UK Radio Analyst Shane Vereen: Patrick Mahomes Gives KC Super Bowl Edge

The former Cal running back helped the Patriots win a Super Bowl in 2015.

Former Cal running back Shane Vereen is back at the Super Bowl.

Vereen, who helped the New England Patriots to a world championship eight years ago, is doing radio analyst work for the UK broadcast of Sunday’s game in Phoenix between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles.

Now 33 and five years removed from his NFL playing days, Vereen spoke with KNBR’s Greg Papa and John Lund on radio row in the lead-up to Sunday’s game.

He will be working with British play-by-play man Will Gavin and has begun sorting out the Super Bowl matchup.

“It’s an extremely tough one to pick because it can go in so many different directions. Philly coming into this game, in my opinion, they are the better team overall,” Vereen said. “The only issue is Patrick Mahomes will be starting for the Chiefs.

“When you have a talent like that, even with an ankle (injury) . . . look, (Michael) Jordan had a flu game (in the NBA playoffs) and they still won.”

Vereen is convinced that Mahomes is latching on to every bit of talk related to the Philly defense, just as the Patriots were fueled in Super Bowl XLIX by pre-game talk about the strength of the Seahawks defense.

“We took that extremely personal. So I understand the motivation that comes with that,” he said. “Now I’m leaning more to the Chiefs. It’s never a good bet to bet against one of the GOATS, and Patrick Mahomes is one of those.”

This will be Vereen’s second Super Bowl assignment for UK radio, and he said he doesn’t change anything for a different audience.

“I don’t feel like I need to break anything down more — it’s football,” Vereen said. “There’s one way that I see it and that’s how I know how to explain it.”

Vereen played three seasons (2008-10) at Cal, rushing for 2,834 yards and 29 touchdowns. He was selected in the second round of the 2011 NFL draft by the Patriots and played four seasons under Bill Belichick and alongside Tom Brady.

Shane Vereen runs against Seattle in the Super Bowl eight years ago / Photo by Matthew Emmons, USA Today

He scored three touchdowns in a 2013 playoff game and in the Super Bowl against the Seattle Seahawks caught 11 passes from Brady in the Patriots’ 28-24 victory.

The key to performing well under the bright lights at the Super Bowl is to do everything possible to think of it as any other game. Not easy, Vereen conceded.

The week before the game is filled with errands for the family — securing tickets, flights and hotels at the Super Bowl. “There’s so much you have to do that it’s comforting to get here and focus on football and make this week as normal as possible,” Vereen said.

"Once the ball was snapped on the first play I just kind of blanked out and it was just football. In the game I set a record for catches by a running back and had no idea until I was interviewed after the game. I was just so locked in and focused on the job at hand.”

Since retiring after the 2017 NFL season, Vereen has begun to fashion a career in broadcasting. He does work for Sirius XM radio and worked the Big Game this season for the Pac-12 Network.

He got his start during a summer internship before his senior season at Cal, working behind the scenes at what was then called Comcast Sports Bay Area.

“It was always something I was interested in. Going into my last year at Cal, that summer, they had different internships we could get involved with and I jumped at the opportunity,” he said. “I’ve always loved it. I just wanted to see if it was something for me.”

One aspect of the job already has great appeal to the former running back who had more than 1,200 rushes and pass receptions in college and the pros.

“After a game it’s nice that my back doesn’t hurt and my knees don’t hurt and my feet don’t hurt,” he said “I stay much healthier in this area of football than when I was playing.”

Cover photo of Shane Vereen celebrating a Super Bowl victory by Matthew Emmons, USA Today

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo