Shane Vereen

Running back Shane Vereen, one of the heroes of the Patriots’ 41-28 victory over the Texans on Sunday, joined Mut & Merloni at Gillette Stadium on Monday to talk about his three-touchdown performance.

Vereen delivered the knockout blow Sunday, hauling in a 33-yard touchdown pass along the sideline in the fourth quarter.

“It was a favorable matchup,” he said of having a linebacker covering him. “It was what we practiced all week, and we were able to hit it in the game.”

Discussing the Patriots’ complex offense, Vereen said it present challenges trying to stay on the same page as the quarterback.

“It’s tough, because you’ve got to keep up with Tom Brady, who’s a 13-year vet, arguably the greatest quarterback,” Vereen said. “It’s tough sometimes to keep up with him. We go over so much throughout the week that in the game it kind of clicks and is like second nature.”

Vereen is one of a handful of young running backs on the team, and he said it’s a friendly battle to see who can contribute each week.

“It’s great competition,” he said. “We’re so close and it’s such a great group. We want each other to do well. We don’t really care who’s in the game. As long as we’re executing, as long as whoever’s in the game is doing well, we’re happy and the team is happy because we’re getting W’s.”

Asked about Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo‘s critical tweets regarding the Patriots’ hurry-up offense, Vereen said he’s not concerned.

“You keep it in your mind all week and you take care of it on Sunday,” he said.

To hear the interview, go to the Mut & Merloni audio on demand page. For more Patriots news, visit the team page at weei.com/patriots.