“There’s a part of me that’s sad,” said Chris Gittings, who represents Woodhead. “We’ll have lifetime memories of the time in New England. He felt a special relationship with the fans. He loved them, and he knew they loved him. He was very appreciative of the opportunity the Patriots gave him.”
In three seasons with the Patriots, Woodhead amassed 250 carries for 1,199 yards and 10 touchdowns, plus 92 receptions for 982 yards and four scores.
Danny Woodhead has signed a two-year deal with the San Diego Chargers. Between Stevan Ridley, Brandon Bolden, Shane Vereen and now Leon Washington (to an extent), there wasn’t an overwhelming need to bring Woodhead back to New England, though he was arguable the Patriots most reliable runningback in 2012. He was a fun player to watch, and the great heart he played with will be missed.
Overall, since the start of the 2010 season, Woodhead has caught 92 passes for New England on 130 targets, a 71 percent rate. Combine that with one lost fumble in 365 touches since he arrived in the NFL prior to the start of the 2009 season, and it’s easy to see why he’s made his bones as a part of the Patriots’ offense.
Lots of great discussion this morning with some knowledgeable Pats fans on Twitter about the fate of Danny Woodhead. The Pats have a plethora of young running backs, but Woodhead is definitely the most reliable and experienced. If they re-sign him how does it affect Shane Vereen, Brandon Bolden and Jeff Demps? Ridley’s got a firm spot but there are some interesting trickle down effects if Woodhead returns.
Wouldn’t be surprised to see Shane Vereen traded or for him or Demps to end up a camp casualty.
Danny Woodhead & Chandler Jones at Wednesday Patriots Practice
Good news on both, however from the looks of Woodhead’s thumb splint below I’ve got some ball security concerns…
Courtesy of Herald photog Matt West, here is Danny Woodhead at practice with the thumb splint twitter.com/jeffphowe/stat…
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) January 16, 2013
I remember his first game against — we played Buffalo at home. I think it was the third game of the season. He had a similar-type run play for a touchdown. We kind of joked on the sideline, (former offensive coordinator) Billy (O’Brien) and I, we kind of said, ‘The legend is born.’ We saw him that week in practice, what he was capable of doing, and said, ‘Why did the Jets release that guy?’ They had him playing receiver and he was a running back in college.
I’m not sure if we should even pick a Player of the Week after that performance against the Bills, but let’s give it to Danny Woodhead and his two touchdowns. It’s nice to see Woody bouncing back after a down season in 2011 where he was reportedly fighting to get healthy for much of the year.
Woodhead continues to be a great weapon, especially in space, and a nice change of pace from the slashing ways of Stevan Ridley.
