Bolden Continues To Make Most Of Opportunity On Special Teams
BOSTON (CBS) -- While Brandon Bolden hasn't been getting many carries out of the New England backfield, the seldom-used running back is making an impact on the Patriots' special teams unit.
With their offense sputtering in San Diego Sunday night, the Patriots needed some kind of boost in the second quarter. Bolden was the unlikely man to provide that spark.
Tom Brady and the Patriots offense couldn't seem to find a rhythm in the early goings against the Chargers on Sunday night, settling for a pair of field goals while a costly fumble by Brandon LaFell led to seven points for San Diego to put them ahead 14-6. But after the defense forced Philip Rivers and company into a three-and-out late in the second quarter, Bolden helped change all the momentum of the contest.
Mike Scifres lined up to punt, but Bolden got a great jump on the snap count and rushed off the left end. Before Scifres could put get the punt off, Bolden was there and got his arm on the would-be boot, sending it out-of-bounds at the 25-yard line.
It was just four plays later when Brady found Rob Gronkowski for a touchdown, and San Diego's lead was down to just one point. It was part of 20-unanswered points the Patriots would score en route to a 23-14 win.
Read: 4 Ups, 4 Downs From Pats' Win Over Chargers
For Bolden, it was his first career blocked punt.
"You go into the game thinking you can block one anytime it's called," he said in the Patriots' locker room. "I think I just got a really good jump on the snap count. I don't think it was anything he did, or anything extra that I did. I think I just got to him.
Brandon Bolden On Blocked Punt vs. Chargers:
"I got big-eyed really quick. I was scared I was going to miss it," he admitted. "But I came off the ball and kind of got up under him. I saw the ball and went for it; I finally got a block."
With one play, the game turned around completely for the Patriots.
"I would say the blocked punt really got us started," said New England nose tackle Vince Wilfork. "Just getting a play like that... we knew if we continued to work we'd be fine."
With a handful of running backs during the preseason, Bolden was a bubble player when the roster had to be trimmed down to 53 players. But he made the team due to his contributions on special teams, and that hard work has continued paid off throughout the season. Corner Brandon Browner said after Sunday's win that one thing he notices about Bolden during the week in practice is his excellent effort on the field.
"He has a leader like [Matthew] Slater who shows him a great example. Those guys want to follow him, and they know how important it is to get stops and hold your own [on special teams]," said Browner.
Bolden's block sent Scifres into the air and hard onto the ground, ending the night -- and season -- for the San Diego punter. Scifres reportedly suffered a broken clavicle on the play, leaving the Chargers without a true punter or holder for the rest of the game.
After Bolden was done celebrating his block, he noticed Scifres was on the ground in pain. He walked over and gave him a pat on the head to make sure everything was OK, and Scifres gave him a wink as he was carted off the field.
It was a play that affected the game in a number of ways, as Bolden continues to make the most of his new opportunity on special teams.
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