IRISH IN THE PROS
BY ANDREW OWENS
P
atience might be the word that best
describes Jonas Gray's football ca-
reer.
At Notre Dame, he rushed for only
309 yards and zero touchdowns in his
first three seasons with the Irish before
bursting onto the scene with 791 yards
and 12 touchdowns as a senior in 2011.
In the NFL, he endured a similar
path while bouncing between teams
and practice squads before finally re-
ceiving an opportunity in the New
England Patriots' injury-depleted
backfield in October.
Once again, he has turned heads
when few expected him to do so. In
four games as the lead back, he has ac-
counted for 332 rushing yards and four
scores, each of which came in a 42-20
drubbing of Indianapolis Nov. 16 on
NBC's Sunday Night Football. In that
game alone he rushed for 201 yards on
37 carries, a performance that earned
him the cover of Sports Illustrated the
following week.
"I've been getting the opportunity,
Patience Leads To Production
For Jonas Gray
Gray — who ran for 201 yards and a franchise-record four touchdowns in a 42-20 win at Indianapolis
Nov. 16, which landed him on the cover of Sports Illustrated — has emerged as New England's top back.
PHOTO COURTESY NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS; INSET COURTESY SPORTS ILLUSTRATED
