The Patriots Have Lost One Potential Folk Hero for the Year, but Have Another One Emerging Before Our Very Eyes

This was, of course, one of the highlights of Preseason Game 1 against Washington. As you'd expect from a team that dropped a 48-point bunker buster on the Commanders, one of many. And the fact it was delivered by Lan Larison, whom I've been invested in since the moment the Patriots signed him, made it all the better. It was validation for those of us who decided not to hesitate getting over-excited by a UDFA from UC-Davis:

Larison was an all purpose production machine for the UC Davis Aggies. He's 6-feet-even, 215 pounds. Over the past two seasons he combine for 2,581 rushing yards, 5.6 YPA and 30 touchdowns, in just 22 games. And last season alone added 853 receiving yards on 65 receptions, a 13.1 yard average. ...

Does it get any more American than Larison? Champion rodeo star who goes on to play big time football and finds his way to the pros. He's not just some prospect. He's a fictional character come to life. Something out of a 1950s book written for Midwestern farm boys to read and then hide in the corn crib so they don't get caught skipping their chores. The guy they'd do a movie about to show on The Wonderful World of Disney to remind American kids their country is better than everyone else and we need to keep standing strong against the Commie Red Menace.

The way I look at it, why wait a reasonable amount of time? What's the point of letting a calm, patient, rational approach, based on logic and common sense stand in the way of the thrill of getting way out over your skis over a guy who hadn't even reported to rookie camp yet? Due diligence is for losers. 

And Lan Larison did not let me down in his first game. In all, he had 7 carries for 35 yards, 5.0 YPA, that touchdown, two carries of 10+ yards and an impressive 18 yards after contact. With four of his carries behind zone blocking and three on gap runs, for a nice even mix. 

Unfortunately, that game was his undoing. He broke his foot halfway through the game and kept running on it. Including that touchdown. The way a cowboy would. We could expect nothing less from a guy who sounds like a ranch hand on Yellowstone. But that foot required surgery which sent him to IR. And turned his rookie year into a redshirt freshman season. 

Which leaves those of us who get emotionally invested in one of these roster bubble guys every year scrambling for another folk hero. The good news is, we found him. The great news is we didn't have to look far or for very long. Another rookie stepped up in that Fauxball game and in the practices that followed. This guy:

Efton Chism III was the media darling of spring practices. But then more or less faded into the background. For the first week-plus of training camp, he was more or less an NPC. That is, until he wasn't. Until he got his shot against the Commanders, admittedly their backups backups. But still. He took advantage of the opportunities he was given, as Josh McDaniels found a variety of ways to get him the ball. The way he's been utilizing the skill sets of slot receivers for a couple of decades now.

Bubble screens:

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Mesh concepts, like his touchdown:

And like I said, it's been carrying over since:

To the point he's climbing up the depth chart, such as it is in mid-August:

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… steps of playing more physical on route tops and finishing catches.” 

USA Today - Chism is looking to build off his stellar performance in last Friday's preseason opener against the Washington Commanders. He led the team with six catches for 50 yards and a touchdown. The undrafted rookie followed that performance up with a play-of-the-day catch at Sunday's practice. 

As far as Larison, them's the breaks. Not to go all 2003 Red Sox, but he'll just have to Cowboy Up and make the most of the chances he'll undoubtedly get next spring. Like they say, "When you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans." But they also say, "When God closes the door on one UDFA, he opens the window for another rookie sensation to make the roster and become the next folk hero in the proud tradition of Danny Woodhead, Julian Edelman, Malcolm Butler, JC Jackson and a host of others who climbed their way out of roster depth obscurity to become great." 

Or words to that effect. 

So here's to it, rookie. 

…  Evaluators need to adjust their benchmark as it’s nearly an entirely different archetype than the other wideout positions.

Patriots Nation turns it lonely eyes to you.