FOXBOROUGH – Tom Brady isn’t the only linchpin that’s been extracted from the Patriots offense.
Check out your milk cartons, because the Patriots have been missing a bonafide third-down back the past two seasons.
Since James White retired, no one has assumed the role.
And that turn of events is somewhat baffling.
During the team’s unprecedented run of championships, the Patriots always had a designated third-down back. The chain was continuous, and always paid dividends.
Whether it was Kevin Faulk, Danny Woodhead, Shane Vereen, Dion Lewis, or White, the Patriots have always had that guy, that dependable change-of-pace back to either move the chains with a clutch play, or shine in blitz pickup.
The third-down back has been a staple of the offense and vital ingredient to the team’s success.
Only now, the cupboard is bare.
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Speaking with several backs who previously held the role, the move comes as a bit of a surprise.
“Yeah, I haven’t seen that role really be prominent in the offense the past couple of seasons,” Vereen said on MassLive’s latest “Eye on Foxborough” podcast. “I think it would behoove them to get back to that.”
Behoove might not even be a strong enough word.
The Patriots are 2-7 with an offense that can’t move the ball, can’t score, and aren’t blessed with a ton of receivers who move the needle. Mac Jones really doesn’t have a security blanket, which is part of the job description of being a third-down back.
Nine games into the season, the Patriots are 27th in the league in third-down conversion rate (33.05%). More recently during the loss to the Commanders, they converted just 3-of-12 attempts (25%) on third down. That’s beyond bad.
Just consider what some of the past third-down specialists have done.
Faulk is in the team’s Hall of Fame largely because of how much of a clutch, go-to-guy he was for Brady through three championships. He was the man on third down.
He caught 431 passes coming out of the Patriots backfield, which is seventh most in franchise history. In terms of running backs, no Patriot has more receptions.
Vereen?
Along with Malcolm Butler’s last minute heroics, the Patriots probably don’t win Super Bowl XLIX against Seattle without Vereen making 11 catches for 64 yards. He played a significant role in that victory.
How about White’s performance in Super Bowl LI, and the greatest comeback of all time against the Atlanta Falcons?
All he did in that game was haul in 14 catches for 110 yards. He moved the chains. He also scored three touchdowns. His play as the third-down back was a huge reason for that improbable win.
So the lineage is long and rich with backs who have been difference-makers in that role.
“You can take away all the schemes in football . . . at the end of the day, it boils down to, can you win your one-on-one matchup?” said Vereen. “And the more players you can have on the offensive side of the ball that can win one-on-one, the better the offense is. The better the offense can pick up third downs and just stay on the field . . . and the biggest reason why the third down back has been effective in the NFL, and all levels of football, is that it’s a matchup problem for the defense.”
With opposing safeties shadowing other weapons the Patriots have had in the past (Deion Branch, Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Julian Edelman, Rob Gronkowski), that allowed the third down to back gain favorable matchups against linebackers.
“So much of offense is reps, and staying on the field, and getting into that rhythm and that flow of the game. Then you’re not thinking as much,” said Vereen. “You’re just playing fast and not thinking. Just moving the chains.”
This season, the Patriots have had Rhamondre Stevenson as the primary back, rotating with Ezekiel Elliott. They have similar skill sets, and can catch the ball out of the backfield as needed. During each offensive series, they might be on the field for all three downs.
Bottom line, there’s no designated third down back deployed on passing downs to help drive the offense.
The feeling was Ty Montgomery would be that guy, it just hasn’t materialized.
So why have the Patriots seemingly abandoned such a vital role?
Speaking with Faulk recently, he doesn’t believe they’ve necessarily scrapped the role. They’ve just packaged it differently. The position has evolved.
“The third down back is your every-down back now because of what the offenses are turning into,” said Faulk. “They’re getting away from having the big, power backs on first and second down.”
Instead, many teams have versatile backs who can either run, or catch the football all three downs. Think Christian McCaffrey of the 49ers. Or Alvin Kamara of the Saints.
Nowadays, every down is a passing down. Offenses are predicated on the passing game.
While teams still want to establish the run, offenses are just as likely to throw on first down as they are to run. That’s how it is every down.
“So I don’t think it’s going away necessarily,” Faulk said of the third-down back. “How we play the game has changed. More offenses are spread (on early downs). That’s what they’re going to.”
And yet, Montgomery, who is a back/receiver, is still around, taking up a roster spot as a returner. He rarely sees the backfield. Pierre Strong, who they appeared to be grooming for the role, was traded to the Browns.
Vereen says another factor for no longer having that third-down back, per se, is due to many teams now having three really good receivers. So it’s not as critical for someone to create a mismatch coming out of the backfield.
The Patriots, however, don’t have one elite receiver, much less three. Eliminating that one back who can take some of the pressure off the receivers, not to mention the quarterback, hasn’t worked out to be a positive for the Patriots.
While they still lead with the run, they still pass at a pretty good clip during the early downs. So having the same guy at first down, or third down doesn’t make much of a difference. In theory, at least.
“It’s shifted to a pass-first offense. And when I was playing I still believe it was pass-first, but it was slightly pass first,” said Vereen. “Now it’s like, we’re passing the football. And if we have to, then we’ll run.”
That’s led to the makeup of offenses to change. And it’s apparently led to the Patriots ditching the third-down back altogether. Since Bill O’Brien is still running a revamped version of the Patriots old offense, which is fueled by the slot receiver and third-down back, it still seems odd that he would completely abandon the position.
That’s left Stevenson (29 catches, 215 yards) and Elliott (16 catches, 74 yards) to hold down the fort, and basically do it all. Together, they’ve combined for 45 catches, for 289 yards. Just for comparison’s sake, White’s stats after nine games in 2019? Forty-eight catches for 420 yards.
During an earlier “Eye on Foxborough” podcast, White thought bringing back the third down back might provide a spark for the Patriots. But he also felt the team needed much more than that to fix what was broke.
“There’s so many issues,” he said. “If you had a ‘third down back’ it might get them going a little bit, but I don’t think that’s changing the whole dynamic of what’s going on with the offense.”
In the end, it’s tough to argue with that assessment.
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