Patriots: Shane Vereen explains what N.E. offense requires
Ex-Patriots running back Shane Vereen recently detailed what exactly it takes to find success as a player in the complex New England offensive system.
The difficulty of picking up the Patriots‘ offense is the stuff of legend at this point. Whether it’s been Charlie Weis, Bill O’Brien, or Josh McDaniels on the headset calling in the plays, numerous players coming up to Foxborough from either college or from other organizations have struggled and ultimately flamed out after failing to fit into the machine.
So what, then, is the secret recipe for success in New England’s complicated offense?
According to former Patriots pass-catching back Shane Vereen, who played under McDaniels with quarterback Tom Brady from 2011-2014, the answer might surprise you.
“It’s not necessarily catching the ball. It’s not necessarily getting open,” Vereen told ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “What it is, it’s getting to the right spot. Getting to the spot where the quarterback expects you to be. Getting to the spot where there is no defense — if it’s a zone, sitting in the void; if it’s man, breaking away the right way, not running into another route. Those things aren’t really talked about … I don’t think a lot of people pay enough attention to it … but those are even more important than actually catching the ball and making a play.”
Especially in his final three seasons with the Patriots, Vereen displayed a demonstrable knack for “getting to the right spot,” as he called it. The former California Golden Bear averaged a healthy 4.2 yards per carry rushing the ball from 2012-2014, but it was catching passes out of the backfield where he really did most of his damage.
As a receiver, Vereen caught 107 balls on 159 targets for 1,023 yards and seven touchdowns during that timespan. Even more impressive, he averaged a ridiculous 12.1 yards per completion – astounding numbers for a guy who often lined up three or four yards behind his quarterback before the ball ever even got snapped.
Chris Hogan compares Tom Brady and Cam Newton as QBs. dark. Next
Of course, the shining moment of Vereen’s career with the Patriots – and according to him, his entire NFL career to this point – came in Super Bowl 49 against the Seattle Seahawks. In that game, Vereen made a legitimate bid to finish as Super Bowl MVP after catching 11 passes for 64 yards. The 11 receptions were a game-high for players on both teams.