Stevan Ridley has the Bell Cow back gig all sewn up and Shane Vereen is projecting to be a multilevel threat while Leon Washington makes the team as a running back that just happens to be one of the best kickoff return men in the game.
That leaves Blount to deal with fellow enigmatic back Brandon Bolden, who has the advantage of having played in the Patriots system last year as a rookie. Both bring a needed skill set to the field and either would provide solid depth...
...so with the great camp battle that is about to ensue, why bring in George Winn? Is George Winn merely a camp body, or does he have a legitimate shot at making the roster? And, most importantly, who the hell is George Winn?
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| Winn |
Compact and powerful, the 5' 11", 215 pound Winn rode the pine at the University of Cincinnati for three years behind now St. Louis Rams' running back Issah Pead, but once Pead took his act to the NFL last season, Winn exploded onto the national scene with nearly 1400 yards rushing and scoring 13 touchdowns as a Senior
No one really wanted to tackle the guy, the kind of dude that delivers the hit rather than absorbing the punishment from the defender, running folks over like a runaway train - and sometimes you'd swear that you saw a defensive huddle while the play was occurring, when it was actually Winn being gang-tackled. It was the only way he'd go down.
But a terrible combine and a not-much-better Cincinnati Pro Day destroyed any chance he had at being drafted. A sore hamstring contributed mightily to a poor 40 time of 4.75, sending Winn sliding down every draft board.
Originally backed by ESPN Draft mouthpiece Mel Kiper Jr. as a sleeper and a potential gem on the second day, Winn found himself fielding phone calls from the Houston Texans after the draft had concluded, signing with the Texans, but being released shortly thereafter due to a log jam at running back in their camp.
A couple of days later, he's in Foxboro as a member of the Patriots - and while he's not going to make Ridley or Vereen nervous, Winn could definitely make for anxious times among the remaining depth - and with his special teams prowess gained when waiting his turn with the Bearcats, he offers what some may consider a measurable upgrade over Blount and Bolden.
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| Blount |
Blount is a back that has been running from his past seemingly for years, and did so to the tune of over 1000 yards for Tampa as a rookie in 2011, but the drafting of the lightning quick Doug Martin by the Buccaneers rendered the bruiser an afterthought in Greg Schiano's offense, and though Martin had arrived and put up awesome numbers, Tampa faded down the stretch, leaving plenty for Bucs' fans to ponder...
...and while that's no longer Blount's problem, he's got bigger fish to fry this season.
Belichick rescued him out of Tampa and he came to New England with a renewed sense of purpose. He knows he isn't The Guy in the Patriots' talented backfield, so he has no misconceptions about what he has to do to contribute to the team, provided he's still around when September comes.
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| Bolden |
Like Blount, Bolden has a recent past to live down, being suspended from Mississippi State for an undisclosed team rule violation in his senior season, and then for violating the NFL's performance enhancing drug policy in his rookie season, earning himself a harsh spotlight in Belichick's dog house - and should probably consider himself lucky to still be on the roster...
...but his performance on special teams kept him around when he returned from his league induced four game suspension. That being said, with Winn on the training camp roster Bolden will likely have to have a fantastic camp to keep his spot on the roster - as Winn has no history of rebellion and is by all accounts a superior special teams ace.
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| Vereen |
By the same token, there were no behavioral concerns with either Stevan Ridley or Shane Vereen coming out of college.
Vereen was considered perhaps the best all-around running back in the 2011 draft class, while Ridley came with concerns of being a one trick pony - but that one trick is finding even the most narrow of holes and bursting through for tough between-the-tackles yardage.
After spending his rookie season backing up BenJarvis Green-Ellis, Ridley took on all comers in last season's camp and emerged as the featured back, putting up numbers that have him in the conversation of top 10 backs in the NFL and, combined with the versatility of Vereen and the since-departed Danny Woodhead, gave the Patriots a bruisingly effective running game.
As the season wore on, the running game evolved in such a way that it should become one of the most feared and versatile units in the NFL.
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| Ridley |
Ridley seemed to get stonger as the season wore on, and Vereen lined up at just about every skill position on the offense to take advantage of his sprinter's speed and ankle-breaking moves - sort of a Thunder and lightning approach, though that terminology doesn't do this duo justice.
Vereen will be featured in the passing game, lining up wide, in the slot, in the move and as a change of pace back, his versatility making him a candidate to try and take over some of the duties of a troubled and since departed tight end, as well as giving quarterback Tom Brady a familiar deep threat to counter the unknown factor at receiver.
Neither Ridley nor Vereen have anything to prove to the coaching staff, as they have lived up to and, in Ridley's case, surpassed all expectations. No one year wonders, they are the base of what the Patriots like to do on offense: Run hard and setting up the play action...
...because as the play action goes, so goes the Patriots' offense. Brady is the undisputed king of the play action pass, so with these talented backs finding holes behind the best run-blocking line in the league and forcing the opposing defense to keep an extra man in the box, Brady can go nuts with his up-tempo, no huddle attack...
...and if the defense decides to take their chances and play in the nickel to try and stop Brady, Ridley and Vereen have the ability to make them pay on the ground - the decision is Brady's, and we're about to witness how much faith he has in his running game.
If it's as much as he seemed to have last season, the balance of power in the New England offense could very well shift to the bruising and quick running backs, regardless of who's in the backfield with him.
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