Lewis stakes his claim
Back proves to be dual-threat
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Rex Ryan clearly wasn’t amused by the Dion Lewis question, but he knew it was coming.
During the week, the Bills coach claimed he didn’t know who Lewis was, and really didn’t care to know. LeGarrette Blount was the Patriots lead running back, and that was that. End of story.
How badly did Lewis make Ryan eat his words yesterday? Big-time. Lewis was again one of the most pivotal players on offense, and a key target for Tom Brady, as he caught six passes for 98 yards in the Patriots’ 4032 win against the Buffalo Bills. He also rushed seven times for 40 yards, with a nifty 6-yard touchdown run in the mix.
“Go ahead,” Ryan said, “I still don’t know his name. Next time run the ball. Next.”
Nope, Ryan was not happy with how his defense stood up to whoever was catching the football. Who’s Dion Lewis? He’s very quickly established himself as a go-toguy for Brady, and one of the guys most responsible for taking out the Bills.
Asked if Ryan’s snub at all motivated him, Lewis said it didn’t.
“Winning motivates me,” Lewis said. “Being there for my teammates and trying to help my team go 2-0. That’s what motivates me.”
Interestingly, Lewis has survived a case of the fumbles, as he’s put the ball on the ground both in the season opener and yesterday. As we saw with former Patriots running back Stevan Ridley, fumbling usually isn’t tolerated. It usually gets you a seat on the bench, only coach Bill Belichick stuck with Lewis in both games. That faith has paid off.
Lewis, however, knows he has a short leash.
“The whole team stuck with me,” he said. “(Tight end Rob Gronkowski) came and picked me up right after the play. My teammates are great. They supported me. They told me to forget about it. They had a lot of confidence in me and it meant a lot to me that everybody lifted me up. I just have to be more accountable, more trustworthy because obviously, if I keep doing that, I’m not going to be out there, so I just have to clean it up and work harder.”
Among his many big plays was a 40-yard reception that set up a score, as he’s often lined up on the outside, much like Shane Vereen used to do. On another play, he was held on a fly route. Basically, linebacker Nigel Bradham was no match for him.
“I’m just trying to make plays,” Lewis said, “I’m just trying to do what I’m asked to do.”
Yesterday, he was once again the primary back. Blount had just two carries in his return from a league suspension, while Lewis was in for nearly every play in the no huddle whether taking handoffs or catching passes.
Some people — Ryan, for example — seem surprised.
“My teammates trust me. My coaches trust me,” Lewis said. “We come out here and guys make plays, no one’s surprised because we all work so hard.”