In Focus: Charting offensive opportunities for Patriots skill position players

Stevan Ridley

Every week over the course of the regular season, we’ll present a list of the Patriots’ “offensive touches,” a running tally of which one of the offensive skill position players is getting the most looks. Like our weekly look at targets, it can occasionally be an inexact stat, but it remains a good barometer of how confident the coaches (and quarterback) are when it comes to the skill position players at their disposal. Six weeks into the regular season, here’s a breakdown of the New England offense for 2012:

RB Stevan Ridley: 124 (118 rushes, 6 catches). 13 negative runs.
RB Danny Woodhead: 50 (40 rushes, 10 catches). 2 negative runs.
WR Wes Welker: 48 (0 rushes, 48 catches). 1 negative reception.
RB Brandon Bolden: 45 (43 rushes, 2 catches). 7 negative runs.
WR Brandon Lloyd: 34 (0 rushes, 34 catches).
TE Rob Gronkowski: 29 (0 rushes, 29 catches).
TE Aaron Hernandez: 13 (1 rush, 12 catches). 1 negative reception
WR Julian Edelman: 12 (2 rushes, 10 catches). 1 negative reception, 1 negative run.
QB Tom Brady: 10 (10 rushes, 0 catches.) 13 sacks and 5 kneel downs.
WR Deion Branch: 4 (0 rushes, 4 catches)
RB Shane Vereen: 3 (2 rush, 1 catch)
TE Daniel Fells: 2 (0 rushes, 2 catches)
TE Kellen Winslow: 1 (0 rushes, 1 catch)
TE Michael Hoomanawanui: 1 (0 rushes, 1 catch)
TOTAL: 376 touches (216 rushes, 160 catches): 26 negative plays, plus 13 sacks.

By position
Running back: 222 touches (203 rushes, 19 catches). 22 negative runs.
Tight end: 46 touches (1 rush, 45 catches). 1 negative reception.
Wide receiver: 98 touches (2 rushes, 96 catches). 2 negative receptions, 1 negative run.
Quarterback: 10 touches (10 rushes, 0 catches)

By way of comparison, here’s a breakdown of how things look for the Patriots through six games last season.