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http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2...th-patriots/0fwtMn0UEuuqMLZS1ne7SP/story.html
FOXBOROUGH — Of the 63 players on the Patriots’ roster — 53 active, 10 practice squad — only one was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy.
It wasn’t Tom Brady or Rob Gronkowski. Not Julian Edelman or Danny Amendola or Brandon LaFell. None of the offensive linemen and, considering that only one defensive player has won the award in its 81-year history (Charles Woodson, 1997), nobody from the Patriots’ defense.
The answer is Montee Ball, one of the newest Patriots. Signed to the practice squad on Tuesday, Ball was a standout running back at the University of Wisconsin, finishing his career with 83 touchdowns, still an FCS record. His 77 rushing touchdowns had been the FCS record, until Navy’s Keenan Reynolds broke that this season.
On Dec. 10, 2011, Ball joined Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III, Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, Louisiana State defensive back Tyrann Mathieu, and Alabama running back Trent Richardson in New York’s Times Square for the nationally televised announcement. Griffin was the winner, with Ball finishing fourth.
Luck, Griffin, and Richardson were the top three picks in the 2012 NFL Draft, while Ball returned that fall for his senior season at Wisconsin. He was drafted in the second round by the Broncos in 2013, and played in 21 games for the Broncos before being released at the start of this season. He’d been waiting for another opportunity when the Patriots — dangerously thin at running back — rang him up.
“I think it’s a great thing. It’s a great organization. You can’t complain, playing for the Patriots, just from their history of what they’ve done here,” Ball said on Thursday, before his second practice. “It’s a great feeling to be part of this.”
How much Ball is part of this will be up to him, but for someone signed to the practice squad, the path to playing in a game isn’t that far-fetched.
Because of season-ending injuries to Dion Lewis on Nov. 8, then to LeGarrette Blount last Sunday, the Patriots are down to just two running backs on their active roster, Brandon Bolden and James White. Ball is the only tailback on the practice squad.
Combined, Bolden and White have 823 rushing yards in their NFL careers, slightly more than Ball’s 731. But if he’s looking for a chance to play, he might be on the right team.
“I’m not in the position anymore to where I can say what I want to do and where I want to be,” Ball said. “It’s wherever they want to put me, so whenever my number is called, I’m going to do what I can.”
Joining a team in the middle of the season is never easy, but Ball’s transition has been eased by having White here. They were teammates at Wisconsin, taking turns over three seasons (2010-12) in leading the Badgers in rushing.
In 2010, White was the leading rusher, with 1,052 yards. The next two seasons it was Ball, who rushed for 1,923 yards as the Heisman finalist in 2011 — when he scored 39 touchdowns — then 1,830 yards as a senior in 2012.
Ball is second on Wisconsin’s career rushing list with 5,140 yards, while White (4,015) ranks fourth. Now they’re teammates again.
“Extremely helpful. We were roommates in college, so we go way back. He knows everything about me, I know everything about him. It’s a lot more comforting,” Ball said. “He’s been everything I’ve needed for this transition.”
Said White: “It’s good to have another Badger in the house.”
Ball is simply appreciative of getting another chance to play. He had a solid season as a rookie with the Broncos in 2013 (559 yards, 4.7-yard average), then saw his playing time plummet the following season. Maybe that was a sign of things to come: Ball spent training camp this season with the Broncos, then was released on Sept. 6, days before the season opener.
“It was shocking when the Broncos let me go. But I believe everything happens for a reason,” Ball said. “Given the opportunities I was given there in Denver, I can only look back on them now and get better from them and move on. That’s part of the game. You can’t play the ‘woe is me’ card.”
Ball said he’d been doing all the things that out-of-work football players do when they’re looking for a job. He ran, he lifted weights, he worked out for teams. He likely owes his shot with the Patriots to a knee injury (Lewis) and a hip injury (Blount), but whatever the reason, Ball is here.
“One part of it is the overall depth at the position,” coach Bill Belichick said. “But he has some experience, has some ability in the running game and the passing game, good-sized back. We’ll see how it goes.”
First things first. Ball must show enough as a practice squad player to be promoted to the 53-man active roster. But without a logjam at the position, that’s a very real possibility. And because Ball had been out of football for three months, his body hasn’t taken a pounding, another plus.
“Fresh legs right now, especially coming in this late in the season,” Ball said. “Belichick, he knows what he’s doing, he knows what I’m capable of doing. I’m going to show them what I can do.”
FOXBOROUGH — Of the 63 players on the Patriots’ roster — 53 active, 10 practice squad — only one was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy.
It wasn’t Tom Brady or Rob Gronkowski. Not Julian Edelman or Danny Amendola or Brandon LaFell. None of the offensive linemen and, considering that only one defensive player has won the award in its 81-year history (Charles Woodson, 1997), nobody from the Patriots’ defense.
The answer is Montee Ball, one of the newest Patriots. Signed to the practice squad on Tuesday, Ball was a standout running back at the University of Wisconsin, finishing his career with 83 touchdowns, still an FCS record. His 77 rushing touchdowns had been the FCS record, until Navy’s Keenan Reynolds broke that this season.
On Dec. 10, 2011, Ball joined Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III, Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, Louisiana State defensive back Tyrann Mathieu, and Alabama running back Trent Richardson in New York’s Times Square for the nationally televised announcement. Griffin was the winner, with Ball finishing fourth.
Luck, Griffin, and Richardson were the top three picks in the 2012 NFL Draft, while Ball returned that fall for his senior season at Wisconsin. He was drafted in the second round by the Broncos in 2013, and played in 21 games for the Broncos before being released at the start of this season. He’d been waiting for another opportunity when the Patriots — dangerously thin at running back — rang him up.
“I think it’s a great thing. It’s a great organization. You can’t complain, playing for the Patriots, just from their history of what they’ve done here,” Ball said on Thursday, before his second practice. “It’s a great feeling to be part of this.”
How much Ball is part of this will be up to him, but for someone signed to the practice squad, the path to playing in a game isn’t that far-fetched.
Because of season-ending injuries to Dion Lewis on Nov. 8, then to LeGarrette Blount last Sunday, the Patriots are down to just two running backs on their active roster, Brandon Bolden and James White. Ball is the only tailback on the practice squad.
Combined, Bolden and White have 823 rushing yards in their NFL careers, slightly more than Ball’s 731. But if he’s looking for a chance to play, he might be on the right team.
“I’m not in the position anymore to where I can say what I want to do and where I want to be,” Ball said. “It’s wherever they want to put me, so whenever my number is called, I’m going to do what I can.”
Joining a team in the middle of the season is never easy, but Ball’s transition has been eased by having White here. They were teammates at Wisconsin, taking turns over three seasons (2010-12) in leading the Badgers in rushing.
In 2010, White was the leading rusher, with 1,052 yards. The next two seasons it was Ball, who rushed for 1,923 yards as the Heisman finalist in 2011 — when he scored 39 touchdowns — then 1,830 yards as a senior in 2012.
Ball is second on Wisconsin’s career rushing list with 5,140 yards, while White (4,015) ranks fourth. Now they’re teammates again.
“Extremely helpful. We were roommates in college, so we go way back. He knows everything about me, I know everything about him. It’s a lot more comforting,” Ball said. “He’s been everything I’ve needed for this transition.”
Said White: “It’s good to have another Badger in the house.”
Ball is simply appreciative of getting another chance to play. He had a solid season as a rookie with the Broncos in 2013 (559 yards, 4.7-yard average), then saw his playing time plummet the following season. Maybe that was a sign of things to come: Ball spent training camp this season with the Broncos, then was released on Sept. 6, days before the season opener.
“It was shocking when the Broncos let me go. But I believe everything happens for a reason,” Ball said. “Given the opportunities I was given there in Denver, I can only look back on them now and get better from them and move on. That’s part of the game. You can’t play the ‘woe is me’ card.”
Ball said he’d been doing all the things that out-of-work football players do when they’re looking for a job. He ran, he lifted weights, he worked out for teams. He likely owes his shot with the Patriots to a knee injury (Lewis) and a hip injury (Blount), but whatever the reason, Ball is here.
“One part of it is the overall depth at the position,” coach Bill Belichick said. “But he has some experience, has some ability in the running game and the passing game, good-sized back. We’ll see how it goes.”
First things first. Ball must show enough as a practice squad player to be promoted to the 53-man active roster. But without a logjam at the position, that’s a very real possibility. And because Ball had been out of football for three months, his body hasn’t taken a pounding, another plus.
“Fresh legs right now, especially coming in this late in the season,” Ball said. “Belichick, he knows what he’s doing, he knows what I’m capable of doing. I’m going to show them what I can do.”
