James Develin: Cordarrelle Patterson’s decisiveness has been key element to his success at RB

FOXBOROUGH — The guy who has spent his entire career clearing a path for Patriots’ running backs knows better than most what it takes to be a successful part of the New England ground game. That’s why he hasn’t been all that shocked by the performance of Cordarrelle Patterson at running back the last two games.

One of the things that struck me when I was talking with fullback James Develin after Sunday’s win over the Packers was something he said about Patterson and his running style. I noted — semi-jokingly — that Patterson is a guy who is never at a loss for confidence. He’s completely convinced he’s a special player, especially when he has the ball in his hands. (He’s referred to himself as a “playmaker” on several occasions.) Develin laughed, but also quickly pointed out the fact Patterson’s confident style is one of the traits that really suits him when it comes to the position.

“He’s so fast and so decisive when it comes to running, (it) really lends itself to those types of situations,” Develin said. “He reads the blocks well. He’s been doing it with kick returns and all that kind of stuff. He has great vision. I just have to get on my horse a little bit when I’m out front with him so he doesn’t run me down.”

That prompted me to go back and watch film of each one of Patterson’s carries the last two games. Not all of them are perfect, and he doesn’t always hit the hole dead center. Basically, he’s not Corey Dillon. But there’s no hesitation in his running style. There’s no dancing. No indecisiveness, and no East-West movement. It’s all North-South. (Think the opposite of this guy.)











There's no hesitation in his game. Commit and go. That level of stone-cold confidence in your abilities — and level of faith in your blockers and fullback — is absolutely vital when it comes to running the ball.

“That decisiveness is huge. I think a lot of times, guys can think a little too much and the game kind of catches up to them,” Develin said of Patterson’s confidence when it comes to running the football. “In this case, there’s no paralysis by analysis. He just has the confidence in his skills, the guys up front, and his ability to create space.

“And, he’s a dynamic runner. With his vision that carries over from those space plays as a wide receiver and kick returner … the way he sees the blocking progression and the way it unfolds, he’s done a great job with it.”

They are two different players, but when it comes to field vision and making something happen, Patterson at running back reminds me a little of when Bill Belichick put LaGarrette Blount at kick returner. Both moves were (relatively) non-traditional ideas, but the field vision needed to be a successful returner is the same skill set you need at running back. Thinking two and three steps ahead to see how a play and blocks will develop. It’s what allowed Blount to be semi-successful in his brief career as a kick returner, and has helped make Patterson a serviceable short-term option for the Patriots at running back.

"He’s got really good vision. He allows things to kind of unfold and he has just enough patience to let that stuff happen,” Develin said. “And he’s decisive. He sees his opening and makes his break and let’s his God-given abilities do the rest.”

Develin is not going to say it, but the other thing that really stood out was the fact Patterson wasn’t going to go anywhere without his fullback these last two games. Patterson has 28 carries this season, with 21 of them coming in the last two games where he was in the backfield. (The others have come on jet sweeps.) On the four plays where he lined up as the only guy in the backfield the last two weeks, he’s averaged just two yards a carry.

Here's a good example of life without Develin.



On his other 17 snaps, he was in a two-back set with Develin in front of him, and he averaged 5.3 yards per carry. It’s not the only reason Patterson was successful, but it’s also not completely coincidental.

Bottom line? When you’re blessed with a fullback who has the field vision and background of someone like Develin, it can make it that much easier. There were multiple situations against the Packers where Patterson did well to just — very nearly — hold on to the back of Develin’s jersey.

“I think that’s just the difference in speed, so I think there are times where he has to wait to let me do my thing,” Develin said with a laugh. “I mean, it all starts up front with this offensive line. They’ve done such a good job all year of just creating space for me and the running back to get in there. Then, it’s just up to me to make just a one-on-one block and let these guys run. Our backs have done a great job. It’s a full team collective effort on every single play.”

After Sunday’s win over Green Bay, Patterson lobbied for even more carries this week against Tennessee, but with Sony Michel’s health trending in the right direction, that could end up being a pipe dream. If he doesn’t take another snap at the position this season, he provided a good reminder that if you're asked to make a position switch to running back, the first thing you need to remember is that he who hesitates is lost. And having a good fullback doesn't hurt either.