HOUSTON — If you ever see a New England Patriots running back by himself, snap a picture. It’s a rare sight. And if you see LeGarrette Blount, Brandon Bolden, James White and Dion Lewis together and they’re not in hysterics, you know something is very wrong.
“There’s a really great camaraderie with this team,” quarterback Tom Brady said. “If you look at the running backs, they don’t walk anywhere without being three inches from one another. They all laugh at the same time.”
Don’t believe it?
Since at least 2013, the Patriots’ running backs always have been this close, and the constants within the group have been Bolden and running backs coach Ivan Fears, who successfully preaches selflessness to his players.
“It’s just the simple fact that our guys aren’t selfish,” Blount said. “We’re a really unselfish team. We don’t care who shines and we don’t care what moment they shine in. Ultimately, our team goal is to get the win. We don’t care if it’s (Chris) Hogan. We don’t care if it’s (Julian) Edelman. We don’t care if it’s Dion. We ultimately want to get the win, because when you get those, everybody’s name is mentioned.”
It’s important for each player to have his specific role, both on an off the field. On it, Blount is the power back, White is the third-down pass-catcher and Lewis can spell either. Bolden is a special-teams ace who can back up Blount, White or Lewis with his combination of size and pass-catching ability.
And unselfish usually is a cliche buzzword thrown around by NFL players in an attempt to prove they’re good teammates. But if you see Blount, Lewis, White and Bolden interact, it’s clear the selflessness is genuine.
Here’s how Fears sees each player off the field.
BRANDON BOLDEN
“Brandon’s more the — the guy who’s been here the longest. He’s like the elder statesman for the group. I depend on him to make sure messages get around, make sure they all know about the meetings they’re going to have, they get to their meetings, they do the things they’re supposed to do, they watch and study together. He’s just sort of the glue that keeps everything going in the right direction.
“He’s probably the most unselfish guy in the whole classroom. You don’t see it, but he does more for me than anybody else because he’s the glue that sort of keeps them going in the right direction when I don’t have to be there. It makes it more fun for them, because they get a lot more work done, and they can talk among themselves. They get a lot done. That’s because I can depend on Brandon to sort of look after that.”
LEGARRETTE BLOUNT
“He’s the papa bear, if you want to call him the bear. He’s the fun guy. He loves it. His energy, his love for life, his love for the game is kind of contagious at times. I’m very fortunate to have a bunch of guys that are willing to share. And all of them are willing to share. Whoever’s getting it done, that’s all they want. That makes it so much easier.”
JAMES WHITE
“He’s the smartest one when it comes to knowing the game plan. He knows the game plan better than anyone else. If they have a play or two that might come up as they’re talking, they’re not sure of a call, he knows. James knows.”
DION LEWIS
“D is really hungry from last year. Last year was really hard on him. I think we get on him to make him relax, enjoy it. He can be a little serious at times. I think he’s got the chip on his shoulder, but I want him to enjoy this journey. He’s going to be really good, just enjoy the journey, enjoy getting there and doing the things he needs to do getting there. He’ll be all right.”
D.J. FOSTER AND TYLER GAFFNEY
“They’re the young guys, coming along. Hopefully they’re learning. Hopefully seeing the way things are being done, taking it all in. Hopefully they see that there’s a right way and a wrong way to do stuff if you want to be a professional. I hope they can figure that out. We’re going to see. They’re going to have their opportunities this coming spring to show me who they are and what they’ve learned. And I’ll make the corrections accordingly.”
Thumbnail photo via James Lang/USA TODAY Sports Images
