Kim Klement – USA TODAY Sports
Going into tonight’s preseason game for the New England Patriots, everyone expected big things from Stevan Ridley. It was even expected that Shane Vereen might make a few plays in the game as well. What many fans did not count on, however, was for former Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back LeGarrette Blount to carry the rushing load. He did exactly that Friday night. He ended up with 11 carries for 101 yards and two touchdowns. If he runs like he did in this game throughout the course of the preseason, the Patriots will be forced to take a good, hard look at him to compete with Ridley for the starting gig.
Blount has the physical attributes and tools that Ridley doesn’t have, and he runs with a type of physicality that Ridley does not possess. Vereen, on the other hand, has proven that he is a capable back who can be a threat in open space. He will probably be mostly utilized on screen passes, in the slot as a receiver occasionally and lined up on the outside sometimes as well. Unfortunately for Vereen, he does not have the ideal size of a running back who can carry the ball near the goal line.
With Blount being the only legitimate running back who has the size to break tackles against big defensive lineman, he may be the best in the group at powering his way into the end zone. With the athleticism he showed tonight, Blount may have just solidified himself as the front runner in the Patriots’ rushing attack, especially if Ridley were to suffer an injury at some point in the preseason or if his fumble problems were to recur.
