Dynamic Duo? Patriots Super Bowl Hero Hypes Rhamondre/Zeke Backfield

Rhamondre Stevenson apologists are concerned about Ezekiel Elliott's arrival but New England Patriots Super Bowl legend James White sees only a constructive collaboration.

Active collaboration between the New England Patriots and their AFC East rivals is rare ... but if Jerry Seinfeld and Newman could do it, so could the Flying Elvises and the New York Jets.

The Northeast enemies each sent a stern warning to anyone still silly enough to conduct their fantasy football drafts in early August, respectively adding running backs Ezekiel Elliott and Dalvin Cook to their running back rooms this week. 

New York could use Cook, working off some ailments of his own, to encourage last year's rookie rushing sensation Breece Hall to take his time in his recovery from an injury that cut his freshman season short. But some in New England, particularly those who have already secured him for their own teams are already worried about what it means for the future of Stevenson, far and away from the most consistent, most established weapon on a sputtering offense. 

But one player who knows a thing or two about succeeding in the New England backfield, James White, believes a constructive collaboration's in store come fall in Foxborough.

“Rhamondre Stevenson is going to be the lead guy, the bell cow guy,” White told Alex Marvez during an appearance on SiriusXM. “Zeke is a proven veteran. He may not have the 1,500-1,600 rushing yards like his first few years in the league with that Dallas offensive line, but he can still be a very productive back.”

New England frequently used a rotation of rushers during its two-decade run at or near the top of the NFL ledgers. White was one of the more prominent participants, gaining eternal Patriot glory for his performance in Super Bowl LI, but nonetheless frequently shared carries with names like Rex Burkhead, Dion Lewis, Sony Michel, and more. 

It's true that Elliott hardly resembles the form that led the league in rushing twice over his first three NFL seasons. Even when things hit a relative rock bottom last year, though, Elliott was still a reliable red zone option in his final year with the Dallas Cowboys, scoring 12 touchdowns from no more than 14 yards away. It tied for the second-best total of his seven-year career.

“He’s great in the red zone,” White said. “So I’m sure they’ll use him in the running game there. He’s great on third down and picking up blitzes, so I think he’ll have a huge impact when it comes to that. I just think it adds depth to the running back room.”

The Patriots could use all the help they can get in scoring situations, especially as they continue to seek offensive clarity in the post-Tom Brady era. New England's touchdown rate of 42.2 percent once getting past the opponent's 20 was dead-last in the NFL last season and perhaps played a major role in their failure to get back to the postseason (especially in their three one-possession losses).

White also believes that having Elliott all season will take some of the pressure off Stevenson, who's due for a busy season while the passing game works out its consistency and chemistry. Until Elliott arrives, a hodgepodge of inexperience lingers behind him (i.e. Kevin Harris, Pierre Strong, JJ Taylor). This all comes as Stevenson prepares to enter his first season as New England's undisputed top rushing option, having continued the tradition of sharing with Buffalo-bound Damien Harris before injuries ate up the latter's seasons. 

“Rhamondre Stevenson kind of wore down a little bit towards the back half of last season,” White said. “I know he probably wasn’t expecting to play as many snaps as he did once Damien Harris went down for a good portion of the season. He was playing 80-90 percent of the snaps, first, second, and third-down, so it will be huge to have that 1-2 punch and spell a guy without having that drop-off.”

To White's point, Stevenson's averaged 65.3 yards (on just under five a carry) over his first 14 games but only 42 in the final three (albeit on a still-respectable 4.67 per attempt). 

It's unlikely that Elliott will play, but the Patriots return to action on Saturday night when they face the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field (8 p.m. ET, WBZ).

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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