Patriots may look to Shane Vereen as No. 1 running back

Posted by Michael David Smith on March 25, 2012, 1:18 PM EDT
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The Patriots spent a second-round draft pick on running back Shane Vereen last year and didn’t get much return on their investment, as Vereen gained just 57 yards during the regular season and never got on the field in the postseason.

But with last year’s leading rusher, BenJarvus Green-Ellis, now in Cincinnati, the Patriots are hoping Vereen can take a big step forward in his second season.

Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com reports that the Patriots still have high hopes for Vereen, high enough that he still has a good chance of earning the No. 1 spot on the running back depth chart, ahead of last year’s second and third running backs, Stevan Ridley and Danny Woodhead.

Thanks in part to a hamstring injury, Vereen was of little use in New England in 2011. But it’s easy to see what the Patriots liked about him in last year’s draft. In his only season as a starter at Cal, in 2010, he carried 231 times for 1,167 yards and 13 touchdowns, and he was a sprinter on Cal’s track team who has impressive speed. Vereen may be ready to do for the Patriots this year what Green-Ellis did for them last year.

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33 responses to “Patriots may look to Shane Vereen as No. 1 running back”

  3. Vareen would be a nice bonus, but if the two main backs are Ridley and Woodhead, I think they’re fine. They’ll also bring in some veteran on the cheap, like Denv did w/McGahee or Balti did w/RWilliams last yr(ie BJacobs).

  6. it doesn’t matter WHO they put in at running back, the offense will keep moving the chains because, of tom brady.
    -benjarvis green ellis?
    -danny woodhead?
    -antwon smith?
    -kevin faulk?

    u see what im saying!!!

  7. They need to invest in a real running back one of these years. It would be ridiculous if Tom faced 8 in the box on 50% of his snaps.

  8. two horse race- Ridley looked explosive when he got the chance – he had 2 fumbles in his last 2 games, which has been overly scrutinized- hardly a trend – one of them fighting for extra yards in junk time after gaining the first down. He had 2 playoff games on the bench to ponder that error. BJGE will be missed for a lot of reasons, but these 2 clearly have more quickness and game breaking ability in both shiftiness and topend speed. Presumably the FB from Denver will pick up the slack in short yardage though both Vereen and Ridley can find the endzone based on college TD output.

    If I am a defense, I’d be more concerned about these 2 than BJGE.

    Vereen also has great hands, a Faulk type.

  9. Guess Belichick plans on making it at least as far as the championship game, if not the Super Bowl and losing in the end because his team lacks a bellringer at RB.

    I totally get that NFL running back are the disposable heroes of the league, but still, if you don’t have that hammer in the backfield, you still need one. It’s like the Pats have forgotten the roles that Antowain Smith and Corey Dillon played in their Super Bowl VICTORIES.

  10. Brady, Gronk, Welker, Hernandez, Lloyd….does it really matter who the running back is? This team will be defined by how far the defense comes, particularly the pass rush, and health. Scoring points is never going to be an issue.

  11. as long as BB realizes that woodhead isnt the answer full time… sometimes BB’s arrogance (rightfully deserved i may add) allows for him to try to get by with mid level players at some positions, recently anyways.

    i like Vareen’s chances, if nothing else, it doesnt take much to have a decent ground game. You dont need a blue chip prospect these days.

  15. Meanwhile, the Redskins are looking at Ben Vereen to be their No.1 back.

  17. What I can’t understand is Ben Jarvis only signed for $3 million/year. If the Pats were toooooo cheap to pay this amount, then I can only LMAO. hahahahaha….

    Good luck with Shane Vereeeeeeen. Btw, I never ever heard of the guy lol.

  18. Vereen and Ridley will probably be an excellent 1-2 punch for the team, with Woodhead coming in on a supporting role

  19. “What I can’t understand is Ben Jarvis only signed for $3 million/year. If the Pats were toooooo cheap to pay this amount, then I can only LMAO. hahahahaha…”

    I love how people who know very little about the Pats think they’re cheap because they won’t overpay players. They spend to the cap or very close every single year.

    The difference is the spread the wealth around beyond a few star players so they have depth.

    He’s a lesson in football for you.

    Last year the Bills got off to a hot start and looked great until their starters began getting injured. Once they lost a few their season was effectively over. That’s what in football is called “lack of depth”.

    Meanwhile even though the Pats suffered their share of injuries to starters they made the Super Bowl. That’s called “managing your cap and spending to ensure your team has depth”.

    You will also notice the Pats never end up in trouble with the cap having to dump numerous players at the end of a year because they can’t afford to keep their roster together. That’s called “competent cap management”.

  20. yojoemama says:
    Mar 25, 2012 2:14 PM
    What I can’t understand is Ben Jarvis only signed for $3 million/year. If the Pats were toooooo cheap to pay this amount, then I can only LMAO. hahahahaha….

    Good luck with Shane Vereeeeeeen. Btw, I never ever heard of the guy lol.
    ________________________

    Don’t worry, you’ll hear about him again. He was unstoppable at Cal.

  21. yojoemama says:
    Mar 25, 2012 2:14 PM
    What I can’t understand is Ben Jarvis only signed for $3 million/year. If the Pats were toooooo cheap to pay this amount, then I can only LMAO. hahahahaha….

    Good luck with Shane Vereeeeeeen. Btw, I never ever heard of the guy lol.
    ____________________

    If you aren’t 11 years old, it’s probably time to switch sports. The only thing I take from your post is that you over use lol, lmao and vowels.

  22. yojoemama says:Mar 25, 2012 2:14 PM

    What I can’t understand is Ben Jarvis only signed for $3 million/year. If the Pats were toooooo cheap to pay this amount, then I can only LMAO. hahahahaha….

    Good luck with Shane Vereeeeeeen. Btw, I never ever heard of the guy lol.

    With having drafted Vereen in the 2nd and Ridley in the 3rd last year, the Pats have two young backs under contract. Moving BJGE not only helped NE with the cap.. but it helped BJGE not stagnate. He now has a chance to really contribute to a team instead of watching from the bench.

    And as a sidenote hammerhead.. just because YOU’VE never heard of a guy, that matters how?

  23. Only 57 yards?

    They could have gotten more than that if they used BEN Vereen instead!

  24. By adding a deep game element with Lloyd and/or Stallworth the Patriots immediately push defenders back from the line of scrimmage.

    This in and of itself is going to make things easier for the RBs this year, not to mention take pressure off the O Line and Brady as well

  29. .

    @harrisonhits2

    Yours is a well stated post on how the Patriots approach their roster and salary cap .

    The only addition i could make is that we all knew what we were getting with BJGE. The upside is limited. With Vereen and Ridley, Belichick must see more potential.

    They were drafted in the second and third round respectively, which is high in the draft for the Pats to select back to back RB’s. Belichick must see something.

    .

  30. Some of you might remember that time when Bellicheck took this kid named Gronkowski and this other kid named Hernandez. Well I have a feeling that Vereen/Ridley are going to tear up the league similar to those two. Im not saying expect 1500 total yds out of each but they both can do it all on the field.

  31. Let’s see is Josh McDaniels will USE the RBs this time. Sigh. I’d love to have an offense like 04’s again. And no that’s not a typo. That was their best O in the BB era even though they finished “only” #4 in points scored. Could kill you with the deep ball, the short stuff AND had an awesome running game.

  32. MDS: The term ‘#1 back’ really doesn’t apply to the current NE offense. Maybe you mean 1st down back?

    At any rate, I see Vereen competing for snaps with Woodhead, and I think if he shows he can understand the offense and pass protect, he’ll be in there on 2nd and 3rd and longs, and in hurry up. He can really scoot.

    Their 1st down back will probably be Stevan Ridley (If he can hold onto the ball!).

    But I totally agree in that one or more of these guys is primed for a break-out season.

  33. The only thing I take from your post is that you over use lol, lmao and vowels.

    The lol gang doesn’t seem to realize –

    A) it’s a 90’s thing

    B) even back then, it was chicks that used it

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