Brandon Bolden motivated by competition
After being eclipsed by the combo punch of LeGarrette Blount and Stevan Ridley in 2013, there was little room for another physical back, and despite being a reasonable receiver out of the backfield, there was no way that he was wrestling that position away from Shane Vereen. He is also no stranger to the Belichick doghouse, after a suspension for PEDs in his rookie year earned him a lengthy spell of working the clipboards. These factors find Bolden fighting for his roster spot.
Despite all the obstacles that Bolden has already had to overcome in his NFL career, he has maintained a positive outlook and has taken it upon himself to adopt a leadership persona with his young camp competition. Bolden also feels that giving a leg-up to his younger backfield counterparts James White, Roy Finch and Jonas Gray, as well as competing with established starters like Ridley and Vereen has made him a better player:
Mark Daniels, Providence Journal
I feel like with this group of guys, working with everybody, even the guys who came in. I feel like we all push each other to be better and we all walk off that field better.
--Brandon Bolden
Personally, I believe Bolden has had a bit of a bad rap. He has averaged a very respectable 4.9 yards per carry (all be it on limited snaps), and has proven himself to be a strong running back capable of battling for extra yardage. While Bolden may never be the starting first-down back (even with Ridley apparently hovering around the roster bubble), he is a capable player who should be able to beat the cut to 53.
Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images
Follow me on Twitter @ThorntonStuart
Read more of my work here
