James White Evolving into Solid Scatback for New England Patriots

First, it was Danny Woodhead. Then, it was Shane Vereen. For the first half of the 2015 season, it was Dion Lewis. And now, James White is establishing himself as the next Kevin Faulk for the New England Patriots.

Since Lewis went down with a torn left ACL, White has emerged as a valuable scatback to fill into Lewis' vacated spot. In the past three games, White has pulled in 14 catches for 152 yards and two touchdowns while adding seven carries for 19 yards and another touchdown.

Player	James White	Rest of team
Rec	10	19
Yds	115	233
TD	1	2

The Patriots knew White had it in him; they drafted him in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL draft, making him the first running back they've drafted since 2011. But they hadn't had a chance to see it on the field yet, at least not until Lewis' injury opened a door for White to get his first opportunity.

White has kicked that door down. On Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles, White caught 10 passes for 115 yards. In those respective categories, he is tied for fifth- and fourth-most in a single game among running backs in team history. Maybe it's time for White to get more opportunities, or maybe White fits perfectly into his role as currently defined.

"I feel like I can do it, but I know my role on this team," White said on WEEI's Ordway, Merloni and Fauria. "Whatever they ask me to do, I'm gonna do it, whether it's running on first or second [down], catching the ball on first or second or third [down], I'm just gonna try to do that."

The Patriots have asked him to do a lot, though, from running to catching to blocking. But make no mistake; his ability to do all three has been what's allowed him to continue getting opportunities, and the blocking is just as important as (if not more important than) the other two. Though he hasn't been asked to do much of it (29 pass-block snaps, according to Pro Football Focus), he's been mostly effective when doing it (two pressures allowed). 

There are clearly a lot of characteristics of a third-down back in the Patriots offense, but one comes to mind that often gets overlooked.

"I think it's dependability," Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said of the position, "because there are a lot of things that you ask that player to do. Not just catch the ball, but when you hand it to him, what are you going to do and blitz pickup, and it's kind of a lot of things that happen back there. We have quite a few protections, so when it comes down to it, you've got to have someone that you have a lot of confidence in that can obviously be a playmaker with the ball but also be dependable to do some dirty work."

But for as important as it is to be able to block, the true impact of a third-down back will be measured by how he contributes with the ball in his hands. In that respect, White's biggest impact has been in the passing game. 

White scored two touchdowns—one as a runner and one as a receiver—in the Patriots' win over the Buffalo Bills in Week 11. His ability to contribute on both running and passing downs has made him a capable replacement for Lewis.

After a year and a half of learning by watching, White is finally getting some hands-on experience, and it's allowing him to hone his game, show his ability and evolve into a very dependable scatback for the Patriots. 

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained via team news release.