highly successful season. The fact that he was able to be as successful as he was as a running back to offset Tom Brady does not mean he was less valuable, it means means he was ideal for the system, especially given his low cost. We have had running backs before that were NOT successful given the same environment, so the Brady excuse to discount Blount's performance is not interesting.

You have to really strain to find reasons to criticize LeGarritte Blount's tenure as a New England Patriot. The fact that you are capable of the mental contortions required to do so is not interesting.

 

[Ivan]

Lewis can be a first down back, White, much as a like him, doesn't bring that running ability. The Patriots game plans and approach to each game is more versatile than most if not all teams, and Lewis, Gillislee, and Burkhead can all fill the 1st down back role, while White fills the third down back role, with Lewis also an option when it's called for. Bottom line, they have the RB's to gameplay against any defense, if you're playing the Jets or Fish you go Lewis and White heavy, and if it's teams with weaker DLines go Burkhead and Gillislee, with White and Lewis the backs on passing downs. I love this RB unit.