Time for Patriots RB Damien Harris to step out of shadows

The spotlight has found Damien Harris, the forgotten third-round draft choice from a 2019 Patriots draft class that experienced minimal game action. Nobody stayed in the shadows more than Harris, the running back out of Alabama.

The revelation that Sony Michel had foot surgery in May and is questionable for the start of training camp has the potential to turn the featured running back position into a two-man race. Why not Harris?

It’s a coveted spot now that there is reason to believe that a Patriots staple, a strong offensive line, will juice the running game.

So would having a consistently effective back.

Was substandard blocking to blame for all of Michel’s decline? He averaged 4.5 yards per carry in a rookie year that ended with him rushing for six touchdowns in the postseason for the Super Bowl LIII champions and averaged 3.7 ypc in 2019. Or have the injuries, mostly to the knees, cheated him of a hair of his quickness?

The less reliable line play definitely was a factor in part because center David Andrews was out all season, left tackle Isaiah Wynn for the first half. Michel averaged 3.3 yards per carry in the first eight games, 4.2 with Wynn back.

Sometimes runners just look a half-step slower because the lack of holes creates indecision. Other times the backs actually have lost a half-step. Either way, Harris showing well on the practice field and in the playbook would give coach Bill Belichick an option if Michel sputters.

Receiver N’Keal Harry’s development as a second-year player will garner more attention than Harris’ because he plays a position more celebrated in today’s game and because he was drafted two rounds earlier. But if Harris can exceed expectations after a rookie season in which he spent most of the time as a healthy scratch and missed two games with a hamstring injury, that also could ease pressure on second-year quarterback Jarrett Stidham.

As rookies, Stidham threw four passes and Harris carried the ball four times. The unknown with new players always captures the imagination and brings out the optimist in us. We haven’t seen them fail, so we believe they’ll succeed. The new is always more exciting than the known, but anyone hoping to see an upgrade in flashiness with Harris is likely to be disappointed. He’s more elusive than explosive, enough of this, plenty of that, but not a human fireworks show.

University of Maryland head coach Mike Locksley was an offensive assistant for Harris’ final three seasons at Alabama and the offensive coordinator in 2018. Locksley was happy to talk about his former pupil and did so in a way that made it clear he thoroughly enjoyed coaching him.

“First of all, Damien was one of the most football-intelligent players I’ve ever had, a guy who really gets into the nuts and bolts of the scheme, the concepts, and then knows and understands what everybody’s doing,” Locksley said. “I mean, I’m talking from receivers to the O-line blocking schemes to protection to the quarterbacks. He was a guy that I know took a great bit of pride in knowing everything about what we did. I really appreciated that, especially as a coordinator. He was like having another coach on the field at times.”

Given those qualities, Locksley said he wasn’t surprised to see where Harris went in the draft.

“I don’t think there could have been a better team drafting him than the Patriots because of that mentality and knowing the similarities between ’Bama and New England and coach (Nick) Saban and coach Belichick,” Locksley said. “I thought it was a perfect fit for the Patriots because of his unselfishness.”

All those traits speak to how Harris shapes up as a teammate. What about as an athlete?

At 5-11, 214 pounds, Harris is an average-sized back. He isn’t slow, but he’s no burner. He ran a 4.57 so-so 40-yard dash at the 2019 NFL combine. For comparison purposes, Michel was clocked in at 4.54, Brandon Bolden 4.55 and Rex Burkhead 4.73.

Harris set an Alabama career record with 6.4 yards per rush, but is something of a mystery as a pro prospect because of his limited exposure. He had a shifty look to him — bad for a politician, but good for a running back — on his way to 80 rushing yards on 14 carries in a road exhibition game vs. the Titans. Targeted four times, he caught all four passes for 23 yards. That was his lone significant playing time.

“As far as with the ball in his hand, I mean he is the epitome of a Steady Eddie,” Locksley said. “He can hit home runs, always really consistent, going to get you 4 or 5, 6 yards. Very few times I think because of his football intelligence did he take negative plays by trying to do too much. Very few fumbles, very few disastrous plays, didn’t give up sacks, really consistent. And he can hit the home run. He’s an every-down back. He can protect the quarterback, run the ball. He catches the ball out of the backfield a lot better than some might have thought. I found out very quickly that was part of Damien’s skill set.”

With Michel in the backfield, the Patriots usually run. When White, an exceptional receiver, replaces Michel, the Pats usually pass.

From what he showed in training camp and in the exhibition season, Harris looked more natural than Michel coming out of the backfield to catch passes, although they had similar receiving statistics as SEC featured backs. Harris might keep defenses guessing more than Michel.

Harris isn’t the first Belichick running back who has had to wait. As a rookie out of Wisconsin, James White rushed the ball five times and caught five passes.

The Patriots showed how much they thought of Harris’ potential by using value draft capital to select him. It’s up to him to show them they were right.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2N2tJHH