James White

New England Patriots: James White is just as good as Dion Lewis

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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It is becoming increasingly clear that New England Patriots running back James White is not any worse than Dion Lewis right now.

Slowly but surely, New England Patriots fans are warming up to James White. You often hear or read that White is playing very well, but still not as good as Dion Lewis.

Really. Is that so?

White is as good as Lewis right now. The key words there are right and now. Right now, White is the better player. Sure, Lewis lit it up during the first half of last season, but 2015 is old news. It’s done. 2016 is now, and right now, White is healthy and dancing around on Sundays, and Lewis is on the PUP list.

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Even when Lewis returns to the team, he may not be the better player anymore. White has improved immensely since Lewis took the league by storm in the early fall of 2015; he seems to get better with every game.

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The crux of this argument lies in the Patriots’ backfield philosophy: always have a running back who specializes in catching passes. From J.R. Redmond in Super Bowl XXXVI to recently-inducted Patriots Hall of Famer Kevin Faulk, Bill Belichick has always liked to have a Shane Vereen type. Right now, that man is White, and he is doing just fine.

White caught five passes for 40 yards on Sunday, at one point buckling the knees of several Arizona Cardinals defenders who made the mistake of diving at White. The Wisconsin product also made a huge 13-yard grab in traffic on a third down the Patriots really needed.

Going forward, expect the Patriots to continue using White in the same situations they would Lewis. And going forward, expect White to deliver, because he is an exceptional player. That much is becoming evident with each passing week.

The time is now for White. He’s going to run with it.

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