Vereen and Ridley averaged more than a combined five yards per touch.
New England Patriots running back Stevan Ridley (22) finds some running room as New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Casillas (52) pursues during their first NFL preseason football game in Foxborough, Mass., Thursday, Aug. 9, 2012. FOXBOROUGH – There wasn’t much offense to speak of during Thursday’s game between the Patriots and Saints, but the New England running backs still managed to do enough to make their mark.
In their first game since BenJarvus Green-Ellis signed with the Cincinnati Bengals, Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen ran for a combined 104 yards on 19 carries, good for an average of 5.47 yards per touch.
In a game where much was left to be desired on the offensive side of the ball, the pair of second-year backs never once left spectators wishing for Green-Ellis.
The duo shared in those sentiments.
“There’s really no time to be uncomfortable,” Ridley said. “You’ve just got to be out there and make the best out of every opportunity that they give you.”
That, they did.
Ridley started the game and picked up his 40 yards in sporadic bursts throughout the first half. Vereen, meanwhile, bought in bulk.
Down 3-0 entering the third quarter, the Patriots finally put Vereen in the game and turned him loose. He ran seven times for 64 yards during the drive, including an 18 yard run to the left side of the field, to set up a Brian Hoyer touchdown pass to Britt Davis.
“It felt good. It was the first time to really strap it on and go live,” Vereen said. “I think everybody felt really good out there.”
Vereen is hoping that the game is the beginning of a coming out party for him. The bulk of his rookie season was wiped out by a hamstring injury, so he entered the game as a bit of an unknown.
On a personal level, Vereen said it felt good to get on the field and prove that he still has it.
“It’s been so long since I played with the injuries and everything, but I just wanted to go out and perform as well as I could with the team,” he said.
“It felt good. It felt good to be out there running.”