James White announces his retirement

Remagellan

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The Kevin Faulk of the second dynasty. What a great, great clutch player.
This is exactly how I think of him. I rewatched SB LI not too long ago, and while it would have been impossible not to give the MVP to Brady, there was a very strong case to give it to White. Getting him the ball on third down was never a give up play, regardless of the distance. I wish him all success in whatever he chooses to do next.
 

E5 Yaz

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Belichick
"James defines the term consummate professional," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said in a statement. "His dependability, consistency, unselfishness and performance under pressure are elite. Combining great intelligence, quickness and elusiveness, James was a perfect fit for our pass offense. While soft spoken, he brought exceptional leadership and competitive toughness to the team. He was a multi-year team captain and one of the most respected, best team players I have ever coached."

Kraft
"James White has always been one of the most reliable and dependable players on the field," Patriots owner Robert Kraft said in a statement. "He's a soft-spoken leader who has led by example ... As great of a player as James has been for us, he's an even better person. He is a man of great character and integrity and earned everyone's respect through his work ethic, professionalism and positive daily demeanor."

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/34383755/rb-james-white-retiring-nfl-says-was-honor-represent-new-england-patriots
 

mauidano

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Made enough dough to live comfortably. You would think he could be a great coach and continue with the organization somehow.

Incredibly popular with the fanbase; he won't go quietly into the night.

Great life ahead and a wise decision now in terms of walking health.
 
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DennyDoyle'sBoil

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That stat is mind-blowing. Thanks.
It's almost unbelievable. 4 fumbles and 5 recovered, playoffs included.

I don't really know much about fumble stats. I wonder if it counts as a fumble recovered if you recover your own fumble. Even if it does, he definitely had at least 2 that were not his own because two of his fumble recoveries were in years he had zero fumbles.
 

johnmd20

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It's almost unbelievable. 4 fumbles and 5 recovered, playoffs included.

I don't really know much about fumble stats. I wonder if it counts as a fumble recovered if you recover your own fumble. Even if it does, he definitely had at least 2 that were not his own because two of his fumble recoveries were in years he had zero fumbles.
I would guess yes, it would count as a fumble and then a recovery of your own fumble. I tried to look it up and I'm not finding much info on such an obscure question. Still, White was incredible and what he did against Atlanta in the SB is one of the better sports memories of my life.
 

Eck'sSneakyCheese

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I thought Faulk was one of the best 3rd down backs I had ever seen and White blew him away in my eyes. Was hoping for a little nostalgia this year. Glad he's ending on his terms.
 

lexrageorge

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He was quietly outstanding for the Pats, and agree he deserves a Patriots HoF jacket. It was not a good sign when he was on PUP to start training camp, given the nature of his injury, so the outcome is not entirely unexpected. Still a blow, however.
 

AlNipper49

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Let’s hope that he retired, atleast somewhat, on his own terms. The NFL can literally kill you and I’m glad that he’s out to enjoy the rest of his life. He’s one of the few players that I’ve been certain that I could respect in non-NFL life.
 

bunchabums

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That Super Bowl highlight reel with the montage of plays is simply unreal.

He seemed to have that sneaky cut and speed element where he makes a simple (very upright) move that suddenly, and easily, turns into six more yards. Always felt like he was running downhill where first contact was the beginning of several more yards... every time.
 

mulluysavage

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Great list of accolades in this thread.

I kind of want to put him in a 3-man pantheon with Mosi Tatupu and Kevin Faulk. Never the featured back, but what they did overall put them way above + beyond "third down back" or "fullback".

Patriots HOF.
 
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Mooch

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Great list of accolades in this thread.

I kind of want to put him in a 3-man pantheon with Mosi Tatupu and Kevin Faulk. Never the featured back, but what they did overall put them way above + beyond "third down back" or "fullback".

Patriots HOF.
While he wasn't a Pat for that long, I'd put Shane Vereen in there too.
 

CaptainLaddie

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While he wasn't a Pat for that long, I'd put Shane Vereen in there too.
Yeah, Vereen was really terrific but they were redundant (White's rookie year was Vereen's last year w NE).

Looking back, his 2018 was pretty amazing. 94 rushing attempts for 425 yards and 5 rushing TD, but 87 catches for 751 yards and 7 TDs. 1176 yards and 12 TDs. Only 11 other guys had at least 1000 yards from scrimmage and 12 TDs that year: Barkley, CMC, Gurley, Hill, Kamara, Conner, Adams, Gordon, AB, Hunt, and Derrick Henry.

That's good company.
 

mulluysavage

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After 28-3, he scored 20 points - 3 TDs and a 2-point conversion.

Players in personal attendance today at his press conference: Damien Harris, Rhamondre Stevenson, Ty Montgomery, J.J. Taylor, Kevin Harris, Pierre Strong, Mac Jones, Brian Hoyer, Matthew Slater, Devin McCourty, David Andrews, Jakobi Meyers, Jonnu Smith, Hunter Henry, Trent Brown, James Ferentz, Joe Cardona, Nick Folk, Ja’Whaun Bentley, Ronnie Perkins, Lawrence Guy and Deatrich Wise. Plus Jerod Mayo and Troy Brown.

Respect.
 

ifmanis5

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View: https://twitter.com/NBCSBoston/status/1559686497145856000

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick delivered a remarkable speech at James White's retirement ceremony:
"It's certainly been an honor to coach you, James. First exposure really was back in the draft process and the Indy combine. Those numbers weren't too impressive. You weren't big, you weren't fast, didn't jump high, etc. But what those numbers didn't measure is intelligence, toughness, heart, teammate, dependability and longevity. That overrode all of whatever the other ones were.
 

Ferm Sheller

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Here's BB's entire speech:

"It's certainly been an honor to coach you, James. First exposure really was back in the draft process and the Indy combine. Those numbers weren't too impressive. You weren't big, you weren't fast, didn't jump high, etc. But what those numbers didn't measure is intelligence, toughness, heart, teammate, dependability and longevity. That overrode all of whatever the other ones were.

"You had great hands, great quickness, great instinct for the game. You played your best games at the biggest times, the most critical situations. Third down, two-minute, championship games, Super Bowl games. The poise and competitiveness that came out in those times were truly exceptional. And so I think back to our captains meetings, we sat through a lot of those, and James is the type of guy that didn't have a lot to say in those meetings but what he said was very profound and to the point and right on the money.

"Sometimes we'd talk about some other things, but he always got to the big thing. Ball security, scoring in the red area, doing our job, picking up the blitz, all the things that were important to winning. Never lost sight of those. It's just been a great honor for me to have you on our team, to have your leadership. You're a role model for all of us, not just the other players but honestly for the coaches. Your work ethic, toughness, commitment to the team are something for all of us to emulate and strive to match.

"I just want to wish you the very, very best going forward. You had a tremendous career. I'm very proud to have coached you, very proud of the achievements and accomplishments you've made for the organization, and for what you personally have done for me. I sincerely mean that and we'll miss you, but we'll never forget the contributions and the standard that you set for us. That will live on and those banners that hang up there wouldn't be hanging there without you. So I appreciate all you've done for me, the organization and for our football team."
 

BigSoxFan

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Yeah, Vereen was really terrific but they were redundant (White's rookie year was Vereen's last year w NE).

Looking back, his 2018 was pretty amazing. 94 rushing attempts for 425 yards and 5 rushing TD, but 87 catches for 751 yards and 7 TDs. 1176 yards and 12 TDs. Only 11 other guys had at least 1000 yards from scrimmage and 12 TDs that year: Barkley, CMC, Gurley, Hill, Kamara, Conner, Adams, Gordon, AB, Hunt, and Derrick Henry.

That's good company.
Yup. He was awesome that year. That first drive against the Chiefs when he converted like 3 3rd or 4th and shorts was awesome.
 

Bowhemian

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Here's BB's entire speech:

"It's certainly been an honor to coach you, James. First exposure really was back in the draft process and the Indy combine. Those numbers weren't too impressive. You weren't big, you weren't fast, didn't jump high, etc. But what those numbers didn't measure is intelligence, toughness, heart, teammate, dependability and longevity. That overrode all of whatever the other ones were.

"You had great hands, great quickness, great instinct for the game. You played your best games at the biggest times, the most critical situations. Third down, two-minute, championship games, Super Bowl games. The poise and competitiveness that came out in those times were truly exceptional. And so I think back to our captains meetings, we sat through a lot of those, and James is the type of guy that didn't have a lot to say in those meetings but what he said was very profound and to the point and right on the money.

"Sometimes we'd talk about some other things, but he always got to the big thing. Ball security, scoring in the red area, doing our job, picking up the blitz, all the things that were important to winning. Never lost sight of those. It's just been a great honor for me to have you on our team, to have your leadership. You're a role model for all of us, not just the other players but honestly for the coaches. Your work ethic, toughness, commitment to the team are something for all of us to emulate and strive to match.

"I just want to wish you the very, very best going forward. You had a tremendous career. I'm very proud to have coached you, very proud of the achievements and accomplishments you've made for the organization, and for what you personally have done for me. I sincerely mean that and we'll miss you, but we'll never forget the contributions and the standard that you set for us. That will live on and those banners that hang up there wouldn't be hanging there without you. So I appreciate all you've done for me, the organization and for our football team."
Man, BB is such an a-hole. I can see how/why all the former players hate him.

But seriously, reading that gave me the chills. Talk about high praise.
 

BigSoxFan

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Man, BB is such an a-hole. I can see how/why all the former players hate him.

But seriously, reading that gave me the chills. Talk about high praise.
BB likes a lot of his former players. But you can always tell which ones he REALLY likes.