Shane Vereen was an unsung hero in the Patriots' historical Super Bowl comeback win against the Seahawks.
The running back's pass-catching ability exposed open windows as he led the team with 11 receptions (64 yards), and added 13 yards on the ground, too.
He was supposed to be the secret weapon all along.
Vereen, who signed with the Giants in the offseason, said a few days before the game, his parents met and took pictures with Brady at the team hotel. That's when the quarterback said their son would play a pivotal role in the game.
"It was funny. They came back and told me that Tom said I was going to have a big game. And lo and behold, we did what we had to do to get the job done," Vereen said in an interview that aired on NFL Total Access on Monday.
The unsung hero underplayed his efforts, so we'll lay it out for you: Five of Vereen's 11 catches went for first downs; two of the five were on third down. On the Patriots' final offensive drive of the game, Vereen touched the ball five times before Brady connected with Julian Edelman for what proved to be the game-winning score.
That sounds like a big game to us. Vereen went into the game averaging 5.7 yards per touch, second to only Le'Veon Bell last season.
And just like other Patriotspast and present, Vereen backed Brady in regard to Deflategate.
"I don't think he should be stripped of his Hall of Fame career," Vereen said. "I don't think it should taint his legacy. He's worked too hard. He's too good of a player, too good of a quarterback for this to taint his legacy. He does so much not just for the game of football, but he's changed New England sports."
Turns out Brady's also good at giving the Vereens a great Super Bowl story to tell for the rest of their lives.
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