Patriots News 6-01, The McDaniels Connection May Pay Off Nicely
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Good morning. Here are your Patriots news 6-01, and notes for this week. It is hard to believe that we’re already in June. The year is flying by. Mandatory minicamp is right around the corner, and training camp after that.
The Patriots will honor David Andrews tomorrow. And it is well-deserved, I can’t wait to see how they choose to do it.
However, we’re still monitoring the progress at OTAs, as the team transitions to new playbooks on offense and defense with an entirely new coaching staff and numerous new faces on the roster.
It takes time to learn the new systems, and the defense is often ahead of the offense at this early juncture. Therefore, the main thing to look for is gradual improvement every day at practice as the players become more comfortable with the playbook and each other.
We know that Josh McDaniels’ offense is not the easiest to learn, but I do not doubt that he and Drake Maye will work together quite well.
With a dozen wide receivers on the roster, there are a couple of players who should have a leg up on the competition, one of whom is Kendrick Bourne. His first year with the Patriots also coincided with McDaniels, and in the second half of that season, Bourne emerged as the Patriots’ best playmaker.
The 2021 season saw Bourne set career highs in catches (55), yards (800), touchdowns (5), and longest reception (75 yards). I think he has a great shot this summer, as he’s now completely healthy following his ACL injury.
The other is Mack Hollins. In Hollins’ only season in Las Vegas, where McDaniels was the head coach, he also had his best NFL season with 57 catches, 690 yards, and four TDs, with a long reception of 60 yards.
He’s a big (6’4, 221) red zone target and an excellent blocker as a wide receiver. Hollins is a lunch pail kind of guy who comes to work every day and puts in the work. He’s a Vrabel kind of guy. I’m excited to see what he can do in a McDaniels offense again.
In our podcast this week, I spoke with Karen Guregian about Hollins, and she said if Hollins is a #3 or even a #4 receiver, he’d be a good target for Drake Maye, who will be reliable and catch the ball when his number is called.
To put that note into context, last year, when Hollins was targeted by Josh Allen, Allen’s passer rating was 118.6. His 34-yard TD in the AFC Championship Game in KC is a great example of what he can do.
Drake Maye: Oh my (Dick Enberg voice), it only took one OTA practice to get fans back into reading the body language of the QB thing again. Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston was asked what Maye’s body language was looking like and if he’s putting in time with the young WRs.
Perry answered what is already well-known. Maye is a very even-keeled young man who doesn’t get too high or too low.
“His body language and his demeanor have been fine,” Perry said.
“… In terms of his work ethic, that, to me, is not a question. You do see him staying after practice and throwing to guys after practice. A lot of the young receivers are out there late, (Efton) Chism and Kyle Williams, the two OTAs we’ve been to. I think this is something worth noting. Doesn’t mean either of them are going to be All-Pros this coming year, but I think it’s good. …”
Kyle Williams: The Patriots’ 3rd-Round draft pick has popped in early OTAs which is a very good sign. He’s displayed the ability to get separation at the line of scrimmage, and has good speed after the catch. Now, we have to wait, to see if he can do the same things once the pads come on.
On our podcast this week, Karen Guregian of MassLive.com mentioned that she wants to see if the Patriots can finally draft a WR that they draft that they can get it right on .
He had the play of the day this week when he reeled in a deep pass from Josh Dobbs down the sideline and beat CB Miles Battle. He and Efton Chism have been staying late after practice with Drake Maye. Another good sign.
Patriots No Huddle Podcast: Derek, Mike D’Abate, and I discussed the Patriots’ OTAs with Mass Live’s Karen Guregian on YouTube, Apple, or Spotify. And please leave us a review. This week, we’ll welcome the awesome Tanya Ray Fox to the podcast. This should be a lot of fun.
Russ Francis/Chuck Fairbanks: The former Patriot tight end and head coach should be in the Patriots team Hall of Fame, and the fact that Francis isn’t is an absolute travesty. Francis and the Raiders’ Dave Casper changed how teams used the tight end position. This will be displayed in our Sunday posts until it happens. Casper is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Francis’ numbers stand up well against Casper’s, yet he isn’t even in the team’s HOF.
I honestly hate this type of crap that we’re obligated to discuss at times. Our policy here is talk about football stuff and not anything else. We’re not TMZ or anyone like that, nor do we ever aspire to be. However, sometimes s**t happens and you can’t ignore it.
The Patriots signed Diggs for a reason, and that was to surround Drake Maye with better weapons this season. And once he’s ready to hit the field for real this season, he should really help in that aspect. I’m thinking 60-70 catches, 700-850 yards and 5-6 TDs would be fantastic and attainable.
But the last thing Mike Vrabel wants or needs just getting into OTAs, is having to answer questions about some off-field crap that is absolutely avoidable. And when will players learn to keep cameras and videos off limits?
Diggs is free to spend a holiday weekend on a boat with a bunch of women, there is nothing remotely wrong with that, but as anyone who saw the video there was more to it than that.
But he’s not in trouble with the league or the law. That’s the good news. So, there shouldn’t be any suspensions or further distractions (hopefully) from this.
And I’m not discounting anyone’s sources, but I doubt that the Patriots are going to cut Diggs over this. If so, I think Vrabel would have already acted. Vrabel isn’t the type to let this lie around for several days and then act.
But he’s got to be mighty pissed right now. He’s stressed since January that he wants to build a culture built on respect for the team and each other. This sends the exact opposite message.
Vrabel said he and the team were “aware” of the video.
“Obviously, we want to make great decisions on and off the field. We’re hoping that, with our time here on the field today, that when we don’t have a script and we’re on the call periods, that we’re making great decisions,” he added.
“The message will be the same for all our players, that we’re trying to make great decisions. Any conversations that I’ve had with Stefon will remain between him, I and the club,” Vrabel said.
It was not a good look, but we’ll move on until otherwise advised differently.
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“I think that it already has. I hope that it already has. Life’s a competition. Everything we do every day, we’re trying to improve and we’re trying to do better than the next person. But whether that’s a competitiveness to know what to do, to be able to play more than one position, to go extra reps when somebody’s down and take advantage of opportunities, young guys popping in there.
Third group, they do a nice job, then they get elevated and get some reps with the twos, and you see how they do with those opportunities. So, I think that there’s always a level of competition to what we do. It just may not be as physical as what it would be in training camp.
“Well, there’s certain things you have to change the way that you evaluate. Do they know their assignment? Can they adjust? Do they make the same mistake over and over? Then there’s a level of physical ability that we have to be able to evaluate. So, I would say that there’s still an evaluation even though we don’t have pads on.
Patriots Head Coach Mike Vrabel when asked when does the competition truly start from a positional standpoint and for guys trying to earn spots, and a follow up question on how much evaluation is going on for the coaching staff right now versus the installation and the teaching that obviously you’re doing this spring?
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“Somebody asked me what success looks like, and I said, ‘Yeah, you can judge it by wins and losses during the season, but success for me in the offseason is going to be that the players believe in what we’re doing, and they believe in the message, they believe in the teaching, and they believe in the connections that we’re making.’” — Mike Vrabel
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Steve, you are right on regarding Diggs and Maye. Diggs may be on watch now, but he did nothing wrong, other than the speculation wrapped around Diggs handing a bag of a pink substance to someone. Good assumption is it’s “pink cocaine”, however the keyword is “assumption”. There was no issue or law enforcement. No ID on the substance. The NFL league office declined comment. Diggs is working hard on his rehab and so he stays. As for Maye, I think it’s a joke that there are headlines on youtube of “McDaniels flabbergasted by Maye” and so much media over-reaction… Read more »