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SEPTEMBER 16, 2020
By Alex Barth,
985TheSportsHub.com
The
Patriots offense looked very new and very different on Sunday in Cam Newton's
debut. While besides Newton himself it's mostly the same players out there,
they're being asked to do different things than they were in the past.
Perhaps
the most notable shift for a returning member of the team was Rex Burkhead. He's always been
known as a versatile player, but they had him lining up all over the field in
the season opener. From traditional running back sets, to jet motions, split
out wide, and even in an inline tight end spot, the 30-year old back seemed to be
everywhere in the formation on Sunday.
"I
enjoy it," Burkhead told reporters on Wednesday. "Just being able to
be the versatile piece for the offense to be able to - whether that's split out
wide, come in motion, be in the backfield, whatever that is. You know, I take
pride in that."
While
it's certainly a new look to the Patriots offensive sets, Burkhead says his new
role didn't come as a surprise.
"It's
something I could always kind of see myself doing," he said, before
crediting offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels for seeing the potential in that
kind of usage. "Coach McDaniels knows our strengths and how we can be used
out on the field. And so he does that to the best of his ability and to put us
in a good position to win."
That potential was certainly maximized
in the opener. The Patriots rushing for a league-high 217 yards on 42 carries,
their best performance on the ground in two years. Burkhead himself accounted
for 32 yards on seven carries, and his fifth-best career rushing average (4.6
yards/attempt) when carrying the ball at least seven times in one game.
Expect Burkhead to keep thriving in his
newly modified role. After all, it's offensive creativity like this that helped
draw him to the Patriots in free agency in 2017.
"That's
a part of it," he said. "You've always seen how they've used their
backs in the passing game. It's something that always I wanted to do (sic). And
in the run game, of course, as well. So it's definitely intriguing. It was
intriguing to me and I just enjoyed that."
Now,
that was only one game, and what we saw week one likely wasn't the finished
product of the 2020 offense, but rather just a taste of what's to come. We'll
see how Burkhead's role continues to evolve as the season goes on.
Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for
985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of
98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts?
Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or
via email at Alexander.Barth@bbgi.com
