Boston.com · Sep 2, 2018
Running backs have huge responsibilities when the Patriots pass
James White participates in a practice drill.Do your job.
It’s a mantra recited with mind-numbing frequency in the Patriots’ locker room, and one that requires some unpacking.
Take the running back position. As the title suggests, a back’s primary job is to run when handed the ball. Yet the label “running back’’ fails to capture each responsibility required, and one in particular that New England stresses early and often.
Running back Brandon Bolden, who was cut Saturday, explained.
“I didn’t know what pass-blocking was until I got here,’’ he said with a coy smile. “In college, they used to just point at a guy and say, ‘Get him.’ ’’
