Patriots: 3 offensive weapons who disappeared too quickly

2. RB Jonas Gray

Has any Patriots running back ever had a better playoff game than Jonas Gray?

Notre Dame’s Jonas Gray was firmly the next cog in the Patriots’ “Undrafted to Unbeatable” path to destruction.

Briefly, though, he slipped along the way, and that was it.

As a senior at Notre Dame, Gray tore nearly everything in his leg in a game against Boston College, shredding his LCL, MCL and ACL. After two years of bouncing between the Ravens’ and Dolphins’ practice squads and training camp rosters, Gray finally made his way back to the NFL in 2014, promoted by the Patriots prior to a short-handed TNF game against the Jets.

A few weeks later, he made his mark on NFL history. With very little on his ledger, he was unleashed against the Colts, rushing for 201 yards and four TDs on Nov. 16, the first four scores of his career. Nobody since 1921 had piled up so many touchdowns in a game after previously having zero to their name. Gray made the cover of Sports Illustrated! He was a certified thing.

Then, the unheralded ‘back overslept, missed a team meeting, became a healthy scratch for a good portion of the remainder of the season, and was inactive for the Super Bowl. He was released the next offseason, paving the way for LeGarrette Blount’s Patriots career to thrive.

We understand Bill Belichick’s ruthless, disciplinarian style, but…we would’ve enjoyed seeing Gray get a second chance to prove himself. Instead, he was gone in a fraction of a flash.