New England Patriots: James White an unsung star
New England Patriots pass-catching running back James White is an unsung star of the team.
Other New England Patriots players were overshadowed by the towering figure of Tom Brady for nearly two decades. No one player in the history of the team and the league has had such a dramatic impact on the fortunes of his franchise.
But that notwithstanding, there have been other stars of this team who have been under noted if not underappreciated because of the huge shadow cast by Brady. One of those players is running back James White.
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White has been a fixture for New England since being drafted in the 4th round in 2014. After a slow rookie season, he exploded onto the scene in 2015 after the departure of Shane Vereen in free agency to the Giants. White has made his mark as a pass-catching back.
In his rookie season, White caught only 5 passes. Since then, White has 315 receptions in the regular season. He has established himself as one of the league’s premier 3rd down and generally pass caching backs.
In addition, he has been a productive back in the run. He has averaged a solid 4.1 yards on 279 carries for 1119 yards over his career in a supporting role. But his greatest contributions to New England have been through the air.
White established a great rapport with quarterback Brady and was a valued and trusted target from the backfield for the past 5 years. Since 2015, he has caught 40, 60, 56, 80 and 72 passes.
That is outstanding production. His ability provided a first option as well as a sure-handed safety valve those years for Brady. He was a major factor in their offensive success.
No doubt that White will be a key person in the New New England offense that will emerge in 2020 and beyond. If not, the Patriots’ offense will be in dire straights.
Julian Edelman and White are the key receivers for New England since the departure of Rob Gronkowski. No one else stepped up to take some of the slack off Edelman and White last season. It was a major reason for the early exit of the Patriots from the 2019 playoffs.
James White New England Patriots playoff star
Adding to his outstanding regular season is his stellar performances in 12 playoff games for New England. In those games, he caught 59 passes from 90 targets with 3 touchdowns through the air.
In those games, he caught 59 passes from 90 targets with 3 touchdowns through the air. In addition, White has the same playoff average per rush, 4.1 yards as his regular-season average. He also has rushed for 5 playoff TD’s on the ground.
None of his touchdowns were more consequential than his 3 TD’s in the 2017 Super Bowl against Atlanta in early 2018. 2 TD’s were on the ground and one in the air.
This included his super effort run to get into the endzone and win the game in the first overtime Super Bowl game and win in history.
In that signature win, White had 29 yards on 6 carries and an amazing 110 yards on 14 catches in 16 targets. He also had a massively important 2-yard conversion in the 4th quarter of that Atlanta Super Bowl game.
White could easily have been named the MVP of that Super Bowl or at least co-MVP. Only an other-worldly comeback effort by Brady precluded that from happening. Nevertheless, White’s performance was without question, one for the ages.
After his first 6 years in the league being on the end of Brady’s passes, White will be catching passes from someone else this season.
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White has been a tremendous performer, a star back for the Patriots over those years. He will be a key to their success in 2020 and beyond, as well.