RB Vereen ships off to Giants on three-year deal

Running back Shane Vereen was a key part of the New England Patriots' recent Super Bowl run, but he'll be taking his versatile skill set elsewhere in 2015.

According to the NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Vereen has agreed to a three-year, $10.5 million deal with the New York Giants. Vereen proved to be a multi-dimensional threat out of the Patriots' backfield during his four seasons with the team, and he now joins a Giants offense seeking to find its identity.

In four years with the Pats, Vereen tallied 907 rushing yards, 1,023 receiving yards and 14 total touchdowns.

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Shane Vereen thinks $5 million report is funny

New England Patriots running back Shane Vereen thinks recent the recent report that he's seeking $5 million is a real knee-slapper.

Haha not true but who wouldn't be?!?! RT @_D_Flo: “@jeffphowe: Source: @ShaneVereen34 hopeful for $5 ... http://t.co/GMrXQZenQU
— Shane Vereen (@ShaneVereen34) February 26, 2015

The Patriots' pass-catching back, who thrives in the third-down role, is slated for free agency in March.

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Gostkowski utilizes golf skills on 60-yard conversion

BY DAN BEGNOCHE

There wasn't much need for kicker Stephen Gostkowski in the New England Patriots' 30-7 win Friday. That didn't stop him from being bringing his A-game.

The veteran kicker was perfect in three attempts, including a 60-yarder with less than two minutes to go in the half, as Tom Brady and the Pats' offense shined against a Carolina team that stifled the squad in Week 11 last year.

After the game, even Brady -- who's been witness to some pretty significant field goals in his tenure -- was impressed with Gostkowski's performance.

Belichick on White: A lot of similarities to Vereen

BY NICK ST. DENIS

New England Patriots tailbacks Shane Vereen, Stevan Ridley and Brandon Bolden are all entering contract years, so Saturday, the team acquired a little insurance at the position on the last day of the 2014 NFL Draft.

That prospective insurance policy -- Wisconsin running back James White -- resembles one of the incumbents quite well, according to coach Bill Belichick.

"Yeah, I'd say there are a lot of similarities to Vereen – size wise, skills wise, production," Belichick said Saturday, via Patriots.com.

Vereen says wrist 'won't be 100 percent for a while'

BY SCOTT BAINES

New England Patriots running back Shane Vereen won't use his previously broken left wrist as an excuse for a few dropped passes last season.

"It has nothing to do with the cast," Vereen said Friday, via Patriots.com. "I would never blame it on that. ... There’s no excuse. I should have caught them."

Suffering the break against the Buffalo Bills in the season opener last year, Vereen's eventual surgery kept him out until a Nov. 18 loss against the Carolina Panthers.

Vereen gets ample workload in return to lineup

BY NICK ST. DENIS

New England Patriots running back Shane Vereen made his return to the field Monday night for the first time since Week 1, and for much of the time, he stayed on it.

Vereen led the Patriots' backfield in snaps, seeing the field for 34 plays -- 15 more than both LeGarrette Blount and Stevan Ridley -- according to ESPN Boson's Mike Reiss.

The third-year tailback broke his wrist near the end of his exceptional showing against the Buffalo Bills and was placed on short-term injured reserve. Vereen, however, began practicing with the team two weeks ago and was eligible for the active roster last week.

Patriots looking forward to Vereen's return

BY NICK ST. DENIS

Shane Vereen was the New England Patriots' most productive offensive skill player in the team's season-opener. That turned out to be the only game he would appear in before the bye week.

After amassing 159 yards on 21 touches, the third-year tailback broke his wrist during the Patriots' victory over the Buffalo Bills.

Vereen has been on the temporary injured reserve list since but is eligible to return to the active roster as soon as Monday night when the Patriots face the Carolina Panthers.

Patriots find effective balance at running back

BY NICK ST. DENIS

The New England Patriots are without their most elusive running back in Shane Vereen, so in turn, they've established a true running back by committee mix at the position.

It was in full effect Sunday.

According to Mike Reiss of ESPN Boston, Brandon Bolden and Stevan Ridley each were on the field for 26 offensive snaps, while LeGarrette Blount saw 21 snaps. New England went on to rush for 156 yards and got another 57 through the air from the tailbacks.

Brady 'confident' in Leon filling Vereen's shoes

BY NICK ST. DENIS

Shane Vereen gained the most yards of any New England Patriot skill position player in the team's season opener, but his fast start will be short-lived.

A day after reports surfaced that Vereen had surgery for a broken wrist following the Patriots' victory over the Buffalo Bills, the team announced Tuesday it placed Vereen on the injured reserve list with designation to return.

According to Christopher Price of WEEI, Vereen will be eligible to return to the practice field at the conclusion of Week 7 and can return to game action Week 10.

Patriots will be without Vereen against Jets

BY NICK ST. DENIS

Shane Vereen was the New England Patriots' best skill position player in his team's Week 1 victory over the Buffalo Bills.

Vereen, who amassed 159 yards from scrimmage on 21 touches, won't get an encore.

The third-year tailback underwent surgery Monday to repair a broken bone in his wrist, according to Jay Glazer of Fox Sports. Vereen won't be a go when the Patriots host the New York Jets Thursday night.

Belichick on ball security: Message delivered

BY NICK ST. DENIS

Running backs Shane Vereen and Brandon Bolden each committed a fumble in the first half of the New England Patriots' preseason loss to the Detroit Lions Thursday, and neither player saw the field for the remainder of the half as a result.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick was asked Friday if he was sending a message by sidelining the tailbacks for their respective blunders.

"Was it sending them a message? Our message has been the same here from day one that ball security is of the highest priority for anybody that handles the ball – that’s a message from day one," Belichick said, via Christopher Price of WEEI. "I think that message has been delivered on a daily basis since we started practicing back in May.

Pats' contrasting RBs make comparing tough

BY DAN BEGNOCHE

It's no secret the New England Patriots are planning to use their plethora of talent at running back any way they can to score points, whether it be on the ground, in the air or on special teams.

But with a group of playmakers so specialized in one area or another, the real question may be who stays and who goes once the roster begins to thin.

"I think it's been very competitive," coach Bill Belichick told reporters Tuesday. "It's interesting, I think when you look at the players at that position – including the guys at fullback – each guy is a little bit different than the other ones. They have some individual, unique skills that are good and so do the other players. It's hard to make a comparison when we talk about it in our personnel meetings.

For now, Pats' RB corps ready to carry load

BY DAN BEGNOCHE

The progression of New England's untested wideout crew has been a hot-button issue this offseason. For now, the Pats' ground game will be expected to pick up the slack.

If Saturday's first preseason game is any indication of things to come, the team's offensive efficiency shouldn't miss a beat while its receivers and quarterback get on the same page.

"Like I said about this running back group, we're special," Stevan Ridley told reporters after Saturday's 31-22 win. "We've got a lot of work to do, and I can just say that we're off to a good start."

Patriots tailback Shane Vereen facing pivotal year

BY DAN BEGNOCHE

It's no secret that Tom Brady and the New England Patriots' passing game has been the crux of the team's offensive success for more than a decade.

And while the running attack is mainly seen as an afterthought to how many touchdowns Brady throws in a given week, the ground game's evolution and success this season in particular could play a big role in the team's overall production.

Case in point is third-year back Shane Vereen, who has been given the task of filling the void left by Danny Woodhead. On top of working to improve his durability, Vereen will likely be a primary target for Brady in third down and red-zone situations.

Shane Vereen focusing on injury-free third year

BY DAN BEGNOCHE

Third-year running back Shane Vereen's chance at a significant role in the offense this season is looking better and better by the day.

Now he just has to stay healthy.

As New England's second round pick in  2011, Vereen has yet to see much time on the field. According to Pro Football Focus, he was involved in 19 percent of the team's overall offensive snaps last season and only 26 total snaps his rookie season.

Pats' same-position drafting in '11 good encore to '10

BY NICK ST. DENIS

In the 2010 draft, the New England Patriots used two picks in the first four rounds on one position, drafting tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez in rounds two and four, respectively. That seems to have worked out pretty well.

New England took the same approach in 2011, taking running backs Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley in the second and third rounds, respectively. That's starting to look like a pretty good move, too. (photo: jdn, Flickr)

Vereen caught two touchdown passes and rushed for another in the Patriots' Divisional Round playoff win over the Houston Texans Sunday. Meanwhile, Ridley ran for 82 yards and a score.

Jets compile can't-make-it-up series of gaffes in loss

BY NICK ST. DENIS

The New York Jets were tied 0-0 with the New England Patriots through the first quarter. They were losing 35-3 by halftime.

The Patriots scored four touchdowns off of four straight turnovers in the second quarter, including 21 points in a 52-second span, to destroy the Jets 49-12. They totaled five touchdowns in the stanza.

"Obviously that was a nightmare of a game," Jets coach Rex Ryan said, according to Kimberly A. Martin of Newsday.

Pats' tailback situation could go in many directions

Photo: Beth Hart, Flickr 

BY SAM HOLLINGSWORTH

With the free-agent departure of the Patriots' most recent feature back in BenJarvus Green-Ellis, New England has a serious hole to fill in its high-caliber offense. Who will be the No. 1 tailback at the start of the season? It could be anybody. Or nobody.

The Patriots have two second-year backs they drafted in Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen; both were limited last year behind Green-Ellis.

Ridley is poised to take over the majority of the workload, as he was responsible for all of the team's rushes of more than 20 yards last season (five), while also racking up 441 yards on only 87 carries (5.2-yard average).

While faster and seemingly more agile than Green-Ellis — and with a similar between-the-tackles running game — Ridley doesn't possess the ball security Green-Ellis does. (Not many players do; Green-Ellis has never fumbled in his professional career.) Ridley fumbled twice last season: once in the regular-season finale vs. Buffalo and again in the playoffs vs. Denver. While neither mistake was detrimental, they came in consecutive games, and as a result, coach Bill Belichick sat Ridley for the rest of the postseason.

Vereen was selected before Ridley in the 2011 NFL Draft (56th overall), but his running style is more suitable as an outside-the-tackles, third-down utility than one that fills Green-Ellis' shoes. Along with the returning Danny Woodhead and a maybe-returning Kevin Faulk, it really seems like Belichick will let the players decide who gets the ball most. Vereen's opportunity is as good anyone else's. He scored a touchdown last season on just 15 attempts.

The addition of Joseph Addai, who was signed as a free agent after six years with the Colts, could have a large impact, too.

Patriot RBs Ridley, Vereen neighbors on and off field

Photo: Beth Hart, Flickr 

BY NICK ST. DENIS

Running backs Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen were both drafted by the Patriots in 2011 and became neighbors in New England's offensive backfield.

But that's not all.

"Shane is actually my next door neighbor, so not only is he a good teammate, but he's my neighbor," Ridley told reporters Tuesday.

"We spend a lot of time breaking down the playbook together, studying it together and trying to better each other," Ridley said. "I'm running things off of Shane, Shane is running things off of me and we're really working together. It's a team concept here at the Patriots and that's what we need to continue to do if we want to be successful."

The two sophomore tailbacks are battling for playing time this offseason, as New England parted ways with BenJarvus Green-Ellis, who signed with the Bengals. New England, However, still has veteran third-down back Danny Woodhead on the roster, as well as former Colt Joseph Addai trying to earn a gig.

In limited time during the 2011 season, Ridley gained 441 yards on 87 carries for a 5.07 yards-per-rush average. He found the end zone once. Vereen also recored a score but only attempted 15 rushes, picking up a total of 87 yards.

"... we're going through the same struggles on the field and off the field at the same time," Vereen said of his bond with Ridley. "Both of our heads were spinning 100 miles an hour last year. It's a very good bond between me and Stevan."

Addai faces some hurdles to find role in Pats' offense

Photo: Brad J Ward, Flickr 

BY SEAN DONOVAN

Joseph Addai has been an effective tailback in the NFL for the past half dozen years, but now he's fighting prove himself to a new team.

The former Colt signed with the Patriots on May 5 after drawing very little interest in free agency. The Patriots' backfield will feature a couple of unfamilar faces in 2012, but Addai's experience and skills may prove valuable to the team.

The Patriots chose not to re-sign their leading rusher from a year ago in BenJarvis Green-Ellis in favor of second-year backs Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen. The pair showed promise in their limited action last season, particularly Ridley, who averaged 5.1 per carry in situational and reserve duties. They are expected to handle the workload in the running game.

Addai has virtually no shot to supplant either Ridley or Vereen on the depth chart, but is talented and has a good chance to find a niche as a role player in the offense. In the Colts' high powered passing attack, Addai was effective catching the ball, but more relevantly, was a good pass protector. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady might find a player like Addai very handy either as a check down or for additional protection from the blitz.