Rexperience in slot role
Burkhead willing but not likely
FOXBORO — For those fantasizing over a positional change for running back Rex Burkhead, well, not all dreams come true.
The Patriots may be shorthanded at wide receiver Sunday against the Saints because Danny Amendola has missed both practices of the week due to a concussion and knee injury. That would leave Brandin Cooks, Chris Hogan and Phillip Dorsett as the only true receivers, which has led to the question over Burkhead’s versatility.
Early in his career, the Bengals occasionally tried out Burkhead as a slot receiver in practice. But look, there’s a reason why he’s a running back.
“Whatever the coaches want me to do here, if that’s in the run game, the pass game, I’m happy to do that, whatever role they see fit,” Burkhead said yesterday.
Burkhead has spent time on the line of scrimmage since joining the Patriots because they use all of their running backs in that capacity. But realistically, those backs are tasked to learn a fairly basic route tree as well as the adjustments that come with it.
So yeah, Burkhead likely will take some snaps on the line of scrimmage, but that doesn’t mean the Patriots are embarking upon a fullon transition.
“We’re going to try to fill that role whatever way we can,” Burkhead said. “Whatever the game plan is, we’re going to try to hone in on it, focus on it, so we’re ready for Sunday.”
The Patriots will take an all-hands-on-deck approach with their restricted group of receivers. They’ll field their five most talented skill players at a time, however those roles play out, and see what works in their favor. And if in those opportunities Burkhead gets on the line of scrimmage, he is equipped to handle the responsibility.
“I’m comfortable with it,” Burkhead said. “There are still things I’ve got to improve upon. Growing up, I tried to be an allpurpose back, just catching balls. Here, you’ve got to be. That’s something I take pride in, and making adjustments in routes.”
Valentine’s day
Defensive tackle Vincent Valentine was on the field for the first time in three weeks after injuring his knee during a practice prior to the preseason finale against the New York Giants.
“It always feels good being around the guys and getting back out there to do what I love,” Valentine said. “I’m just trying to take it day by day, get better each day and hopefully get back out there soon.”
Valentine made an impact as a situational interior lineman during his rookie season, and he had a nice start to training camp before going down. It’s never easy to stomach that type of injury, especially with veterans Alan Branch, Malcom Brown and Lawrence Guy cemented atop the rotation.
“It was rough,” Valentine said. “You have ups and downs in life, so I just tried to stay positive, stayed close to God and made sure I just kept my spirits up. It’s hard when you get injured. Obviously, the first game was real important. It was tough, but I kept my mind right and my spirits up.”
It sounds like Valentine may not be ready to suit up against the Saints, though that may not yet be officially decided, but he’ll surely get back in the mix when the knee is healthy enough.
“I’m not sure,” Valentine said of his regular-season debut. “I’m just taking it day by day, waiting for what the coaches want me to do. I’ll put it in their hands and let them handle it.”
Missing pieces
It’s not looking great for special teams captain Matthew Slater (hamstring), linebacker Dont’a Hightower (knee sprain) and Amendola, who haven’t practiced this week. It’s been at least nine years since a Patriot has missed an entire week of practice and then gone on to play in the game, so their attendance today during the team’s final workout is key.
Slater is going in the wrong direction, though. He injured the hamstring a month ago and was limited throughout Week 1. He stretched with the team Wednesday before departing for the conditioning field and wasn’t present in any capacity yesterday.
It’s fairly simple for Amendola. He either passes a concussion test or he doesn’t, and he has been in the protocol for more than a week.
As for Hightower, it appeared the Patriots wanted to limit his workload before determining his status as late in the week as possible, so there isn’t as much clarity with his situation.