New England Patriots could make Shane Vereen starting running back?
By Bryan Rose
Before the offseason began, the New England Patriots expressed a desire to bring back free-agent-to-be running back LeGarrette Blount, a sentiment that Blount stated was mutual.
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But New England was only willing to pony up so much cash and when the Pittsburgh Steelers came calling, Blount decided to move onto greener pastures.
That left the Patriots with former talented, though fumble prone starter Stevan Ridley and pass catching extraordinaire Shane Vereen as the likely candidates to take over the starting job.
Of course, the Patriots don’t employ a traditional starter, often using more of a committee approach though ESPN Boston believes that it’s Vereen who will emerge as the lead dog this season.
"I expect more of a tandem situation at running back if everyone is healthy, with the numbers trending heavier toward Vereen. If Vereen was healthy for all 16 games last year, I think it’s safe to say he would have topped the list."
Shockingly, despite Vereen missing eight games due to a broken wrist last season, he played nearly an identical amount of snaps as Ridley who quickly found himself in Bill Belichick’s doghouse for his inability to secure the football.
Vereen is going to be in the game come passing situations anyway, but it sounds as if he may find himself on the field more often.