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Patriots Gridiron News: Griff Whalen Excited for Opportunity in New England

By Tarringo Basile-vaughan

Nov 13, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers wide receiver Griff Whalen (83) catches a pass before the game against the Miami Dolphins at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 13, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers wide receiver Griff Whalen (83) catches a pass before the game against the Miami Dolphins at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports /
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New England Patriots new wide receiver Griff Whalen is excited to play for a team he has gone against a few times. 

Newly acquired wide receiver Griff Whalen has played against the Patriots quite a few times.  Brought in to help secure the receiving corps following the injury to Danny Amendola, Whalen is “excited” about the opportunity and is already following the “Do Your Job” motto.

"“I was excited to come into a good team that I’ve gone against a few times,” Whalen said via NESN. “I was excited for another opportunity to come in and hopefully help out the team however I can.”"

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Whalen, who spent most of his career with the Indianapolis Colts, played eight games for the San Diego Chargers this season.  He was released by the team on Nov. 22.  In those eight games played, Whalen caught just two passes.  However, he does have experience returning punts.

The 5-foot-11, 190-pound receiver said he is comfortable returning punts and has been doing so since he was a kid.  He has returned 46 punts in the NFL, averaging 8.2 yards per return.  His experience could be a main reason the team signed him.

With rookie Cyrus Jones struggling to secure the ball and the team’s need to keep Julian Edelman healthy, bringing in a veteran like Whalen is a smart move.  Although head coach Bill Belichick is tight-lipped on how the team will use Whalen, he could and should make his debut Monday night when the team battles the Baltimore Ravens.

Pony Express: With Rob Gronkowski out for the season and Martellus Bennett slowed by injury, the New England Patriots will utilize their “Pony Express” formation.  The grouping will put James White and Dion Lewis (or perhaps D.J. Foster) on the field at the same time with Tom Brady in a shotgun formation.

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Dec 4, 2016; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) hands the ball off to running back Dion Lewis (33) during the second quarter at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports /

The pairing helps Brady in the short passing game. The only challenge is, neither player is particularly great at run blocking.  So, with both on the field, it would typically be on passing plays.

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Although the team hasn’t used the formation a lot, mostly due to Lewis being out most of the season, head coach Bill Belichick said it will depend on how defenses defend the play and how successful the team is running it.

"“I’m sure it’ll change from game to game depending on how defenses will play that or how we think they’ll play it and what we want to try and do and so forth,” Belichick said. “But we’ll just have to see how it goes. We have a lot of variations like that. Sometimes we use them, sometimes we don’t.”"

Injury report:  Martellus Bennett is among five players listed as questionable for Monday night’s game against the Baltimore Ravens.

The other players include Matthew Slater, Jordan Richards, Eric Rowe and Elandon Roberts.  Danny Amendola is the only player listed as out.

Next: New England Patriots Rumors: Jimmy Garoppolo as Good as Gone

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