Vereen On Gresh & Zo: 'Hopefully We Got Our Bad Quarter Out Of The Way'
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Patriots did not live up to all the preseason hype that surrounded them during their 33-20 season-opening loss in Miami, and now find themselves at the bottom of the AFC East.
The Patriots were shut out in the second half as the Dolphins scored 23 unanswered points. Miami out-gained the Patriots 222 to 67 in the second half, one of the worst halves of football the team has played with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick at the helm. The third quarter was as bad as it can get, as the Patriots ran just seven plays and gained just 16 yards. They fumbled the ball away on their first possession thanks to a big hit from Cameron Wake on Brady, leading to a Miami touchdown. They went three-and-out on their only other possession of the quarter, leading to a Miami field goal.
Patriots running back Shane Vereen joined 98.5 The Sports Hub's Gresh & Zolak on Tuesday, and doesn't think the Patriots will have too many quarters like that the rest of the season.
"Hopefully we got our bad quarter out of the way for the season," said Vereen, who ran for 36 yards and a touchdown and added five receptions for 35 yards against the Dolphins. "It happens; it's part of the game and it's frustrating, especially when you have a talented offense and feel you could have played better than you did."
Vereen was running the ball well heading into halftime, but the Patriots got away from the rush attack as the Dolphins kept putting points up on the scoreboard. That led to a lot of passes from Tom Brady, which Vereen said is something they hope doesn't happen too often.
"I think we threw 21 passes in the fourth quarter," he said, "and that's something that our offense never wants to do."
While it wasn't pretty on Sunday, the Patriots know it was just one game in a long NFL season.
"The sense I felt from the team coming back was a lot of frustration, but a lot of confidence. We know we can play better," he said. "We know there are things we can control, and we can do a lot better with those things going forward.
"It was one game; if we win the next 15 then we'll look back on this week and think of how we looked at it a little too hard. But at the same time we have to get back to work tomorrow and get the job done this weekend."
Up next for the Patriots are the 1-0 Minnesota Vikings, who dismantled the St. Louis Rams 34-6 in Week 1.
"Just like we faced last week, I think they have a strong D-line," Vereen said of the Vikings. "Defensively they have gotten better over the last few seasons and I'm looking forward to the challenge. We have to play better than we did last Sunday."
Shane Vereen On Gresh & Zolak
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