Shane Vereen Illness: Updates on Patriots Star's Status and Return

Updates from Sunday, Oct. 26

The Patriots confirm Shane Vereen is available to play in Week 8:

Original Text

The New England Patriots will hope that Shane Vereen can get healthy before Sunday as the running back deals with an illness.  

Mark Daniels of the Providence Journal passed along the news:

Last year, the 25-year-old only appeared in eight games after breaking his wrist in Week 1. He returned in Week 11 against the Carolina Panthers, eventually finishing with 208 rushing yards, 427 receiving yards and four combined touchdowns.

Losing Vereen would hit New England extra hard since Stevan Ridley's already been ruled out for the season. Brandon Bolden would likely see a major uptick in carries if Vereen can't play.

Vereen filled in well as the No. 1 running back, particularly in Week 7, during which he had 43 yards on the ground and 71 receiving yards and two touchdowns through the air.

The Patriots had a few hiccups early in the season, during which things got so bad that Tom Brady began receiving his fair share of criticism. New England got things back on track, however, following its 43-17 demolition of the Cincinnati Bengals.

That win helped put the Patriots into that upper echelon of Super Bowl contenders, of which there have been few this year.

Losing Vereenwould stunt that progress a bit. Without a steady running game, more pressure will be heaped upon Brady. You'd trust Brady to get the job done, but there's little question that his talents are diminishing, even if only gradually.

Vereen's illness will be something to monitor as Sunday approaches.