The Personification of the Patriot Way

“The Patriot Way ain’t about nothing but winning, man. That’s it.”-Kevin Faulk

By now we’re all accustomed to the Patriot way. Doing all the little things perfectly, everytime to ensure a victory. Do your job. Be seen not heard. Team over self. All of it.

Tom Brady is the golden child of this. He’s taken numerous pay cuts to ensure the team has cap space. Quite obviously he’s a winner. Most of all he’s the face of the franchise and large reason why the Patriot way isn’t a load of garbage.

Frankly, it all started with him coming off the bench to replace Bledsoe. However, he is not the living embodiment of the Patriot Way. That distinction belongs to James Develin.

For those of you who don’t know, Develin is the fullback, a position that is quickly fading away in the league. He’s a hard nosed player from Brown. Those are two things Bill loves. Tough guys and smart guys.

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Don’t look now but Develin is having a career year. He has six rushed times for eight yards. Woah. Not blown away? Well, he has four touchdowns on the six carries. He also has twelve catches for sixty-one yards. Prior to this year he had one career touchdown. Stats don’t make a good player.

If you’re going to win at a high and consistent level, egos need to be checked. Once again, James Develin does just that. He knows his role. Does his job. Best of all, he doesn’t need to touch the ball a lot, if at all, to make a huge impact on the game.

What Develin brings to the table

Have you ever seen the Patriots break off a good run from when Brady was under center? Well chances are the Develin made the crucial block. That’s what he does better than nearly every fullback and even tight end in the league.

He plays the fullback position with the mentality of an old school middle linebacker. That dude just wants to go out and hit something. He seeks out contact. I love it.

There’s nothing I would’ve loved more than to link a compelation video of Develin throwing lead blocks. Unfortuantely as far as my searches go, there isn’t one available.

His blocking allows the Patriots to essentially have another offensive lineman on the field. Take The AFC Championshp for example. On Burkhead’s game winning touchdown run. The hole he ran through was paved in large part by Develin.

Look at that. Just follow #46 to the promise land. He does it time and again. Always paving the way for the backs. He doesn’t get the recognition he deserves. The true Patriot way. Just do your job.

Side note: Calling it now, Develin will get a touchdown in the Super Bowl.

–Dillon Leary