FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Bill Belichick's assembly line of humble, modest and entirely scheme-useful players churned out another expected success story on Monday night in a win over the Bills.
James White, their fourth-round pick in the 2014 draft, who remained inactive while Dion Lewis surprised the football world earlier this season, came out and scored his first two touchdowns of the year -- a feat which surprised almost no one.
"James has been a dependable player for us," Belichick said. "He came through with a couple big plays last week against the Giants and had them today. We need everybody every week, and he made some plays for us today."
White only ended up with four touches -- two rushes for 17 yards and a score, and two catches for 32 yards and a score -- but he was the difference on a night where points came at a premium. White scored on the controversial quick snap after a 41-yard gain by Danny Amendola, a play that required White to bang some heads on the way to the goal line. It was also a calculated risk that saved the rest of the Patriots some much-needed energy.
He also broke a Corey Graham tackle on his way to the end zone on the receiving score on a night where the Bills were very physical.
"I mean, guys are going to go down," White said. "People are going to have to be ready no matter what the situation is. It's unfortunate, but that's how it goes in this league sometimes."
White has already spent a year absorbing the Patriot way so there was no chance we'd hear him take a shot at Rex Ryan's defense on Monday night, or even linger on how great it felt to score his first two touchdowns.
The assembly line rolls on.
"It felt good," White said. "Anything I can do to help this team, whether it's scoring touchdowns or blocking, I'm going to do it."
