All signs point to rookie Sony Michel having a breakout game vs. Lions

FOXBOROUGH — Sony Michel sat. And sat. And sat some more.

The knee issues that dogged him for a sizable portion of the summer were incredibly frustrating for the rookie running back out of Georgia, a first-round pick of the Patriots. And if you know Michel at all, you know he doesn’t like sitting still. The quick running back is almost always on the move.

“Always,” he told BostonSportsJournal.com after practice on Friday, as he was taken from a team photo shoot to a video segment in preparation for “Sunday Night Football.”


But after being cleared earlier this month, the 5-foot-11, 216-pounder was ready to roll. Michel saw his first action of the year Sunday against the Jaguars, finishing with a team-high 34 yards on 10 carries. The highlight came on a 15-yard burst up the middle on the third quarter. It was New England’s longest run of the day, and one of the Patriots’ most productive plays from scrimmage on the afternoon.



“Sony always works hard, and he had a tough injury during camp and had some opportunities today, and he’ll learn from them,” Tom Brady said after Sunday’s loss. “Ran hard when he had some chances. He’s got some great mentors in James White and Rex (Burkhead) – those guys to learn from. Hopefully, he can keep building on what he has done.”

“He gets better every day,” Bill Belichick said of Michel last week. “He missed a lot of plays in training camp and in training camp practices. He’s gotten more of a chance to be involved with those more recently, and each time he runs them, he sees something a little different or reacts a little bit quicker or whatever it is, and he gains more confidence by doing something, multiple, double-digit times instead of just a couple times.”

On Friday, he said he hasn’t been surprised at much when it comes to life in the NFL. That includes the speed of the game, the intensity of the practice schedule or the workload that’s been placed upon his shoulders at such a relatively young age.

“No. It’s all football at the end of the day,” he said. “It’s all about how ready you’re going to be. No surprises. Coaches put us and the team in good position to be ready for anything that has been thrown our way. I think all the coaches did a great job of that.”

Now, the key is being able to build on his performance against the Jaguars, and there’s no better week for the rookie than this one — honestly, the odds of Michel making a splash in front of a national television audience Sunday night are pretty good. After a summer spent battling knee issues, he's says he's feeling good, and was removed from the practice report on Friday. Compounding things is the fact Patriots will be going into a game against a team that is apocalyptically bad when it comes to stopping the run. Detroit is last in the league when it comes to run defense (179.5 yards per game allowed).

Against the Jets, the Lions gave up 169 yards rushing, which included a 62-yard touchdown from Isaiah Crowell. Last week, Detroit gave up 190 yards rushing to the 49ers, including a 66-yard touchdown to Matt Breida. While White is more of a pass-catching option and Burkhead works his way back after a concussion, it could very well be Michel’s time to shine Sunday.

But don’t suggest he could be poised for a breakout game because the Lions have struggled statistically against the run. He recoils at the suggestion.

“Their defense, they flow to the ball pretty well,” he said. “It’s going to be one of those games where guys have to try and make plays. Execute and try and make big plays.”