Leon Washington
FOXBORO ? Leon Washington is getting a lot of work through the first few days of Patriots training camp.
The veteran return man, who was picked up as a free agent this offseason, has gotten a ton of work as the primary kick returner. Washington, who turns 31 on Aug. 29, hits town with an impressive resume: The former Jet and Seahawk was second among returners with a 29.0 yard average last year with Seattle. In addition, he shares the NFL record with Josh Cribbs with eight career kickoff returns for touchdowns. He also tied an NFL record when he returned two kicks for a touchdown in a game against San Diego in 2010. Washington earned All-Pro honors in 2007, 2008 and 2010.
The 5-foot-8, 203-pound Washington joins a New England team that is looking for some consistency in the return game ? the Patriots averaged just 21.2 yards per kickoff return last season, 25th in the NFL.
Can those special-team skills translate to a new environment?
?Some players, like any other position, can adapt from different schemes,? said Patriots coach Bill Belichick. ?Some players are more suited towards one particular scheme. They read that, in this case, might read the blocking patterns better or more instinctively than a different type of return scheme.
?I think it varies from player to player,? he added. ?Some guys are one way, other guys have more of a style that they?re effective with. If you try to try to change that style, they?re not as effective with it. Other guys are pretty comparable to all of them. You have more flexibility in the schemes that you run. I think it depends on the player.?
Washington initially made his bones on the offensive side of the ball as a third-down back who showed an ability to run with the ball and serve as a pass catcher. In 2007 and 2008, he averaged more than 70 carries and 40 catches a year, and he?s averaged 7.7 yards per catch over the course of his career with 146 career catches and 1,127 receiving yards.
But the last two years with the Seahawks, he transitioned almost exclusively into a special teamer. With New England already fully stocked at running back, it certainly looks like he?ll be working purely as a return man this year. That?s just fine with Washington.
?Ever since I?ve been a rookie, I was always a team player,? Washington said Sunday morning after he and the rest of the team wrapped up their third practice session of the summer. ?That?s been my main focus, and knowing that I can do so many different things well ? run the ball, catch the ball, return kicks, even make tackles some times in my career. That?s the same approach I have here. Just coming in, helping the team out the best way I can.
?Obviously, I?m a competitor and want to be on the football field. I want to be out there and help the team out as much as I can, but not really. We won a bunch of games when I was in Seattle. Being a team player is the most important thing.?
?He?s played back there before but not a lot recently with the Seahawks,? Belichick said when asked about using Washington as a running back. ?We?ll put him in our system, teach him the things that he needs to learn at that position, evaluate him with the other players.?
Washington said Sunday that even as a member of the Jets, he has always been impressed by the way they go about their business in Foxboro.
?Obviously, you watch this organization from afar, and you see how well they do things here. It?s a winning organization. They believe in that. They believe in coming to compete,? Washington said. ?The most important thing that I love they do is that everybody is all about the team. Everybody will do whatever they need to do to help the team win. That?s impressive, watching them from afar.
?Everything the guys do here, it?s all about winning. You hear guys talking in the meeting room, in the weight room. That?s all they talk about. They talk about team. It?s all about us. I love that.?
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