Sony Michel hasn’t had much of a role in the passing game for the Patriots. Two years in a row he’s run for over 900 yards, but he’s caught only 7 and 12 passes. That’s 19 catches in his first 29 games as a pro.
I don’t think he’s a great pass catcher, but I don’t think that’s the driving factor here. I think it’s simply more a case of how the Patriots use their running backs.
New England, I think prefers to use its running backs mainly as runners. When it’s time to use them as pass catchers, they bring in a specialist for that kind of work. Kevin Faulk, Danny Woodhead, Shane Vereen, James White.
Bill Belichick showed up in New England in 2000. Since that time, there have been 49 running backs who have run for at least 800 yards but have no caught more than 15 passes. Remarkably, eight of those running backs were Patriots. (And with at least four other near-misses involving Antowain Smith and LeGarrette Blount.)
If this was a random deal, you would figure New England would have one and half such seasons (with there being 32 teams). But they’ve got eight.
New season, of course, and with a new starting quarterback. But I’m not counting on Michel playing a big role as a pass catcher.
On the chart here, you're seeing the rushing yards for each player, followed by his receptions, his receiving yards, and his TD receptions.
| CATCH-AVERSE RUNNING BACKS | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | Rush | No | Rec | TD |
| 2000 | Jerome Bettis, Pitt. | 1,341 | 13 | 97 | 0 |
| 2000 | Emmitt Smith, Dall. | 1,203 | 11 | 79 | 0 |
| 2001 | Jerome Bettis, Pitt. | 1,072 | 8 | 48 | 0 |
| 2003 | Jerome Bettis, Pitt. | 811 | 13 | 86 | 0 |
| 2003 | Anthony Thomas, Chi. | 1,024 | 9 | 36 | 0 |
| 2003 | Stephen Davis, Car. | 1,444 | 14 | 159 | 0 |
| 2004 | Jerome Bettis, Pitt. | 941 | 6 | 46 | 0 |
| 2004 | Duce Staley, Pitt. | 830 | 6 | 55 | 0 |
| 2004 | Corey Dillon, N.E. | 1,635 | 15 | 103 | 1 |
| 2004 | Rudi Johnson, Cin. | 1,454 | 15 | 84 | 0 |
| 2004 | Jamal Lewis, Balt. | 1,006 | 10 | 116 | 0 |
| 2004 | Emmitt Smith, Ariz. | 937 | 15 | 105 | 0 |
| 2005 | Shaun Alexander, Sea. | 1,880 | 15 | 78 | 1 |
| 2006 | Shaun Alexander, Sea. | 896 | 12 | 48 | 0 |
| 2006 | Corey Dillon, N.E. | 812 | 15 | 147 | 0 |
| 2006 | Julius Jones, Dall. | 1,084 | 9 | 142 | 0 |
| 2007 | Laurence Maroney, N.E. | 835 | 4 | 116 | 0 |
| 2007 | Fred Taylor, Jac. | 1,202 | 9 | 58 | 0 |
| 2008 | Justin Fargas, Oak. | 853 | 10 | 52 | 0 |
| 2008 | Brandon Jacobs, NYG | 1,089 | 6 | 36 | 0 |
| 2008 | Larry Johnson, K.C. | 874 | 12 | 74 | 0 |
| 2008 | Jonathan Stewart, Car. | 836 | 8 | 47 | 0 |
| 2008 | Michael Turner, Atl. | 1,699 | 6 | 41 | 0 |
| 2009 | Thomas Jones, NYJ | 1,402 | 10 | 58 | 0 |
| 2009 | Michael Turner, Atl. | 871 | 5 | 35 | 0 |
| 2010 | LeGarrette Blount, T.B. | 1,007 | 5 | 14 | 0 |
| 2010 | Brandon Jacobs, NYG | 823 | 7 | 59 | 0 |
| 2010 | BenJarvus Green-Ellis, N.E. | 1,008 | 12 | 85 | 0 |
| 2010 | Thomas Jones, K.C. | 896 | 14 | 122 | 0 |
| 2010 | Michael Turner, Atl. | 1,371 | 12 | 85 | 0 |
| 2011 | Ben Tate, Hou. | 942 | 13 | 98 | 0 |
| 2011 | Willis McGahee, Den. | 1,199 | 12 | 51 | 1 |
| 2011 | Cedric Benson, Cin. | 1,067 | 15 | 82 | 0 |
| 2011 | Beanie Wells, Ariz. | 1,047 | 10 | 52 | 0 |
| 2012 | Alfred Morris, Was. | 1,613 | 11 | 77 | 0 |
| 2012 | Stevan Ridley, N.E. | 1,263 | 6 | 51 | 0 |
| 2013 | Alfred Morris, Was. | 1,275 | 9 | 78 | 0 |
| 2013 | Chris Ivory, NYJ | 833 | 2 | 10 | 0 |
| 2014 | Frank Gore, S.F. | 1,106 | 11 | 111 | 1 |
| 2015 | Thomas Rawls, Sea. | 830 | 9 | 76 | 1 |
| 2015 | Chris Johnson, Ariz. | 814 | 6 | 58 | 0 |
| 2016 | LeGarrette Blount, N.E. | 1,161 | 7 | 38 | 0 |
| 2016 | Jonathan Stewart, Car. | 824 | 8 | 60 | 0 |
| 2017 | Latavius Murray, Min. | 842 | 15 | 103 | 0 |
| 2018 | Derrick Henry, Ten. | 1,059 | 15 | 99 | 0 |
| 2018 | Sony Michel, N.E. | 931 | 7 | 50 | 0 |
| 2019 | Sony Michel, N.E. | 912 | 12 | 94 | 0 |
| 2019 | Marlon Mack, Ind. | 1,091 | 14 | 82 | 0 |
| 2019 | Carlos Hyde, Hou. | 1,070 | 10 | 42 | 0 |
—Ian Allan