New York Giants: Shane Vereen is biggest X-factor

Prior to the start of free agency, the running back whom I thought would be the best fit in the New York Giants west-coast style offense was Shane Vereen.

Now, I’m not sure if the Giants brass reads this NFL Spin Zone (we certainly hope so), but one of the first moves they made in free agency was bringing in Vereen.

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The versatile performer, who spent his entire career in New England prior to signing with the Giants earlier this year, is going to be a huge factor in offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo’s attack. He has the potential to be the biggest x-factor on a very intriguing team. He excels in nearly every area, and he’s in a position to become a big-time player for Tom Coughlin’s club in 2015.

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The Giants have been devoid of a truly reliable pass-catching running back since Ahmad Bradshaw was on the team, and they’ve been devoid a truly great pass-catching back since Tiki Barber retired.

Although a bit unsung, the role of a receiving back is an all-important one. It makes the playbook more versatile, and it provides defensive coordinators with even more options to stop.

The former Patriot is certainly one of the if not the best receiving back in the NFL. He’s fresh off setting the record for most catches by a running back in Super Bowl history, and the Giants got him for an absolute bargain.

Last year, the Giants main two backs — Rashad Jennings and Andre Williams — combined for 48 catches, which was four less than Vereen had in a very crowded New England backfield.

With the majority of the Giants offense now comfortable in Ben McAdoo’s system, Vereen will likely be relied upon heavily to contribute from week 1.

Vereen is a shifty, creative runner who is used to taking snaps out of the shotgun set. While there will certainly be a learning curve, Vereen’s familiarity with complex offenses should help him out.

McAdoo surely wanted to utilize his running backs in more passing situations, and he would’ve been able to if David Wilson didn’t retire and Rashad Jennings stayed healthy.

Williams is a good between-the-tackles runner, but he was a complete liability as a receiver.

Having Vereen now on the roster opens up the playbook astronomically and gives the Giants a whole new dimension.

Toward the end of the year, with Jennings healthy-ish, the Giants started to get more creative with the running backs.

Vereen can run the ball in a traditional set, he can catch the ball out of the backfield and he can line up as a receiver and win one-on-one match ups.

Feb 1, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; New England Patriots running back Shane Vereen (34) against the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

When jetting out of the backfield to the flat, it’s almost a given that Vereen’s going to make the catch. He’s far too quick and crafty for most outside linebackers, so he’s virtually always a mismatch.

In the Super Bowl, Vereen beat K.J. Wright routinely, as well as All-Pro safety Kam Chancellor on one play. Vereen is the security blanket every quarterback dreams of, and that’s bad news for defenses. The good news for the Giants is that he’ll be suiting up in blue.

Vereen is also a very good pass protector, and that’s another thing Andre Williams struggled with in his rookie year. Williams was such a liability, the team began using un-drafted rookie Orleans Darkwa on passing downs.

The former Patriot is incredibly instinctual when blocking for his quarterback, and that bodes well for Eli Manning.

For this offense to be truly elite, Vereen will need to perform to the best of his abilities. Vereen is perhaps most dangerous when teams decide to blitz. When defenders rush to the quarterback, Vereen is adept at slipping out of the pocket, catching the ball and gaining positive yards.

While Vereen is a more-than-reliable receiving back like Tiki Barber, he doesn’t suffer from the same ball security issues. The former has only fumbles twice in his NFL career, and he didn’t cough the ball up once last year.

The addition of Vereen is truly one that will help the Giants’ offense become even more lethal. He’s the key to making it a top-tier, elite-level offense.

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