Jonas Gray is the Perfect Fit at Running Back

Who is Jonas Gray? That’s the question most sports fans were asking after the New England Patriots pummeled the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday night football, 42-20. Gray had 199 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns against the Colts. Those numbers are impressive for any running back in the league, and this was the first time in Gray’s short career that he had over 17 carries. The fact that he put up 4 touchdowns and almost 200 rushing yards is inconceivable, but it happened, and all Patriots fans should be thankful for Jonas Gray.

Gray played for Notre Dame in college, and he never had more than 35 carries in any season until his senior year for the Fighting Irish. During his last year for Notre Dame, he accumulated 791 rushing yards, and 12 touchdowns before he tore his ACL during a game against Boston College. After college, Gray was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent and he was cut later that year. Then, the Baltimore Ravens signed Gray to their practice squad. After all that, he was signed to the New England Patriots. This does not sound like an NFL player’s typical road to success, but these are the type of players Bill Belichick has a knack for finding.

Belichick and the Patriots must have known something everyone else didn’t when they signed Jonas Gray, because I believe Gray might be the piece the Patriots have been looking for to complete their offense. Over the past few games, the Patriots have had enormous success thanks to Tom Brady, a rejuvenated offensive line, shut down defensive play, and a solid receiving core. The one thing the Patriots have been missing is a solid rushing attack, and Jonas Gray might be the answer to that problem.

Against the Colts, Gray played like a running back is supposed to. He ran forcefully, he was quick, and he hit all the holes hard. Plus, he never stopped running, and he fought for every extra yard he could possibly get. If he continues to play like this then he will keep putting up big numbers, and he will be the perfect replacement for Stevan Ridley. However, we do not have much to judge him on, so we need to see how he preforms in the upcoming weeks to find out if he is for real or not.

Nov 16, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New England Patriots running back Jonas Gray (35) celebrates a first half score against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports