Tag: LeGarrette Blount

LeGarrette Blount joining pitch to bring DeAndre Hopkins to Patriots

LeGarrette Blount joins Matthew Judon in recruiting DeAndre Hopkins to the Patriots

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Former New England Patriots running back LeGarrette Blount is joining linebacker Matthew Judon in the recruiting pitch for five-time Pro Bowler DeAndre Hopkins.

The free-agent star wideout is slated to visit New England at some point this week, following his visit with the Tennessee Titans.

A Patriots fan offered to donate $500 to the charity of Hopkins’ choosing if he signed with the Patriots, and after being tagged in a Twitter post by the fan, Judon agreed to match that offer. Now, Blount is stepping up and agreeing to do the same.

“I’ll match that as well,” Blount said in a Twitter post.

The Patriots have a clear need for a true No. 1 receiver, and an elite player like Hopkins would finally give them that option.

Even Patriots receiver Kendrick Bourne recently said that he’d like to play with Hopkins on the field. So the excitement is definitely there for both fans and players alike.

And to think, they may not have to wait much longer for an answer.

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LeGarrette Blount calls out Chip Kelly for lack of support during suspension

In a recent interview with @johncanzanoBFT LeGarrette Blount had some interesting comments about his time playing for Chip Kelly.

The start of the 2009 football season marked a new change for the Oregon Ducks. No longer was long-time head coach Mike Bellotti running the show, but rather former offensive coordinator Chip Kelly had stepped up to take his place.

Expectations were high for Oregon after a nice win in the Holiday Bowl the year before, and with Jeremiah Masoli and LeGarrette Blount leading the way, there were reasons for optimism.

Unfortunately, that optimism faded away rather quickly, with the Ducks dropping their season-opener to Boise State, 19-8. Things went downhill quickly, as well, with Blount making national headlines in the aftermath of the game, punching Broncos’ DE Byron Hout and dropping him to the ground. Blount had to be restrained and escorted off of the field, and would serve a suspension for the majority of the 2009 season, only coming back at the end of the year.

While some believed that suspending Blount for so long was a little harsh, the Oregon legend said this week that Kelly initially wanted him out for the entire season. In an interview with The Oregonian‘s John Canzano, Blount opened up about that season and admitted that he didn’t feel like his former coach had his back. You can listen to the full interview here.

“I think that is very misconstrued,” Blount said. “Without getting into details about that I feel like me personally along with probably a handful of teammates or so looked out for me and supported me and had my back more so than he did. He wasn’t someone that was calling my phone or reaching out to me on a daily basis type thing. I think it was the pressure of people feeling that I was punished unfairly. I think the pressures of that put it in motion for me to be able to come back and play at the end of the season. Because his initial reaction was to suspend me for the entire year. I don’t think he ever really fully supported me.”

Blount returned for the final regular-season game against the Oregon State Beavers and played in Oregon’s Rose Bowl appearance against Ohio State as well. In total, he had 14 carries for 87 yards and 2 touchdowns in those games.

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LeGarrette Blount: Bill Belichick won’t retire until he proves he doesn’t need Tom Brady

LeGarrette Blount thinks Bill Belichick’s retirement plans are tied to Tom Brady

LeGarrette Blount didn’t quite answer the question when he was asked how long New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick will go before retiring. But Blount did indicate what might be keeping the 69-year-old coach around.

“I think he’s going to be for a while — at least until he proves that he don’t need 12,” Blount told NBC Sports Boston’s Phil Perry in the week before the Super Bowl.

When Blount says 12, he clearly means Tom Brady, who retired this offseason after winning a Super Bowl in his first season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brady proved he didn’t need Belichick to have success in Tampa. The Patriots coach, however, has yet to prove he can be truly successful without the greatest quarterback of all time. Last offseason, the Patriots made their first playoff appearance in the post-Brady era but lost to the Buffalo Bills, 47-17.

Whenever Belichick does retire, Blount thinks the Patriots should be sure to make Belichick a part of the process of selecting his replacement.

“I think Bill is locked in and he’s going to be locked into it as long as he can — as long as he needs to be to find someone that he’s comfortable with taking over the reins,” Blount said. “I know he’s not the one that’s hiring the next head coach but I know they’re definitely going to involve him in the process. They would be dumb not to.”

There’s no one clearly in line to be Belichick’s successor after Josh McDaniels left the Patriots to join the Las Vegas Raiders. New England has a few candidates — Jerod Mayo and Belichick’s son Steve Belichick — but Belichick has made zero indication he’s considering retirement. So it’s too early to look at the in-house candidates. They, like McDaniels, could leave in the coming years.

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Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson hoping to lean on LeGarrette Blount for advice

Rhamondre Stevenson is getting advice from a former Patriots running back.

New England Patriots rookie running back Rhamondre Stevenson is hoping to lean on a former Patriot for advice.

In speaking to the media on Friday, Stevenson, a former Oklahoma star, indicated that he has been seeking advice from retired Patriots running back LeGarrette Blount. Back in May, Stevenson indicated that Blount was a player who he grew up watching.

Coming off a pair of solid preseason contests, Stevenson noted that he has spoken with the veteran running back. In particular, he picks Blount’s brain about where he could improve. The rookie hopes that he will be able to talk to Blount more as the season goes on.

“I had a few words with him, yeah,” Stevenson said Friday in a video conference. “I hope to have some more with him, just to pick his brain and just see where he sees some fault and some (areas) where I could get better and things like that. So yeah, I talked to him, but I hope to talk to him a little bit more and pick his brain and just see what I need to work on from his point of view.”

With Stevenson providing ample production for the Patriots in their running game, Blount’s advice could prove to be important moving forward.

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Former Sooner Rhamondre Stevenson continues to climb Patriots’ depth chart

The first two preseason games of Stevenson’s career seem to have landed him a promotion.

A lot of people in and around the NFL will tell you that the preseason is useless. It is safe to say that former Sooners running back Rhamondre Stevenson is not one of them.

The first two preseason games of the rookie’s career seem to have landed him a promotion. News broke Wednesday that the Patriots are trading away the man in front of Stevenson (Sony Michel) to the Los Angeles Rams for a pair of 2022 draft picks.

Stevenson’s production on the ground and the Patriots’ 2-0 preseason record are no coincidence. In week one, he carried the ball 10 times for a team-high 127 yards and two touchdowns in New England’s 22-13 win over Washington.

In week two, he proved he was no preseason one-hit-wonder by racking up another two touchdowns and 66 rushing yards. While two games is a small sample size to support trading away a productive running back like Michel, the Patriots are infatuated with Stevenson’s physicality.

Comparisons between Stevenson and former New England power back LeGarrette Blount are well documented. Our colleagues over at Touchdown Wire had this to say about the similarities between the two.

The comparisons between New England Patriots rookie Rhamondre Stevenson and retired running back LeGarrette Blount are legit. Stevenson, just like Blount, has decent speed and loves to break tackles. Nobody is saying Stevenson is an exact replica of Blount, but they have strikingly similar styles that fit perfectly into the Patriots’ power run scheme.

They both have patience behind blockers, lateral jump cuts using those blockers and the ability to shed arm tackles while maintaining north and south speed in the open field. Those three qualities are what must have led the Patriots to draft him in the fourth round in 2021. – Laurie Fitzpatrick

If we’re being honest, the Patriots’ decision to trade away Sony Michel isn’t entirely based on Stevenson’s preseason success. New England is also impressed with the production of undrafted free agent J.J Taylor.

However, if Stevenson puts together an NFL career remotely similar to Blount (56 TDs, 4.4 ypc), he won’t get to be a fantasy sleeper much longer.

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LeGarrette Blount addresses ‘the question’ that comes with Josh McDaniels’ coaching candidacy

Why Blount thinks McDaniels isn’t getting head coaching jobs.

Retired NFL running back LeGarrette Blount thinks he has the scoop on why no one seems to want to hire New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.

McDaniels served as the Denver Broncos coach in 2009 and 2010 and then agreed to terms to serve as the Indianapolis Colts coach in Feb. 2018 before bailing at the last minute. That has left him in his coordinator role in New England. Though he’s had a few interviews for openings over the last few years — including being one of the two finalists for the Philadelphia Eagles’ job this year — McDaniels has yet to land a new job.

“I liked playing for Josh. I loved playing for Josh,” Blount told radio hosts Jon Marks and Ike Reese in a Wednesday interview on Philadelphia’s SportsRadio 94 WIP. “Josh is an amazing offensive coordinator and game-planner on the offensive side. I’ve never been up under him as a head coach, but I know that he has been a head coach before and he obviously has some leadership skills and a lot of experience in the game.”

But McDaniels is a disciple of Bill Belichick, which has yet to produce a Super Bowl champion — unlike the coaching tree of someone like former Philadelphia Eagles coach and current Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid.

“I think the question is the approach,” Blount said. “You get a lot of guys that come from New England that try to bring the New England way to a different team, and you don’t have those same type of players.

“Bill [Belichick] knows how to go get players that will fit into that and mold into that,” added Blount. “I think sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. And I don’t know how Josh would approach a head-coaching situation, whether he’d want to bring that or whether he’d put his own spin on it like [Brian] Flores with Miami. You never know what the idea is, and what they are going to bring.”

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LeGarrette Blount addresses ‘the question’ that comes with Josh McDaniels’ coaching candidacy

Why Blount thinks McDaniels isn’t getting head coaching jobs.

Retired NFL running back LeGarrette Blount thinks he has the scoop on why no one seems to want to hire New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.

McDaniels served as the Denver Broncos coach in 2009 and 2010 and then agreed to terms to serve as the Indianapolis Colts coach in Feb. 2018 before bailing at the last minute. That has left him in his coordinator role in New England. Though he’s had a few interviews for openings over the last few years — including being one of the two finalists for the Philadelphia Eagles’ job this year — McDaniels has yet to land a new job.

“I liked playing for Josh. I loved playing for Josh,” Blount told radio hosts Jon Marks and Ike Reese in a Wednesday interview on Philadelphia’s SportsRadio 94 WIP. “Josh is an amazing offensive coordinator and game-planner on the offensive side. I’ve never been up under him as a head coach, but I know that he has been a head coach before and he obviously has some leadership skills and a lot of experience in the game.”

But McDaniels is a disciple of Bill Belichick, which has yet to produce a Super Bowl champion — unlike the coaching tree of someone like former Philadelphia Eagles coach and current Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid.

“I think the question is the approach,” Blount said. “You get a lot of guys that come from New England that try to bring the New England way to a different team, and you don’t have those same type of players.

“Bill [Belichick] knows how to go get players that will fit into that and mold into that,” added Blount. “I think sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. And I don’t know how Josh would approach a head-coaching situation, whether he’d want to bring that or whether he’d put his own spin on it like [Brian] Flores with Miami. You never know what the idea is, and what they are going to bring.”

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Watch: LeGarrette Blount officially announces retirement with classy exit

LeGarrette Blount officially announced his retirement on his 34th birthday

Running back LeGarrette Blount took to Instagram on Saturday to make his retirement official.

“I just want to inform y’all that I’m officially retiring,” Blount wrote on his 34th birthday. “I have thought long and hard about this decision, and I’ve talked to my closest family members and friends about this. We collectively agreed on this decision. It is in the best interest of me and my family.”

Blount made the announcement on his 34th birthday.

Blount, who last saw NFL action in 2018, played for the Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions, Tennessee Titans, Tampa Buccaneers, Pittsburgh Steelers, and New England Patriots during his career.

Blount ends his career with 6,306 rushing yards and 56 touchdowns. He added 600 rushing yards in the postseason with 11 TDS, tied for sixth-most in NFL history.

With the Patriots, Blount won Super Bowl XLIX over the Seattle Seahawks and Super Bowl LI over the Atlanta Falcons. The following season he won Super Bowl LII with the Eagles, defeating his former team the Patriots.

 

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He was celebrated by other NFL stars:

Former Eagles RB LeGarrette Blount announces his retirement

LeGarrette Blount announces his retirement

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LeGarrette Blount took to Instagram on Saturday to announce his retirement from the game of football.

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Blount, who turned 34 on Saturday, last played in the NFL in 2018 when he appeared in 16 games for the Detroit Lions and was a key member of the team’s Super Bowl LII win.

Blount left this message for Eagles fans.

PHILADELPHIA!! PHILLY PHILLY!!! PHILLY SPECIAL!!! Doug, Howie Roseman and Mr. Lurie. That entire season was one of the most special seasons in my entire career for so many reasons!! Getting my 3rd SB ring is just icing on the cake that season. Eagles Nation!!

Blount led the Eagles in rushing in 2017 with 173 carries for 766 yards and two touchdowns.

During the Eagles’ 41-33 win over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII, Blount rushed 14 times for 90 yards and a touchdown against his former team.

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Former Lions RB LeGarrette Blount announces his retirement

Blount hasn’t played since his Detroit stint in 2018

Former Detroit Lions running back LeGarrette Blount has announced his retirement from the NFL. Blount made the announcement on his 34th birthday via an Instagram post.

“I just want to inform y’all that I’m officially retiring,” Blount stated. “I have thought long and hard about this decision, and I’ve talked to my closest family members and friends about this. We collectively agreed on this decision. It is in the best interest of me and my family.”

Blount hasn’t played since he was in Detroit in 2018, when he led the Lions in carries in Matt Patricia’s first season. The veteran journeyman averaged just 2.7 yards per carry, a league-worst for anyone with at least 50 attempts. Despite getting 36 more carries than Kerryon Johnson, Blount finished with 223 fewer rushing yards.

Prior to his Detroit stint, Blount played on three Super Bowl champions in years with Philadelphia, New England, Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay.

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