The Giants signed Shane Vereen, and I think a big part of the thinking there is his receiving ability. They have two other competent backs (Rashad Jennings and Andre Williams) but neither catches the ball like Vereen. In New England, they tended to get him outside, where he’s dynamite when matched up against certain linebackers.
Vereen caught 11 passes in the Super Bowl. Including the postseason, he’s caught 3 TD passes three years in a row.
Vereen 52 of 77 passes last year, which is actually below-average for a running back, but that’s mainly due to the kinds of routes he’s running. He’s like a wide receiver when catching passes, getting downfield. If he was just sitting down and catching dumpoff balls, he’d be up around 80 percent.
Anyway, New York’s leading rusher last year – Williams – is a non-factor in the passing game. Maybe the worst in the league.
Last year, 45 running backs were the intended target on at least 30 passes. In that group, Williams finished in a distant last. He caught only 18 of the 37 passes thrown his way. That’s less than half of the balls. Every other running back caught over 60 percent of the passes thrown his way.
Anyway, the Giants look set with this trio. Vereen is their third-down back, and they can work in him in other situations as well. Williams should be their main short-yardage and goal-line runner, while also getting a lot of work. And Jennings can kind of do everything pretty well.
With these guys, New York should use 2-3 backs in every game.
| RECEPTION RATES, RUNNING BACKS | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rk | Player | Rec | Tgt | Pct |
| 1. | Roy Helu, Wash. | 42 | 47 | 89.4% |
| 2. | DeMarco Murray, Dall. | 57 | 64 | 89.1% |
| 3. | Benny Cunningham, St.L. | 45 | 54 | 83.3% |
| 4. | Pierre Thomas, N.O. | 45 | 55 | 81.8% |
| 5. | Jonathan Stewart, Car. | 25 | 31 | 80.6% |
| 6. | Mark Ingram, N.O. | 29 | 36 | 80.6% |
| 7. | Branden Oliver, S.D. | 36 | 45 | 80.0% |
| 8. | Trent Richardson, Ind. | 27 | 34 | 79.4% |
| 9. | Ahmad Bradshaw, Ind. | 38 | 48 | 79.2% |
| 10. | LeVeon Bell, Pitt. | 83 | 105 | 79.0% |
| 11. | Devonta Freeman, Atl. | 30 | 38 | 78.9% |
| 12. | Matt Forte, Chi. | 102 | 130 | 78.5% |
| 13. | C.J. Anderson, Den. | 34 | 44 | 77.3% |
| 14. | Marshawn Lynch, Sea. | 37 | 48 | 77.1% |
| 15. | Eddie Lacy, G.B. | 42 | 55 | 76.4% |
| 16. | LeSean McCoy, Phil. | 28 | 37 | 75.7% |
| 17. | Justin Forsett, Balt. | 44 | 59 | 74.6% |
| 18. | Travaris Cadet, N.O. | 38 | 51 | 74.5% |
| 19. | Denard Robinson, Jac. | 23 | 31 | 74.2% |
| 20. | De'Anthony Thomas, K.C. | 23 | 31 | 74.2% |
| 21. | Fred Jackson, Buff. | 66 | 90 | 73.3% |
| 22. | Bobby Rainey, T.B. | 33 | 45 | 73.3% |
| 23. | Leon Washington, Tenn. | 22 | 30 | 73.3% |
| 24. | Rashad Jennings, NYG | 30 | 41 | 73.2% |
| 25. | Lamar Miller, Mia. | 38 | 52 | 73.1% |
| 26. | Giovani Bernard, Cin. | 43 | 59 | 72.9% |
| 27. | Jacquizz Rodgers, Atl. | 29 | 40 | 72.5% |
| 28. | Dexter McCluster, Tenn. | 26 | 36 | 72.2% |
| 29. | Andre Ellington, Ariz. | 46 | 64 | 71.9% |
| 30. | Reggie Bush, Det. | 40 | 56 | 71.4% |
| 31. | Donald Brown, S.D. | 29 | 41 | 70.7% |
| 32. | Chris Johnson, NYJ | 24 | 34 | 70.6% |
| 33. | Matt Asiata, Minn. | 44 | 63 | 69.8% |
| 34. | Theo Riddick, Det. | 34 | 50 | 68.0% |
| 35. | Jamaal Charles, K.C. | 40 | 59 | 67.8% |
| 36. | Shane Vereen, N.E. | 52 | 77 | 67.5% |
| 37. | Jerick McKinnon, Minn. | 27 | 41 | 65.9% |
| 38. | Jordan Todman, Jac. | 25 | 38 | 65.8% |
| 39. | Darren McFadden, Oak. | 36 | 55 | 65.5% |
| 40. | Joique Bell, Det. | 34 | 52 | 65.4% |
| 41. | Arian Foster, Hou. | 38 | 59 | 64.4% |
| 42. | Darren Sproles, Phil. | 40 | 63 | 63.5% |
| 43. | Marcel Reece, Oak. | 37 | 59 | 62.7% |
| 44. | Ronnie Hillman, Den. | 21 | 34 | 61.8% |
| 45. | Andre Williams, NYG | 18 | 37 | 48.6% |
—Ian Allan