The Sports Xchange

FOXBOUROUGH, Mass. – Running back Dion Lewis has carved out a pretty impressive role for himself in his first three games in New England after being out of football last season.

The undersized passing back leads the Patriots with 30 attempts for 146 yards (4.9 avg.) and a pair of rushing touchdowns on the ground. He’s also added 15 catches for 179 yards as one of the most productive players in terms of yards from scrimmage in the NFL through three weeks of action.

New England running backs coach Ivan Fears has enjoyed watching his new pupil produce, making good on an impressive offseason of practice work.

“We knew there was something there,” Fears said. “We had a feeling there was something there and we let it play out. He took advantage of preseason games and practice sessions and he’s done a good job. Like all the guys, he’s niched out a little role for himself.”

Fears has overseen a number of impressive passing backs in his time in New England throughout the Bill Belichick era. Lewis reminds his coach of one of those guys, maybe the best of the group.

“He’s very similar to Kevin [Faulk],” Fears declared. “Kevin of course played at LSU and was a hell of an every-down back. The only limitation that these guys have had is the size factor. Everybody just knocked them because of it. But believe me, they’ve proven a lot of people wrong. Dion has still got a lot of work to do. We’re not giving him any crown right now. We’re just saying he’s been very good through three games and we look forward to see what he can do for us in the future.”