FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — LeGarrette Blount was flippant Sunday when asked whether he was concerned about his NFL career after the Pittsburgh Steelers cut him this season.
Blount had been arrested on a marijuana-possession charge during the preseason, then walked off the field during a Week 11 win over Tennessee when he didn’t get a carry.
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Did he wonder if this was the end of the road?
“Nah,” the New England Patriots’ running back told reporters Sunday after his team’s AFC championship game victory over the Indianapolis Colts.
Blount stood there with a slight grin, making it clear he wasn’t going to elaborate. Minutes earlier, he’d cradled the AFC title trophy in his arms. That was answer enough … next question.
Blount has plenty of experience in strolling confidently toward the edge of the football abyss, only for his undeniable talent to yank him back at the last second.
Even now, more than a half-decade later, he’s still probably most familiar to Pac-12 fans as the Oregon Duck who punched a Boise State Bronco and sent him sprawling to the blue turf following a loss in 2009.
Blount was suspended for a bulk of that season, went undrafted and bounced between four NFL teams in his first six years in the league.
Yet here Blount is, a possible X-factor as the Seahawks attempt to win back-to-back Super Bowls and as the Patriots try to put a cap on a dynasty that has bled over two decades.
As difficult as it can be sometimes to grasp Blount’s actions off the field, it’s even harder to emulate his influence on it.
“You don’t see a lot of guys like him. You just don’t,” New England Coach Bill Belichick said. “A couple of the cuts he made (Sunday), the way he stopped and started and changed direction … for a 250-pound guy, he has great athleticism and vision.”
Against the Colts, Blount ran for 148 yards on 30 carries. He scored three touchdowns, all after contact.
On the first TD, his secondary surge pushed a pile of teammates and opponents over the goal line. On the second,IColts cornerback Vontae Davis and safety LaRon Landry met Blount at the 3, only for Blount to absorb the blow and reach the ball into the end zone with two hands.
The finale came from just 2 yards out but, once again, Blount got hit a few yards short before churning in.
“I wouldn’t want to tackle him,” Patriots teammate Shane Vereen said.
Blount has added a dimension to an offense that, despite earning praise for being more balanced than past Patriots teams, actually averaged fewer rushing yards per game in the regular season (107.9) than the previous New England AFC championship team did in 2011 (110.2).
Against the Colts the Patriots’ offensive linemen won the battle up front and Blount followed them to a career night.
“It feels great to impose your will on a team, and that’s what we did all night with Blount,” wide receiver Brandon LaFell said.
The Patriots got their first look at Blount last season, when the then-27-year-old strung together the finest year of his professional career. He ran for 772 yards and seven touchdowns on 153 carries, all were career highs.
He left for Pittsburgh and a bigger contract, but once that experiment blew up, there was little question about his ideal destination.
“This is the best place I’ve ever been,” Blount said. “Everybody loves each other. Everybody appreciates each other. Everybody supports each other.”
For now, at least, the love is mutual and unconditional. New England is in the Super Bowl for the first time since 2011 and gunning for its first crown since 2004.
“We love LG whether he has 250 yards or 5 yards,” Vereen said. “He’s a great player, a great teammate. He’s accepted around here, and everybody loves him.”
And even if it doesn’t work out between Blount and the no-nonsense Patriots in the end, there always will be a market for a veteran power back with Super Bowl experience.
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