Expectations for Shane Vereen will be high when he returns to the field | masslive.com

Totally with Nick Underhill on his quote below and like him, I wonder if we’re expecting too much. Vereen has flashed a lot in the recent games he’s played, but he was also invisible in the AFC Championship (4 carries, 4 targets 38 total yards), a game where the Pats needed a spark on offense. We’ll see…

I see Vereen, operating out of the hurry-up offense, stepping around a couple defensive linemen and then outrunning a linebacker for a big gain. I picture him catching a screen pass and then splitting out wide on the next down. My vision, basically, is Vereen serving as the new Aaron Hernandez, the multifaceted weapon who makes the no-huddle offense hum. Maybe my expectations are unreasonable, maybe Vereen won’t be that type of player, but big things will be expected from the running back when he returns from injured reserve following a Week 1 wrist injury, which could happen as soon as Monday night against the Carolina Panthers.