Patriots Resume - James Develin

What if New England Patriots' head ball coach Bill Belichick required resumes from his players - what would those look like?  We take a stab at them, in alphabetical order...

Dear Coach,

As an Ivy leaguer, I am pretty good with numbers and such, and I tend to see things in black and white instead of the vague surrealistic fog that most players in my position drift through.

Not that there's any writing on the wall, mind you, and $660,000 is nothing to sneeze at, but with no signing bonuses and no incentives and no guaranteed money - well - I have no delusions about a secure spot on the roster, especially since there was no market for me when I hit the waiver wire in 2013, and no market this offseason as an exclusive rights free agent.

I mean, I'm a fullback - and not just a fullback, but a former college defensive end who made the transition to fullback on your practice squad as a rookie in 2012, then arrived on the scene as kind of a novelty the following season, quickly hitting the ceiling of my potential as a blocking back and occasional pass catcher.

I've made a career out of just hanging around, playing the Arena league for the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz, the Florida Tuskers of the now-defunct United Football league and finally landing a practice squad gig with the Cincinnati Bengals after those two short stints, eventually being cut from all of them, but I found a home here, surviving two brief periods on the waiver wire only to return to Foxborough.

But now, you have so many options.  I mean, as pass catchers go, you brought in Chandler and Derby as tight ends and the Mundine kid from Kansas, a multi-tool Hback who is faster and is a far more experienced route runner - and I'm basically a lead blocker.  There's no way that I bring enough in any other facet of the game to compete with any of these guys, except maybe my special teams work.

But here's the thing: I bring a toughness to the position that no one else can match, and I know that my teammates trust me to throw the big block to open the hole or to give Tommy enough time to throw.  That said, the competition will be tough, but as you know from these couple of seasons coaching me, tough is my middle name, and I will fight to the end to make this team.

I am motivated to that end, and a motivated me will be very tough to cut.  Just sayin'...

Sincerely,

The Devil

Resume'

Education: 

Brown University

Work Experience:

2010 - Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz (AFL)
2010 - Florida Tuskers (UFL)
2010 - 2012 - Cincinnati Bengals (Practice squad only)
2012 - Present - New England Patriots
                           Regular season: 7 carries, 15 yards (2.1 avg.), 1 touchdown
                                                      10 receptions, 105 yards (10.5 avg.)
                           Playoffs: 1 carry, 0 yards; 2 receptions, 7 yards (3.5 avg.), 1 touchdown

Awards:

2014 - Super Bowl Champion

Personal Information:

Born 23 July, 1988 at Boyertown, Pennsylvania
Height: 6' 3"
Weight: 255

Website:

James Develin Player Profile - Foxborough Free Press