FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Quick thoughts and notes on the New England Patriots and the NFL:
1. Polk’s progress: One day in the Patriots locker room last week, rookie wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk sat at his station and welcomed a reporter for a conversation. When he finished, another journalist was waiting for a word.
Then another one came after that. And when the conversation ended, another journalist came up and said, “I’d like to be next at the car wash if you have time.”
Polk thanked them all. Then, when he was done, he gave two more interviews to television journalists across the hall.
All that attention highlights one of the biggest stories for the Patriots (2-7) heading into Sunday’s road game against the Chicago Bears (4-4) at Soldier Field (1 p.m. ET, Fox). Can they get Polk, their second-round pick out of the University of Washington, back on track?
With eight games left in the regular season, and the Patriots closer to contention for the first overall pick in the draft than a playoff berth, they want to find out what they have in some of their rookies for the future.
Perhaps no one more than Polk, the 37th overall pick who dazzled at times in the summer but has since fallen on hard times. He has played 301 offensive snaps this season and totaled just 10 receptions for 78 yards and a touchdown.
According to ESPN Research, of the 90 NFL receivers who have been targeted at least 25 times this season, Polk ranks last in receiving yards per game (9.8), receptions per game (1.3), yards after the catch (3 ), receiving yards. after first contact (1), yards per target (2.9) and is responsible for two offensive holding penalties, tied for the most of any NFL receiver.
When Polk didn’t put his second foot in the back of the end zone on a potential game-winning touchdown late in a Week 5 loss to the Dolphins, it seemed to accelerate his struggles. He has had multiple dropped passes since then, slipped on an open two-point conversion attempt in a loss to the Jaguars in London, and was placed in concussion protocol after that game. Polk returned last week, played nine offensive snaps, had no catches and was penalized for holding and illegally moving.
The Patriots are hoping Polk (6-foot-1, 203 pounds) can follow a comeback route, which is why he received so much media attention last week.
“We all have lows. We all have highs. I think the most important thing is to always have a positive attitude about anything. It’s to continually focus on the main thing and weather the storm,” Polk said. “It’s never going to be perfect. I think that’s the most important thing: just understanding it and being able to go ahead and execute, knowing that you have guys around you that depend on you at all times.”
Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt hinted that Polk, 23, should work more this week.
“Get him there and acclimatize again. Find some targets for him,” he said. “Very capable receiver. I loved what he did in college. We had a great summer for us. We just have to readjust it and get back to it.”
In mid-October, coach Jerod Mayo mentioned that Polk had to overcome a “mental slump” with dropped passes. Polk later told MassLive that he wasn’t dealing with mental issues and was approaching his job with the confidence of a player who has the best hands in the league.
That confidence is part of what made scouts want Polk in the draft. An AFC scout said he was one of the University of Washington’s most reliable players, tough, hard-working, thriving on structure and a leader.
Polk said attending Bible studies, which he also did in college, has helped him overcome adversity.
“I lean on my Lord. One thing I have been able to understand is that sometimes we want things to go our way, but many times they don’t. So by continuing to understand the process and the journey that we are going through this and keep a mindset positive about the result, I think that’s important,” he said. “You have to be able to lean on your faith and what you believe.”
2. Status of the statue: When Tom Brady was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame on June 12, Robert Kraft announced that a 12-foot bronze statue of Brady would be unveiled outside Gillette Stadium this year.
The ideal scenario was for Brady to be present as part of his broadcast duties at Fox for the Patriots’ 2024 home opener in Week 2, when they hosted the Seattle Seahawks. That was the weekend the Patriots welcomed members of the 2014 team that defeated the Seahawks in celebration of the 10th anniversary of their Super Bowl XLIX championship. Unfortunately, Fox assigned Brady to the Cowboys-Saints game for Week 2.
The Patriots’ next home game also aired on Fox in Week 5 against Miami, but any chance of Fox’s “A team” being assigned that game was all but eliminated in Week 2 when Tua Tagovailoa was left out. game because of a concussion.
So, since Brady is not expected to be in Foxboro this season, according to a source familiar with Brady’s schedule, plans have now changed to find a date in 2025 that best fits to properly honor him.
3. Arrival of Ngakoue: The Patriots pulled off a mild surprise Friday by claiming veteran pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue off waivers from the Ravens, leading to the release of veteran linebacker Raekwon McMillan. At a time when coaches have talked about developing younger players with the team at 2-7, the arrival of the well-travelled 29-year-old Ngakoue runs counter to that approach.
At the same time, assuming Ngakoue is motivated to move from the first-place Ravens to the last-place Patriots, he could also provide a much-needed boost to the third-down rushing package, which had a void notable after the Patriots traded 26-year-old Joshua Uche for a 2026 sixth-round pick two weeks ago.
4. Onwenu to LG? Hoping to spark up their dormant running game, the Patriots explored the possibility of moving right guard/right tackle Mike Onwenu to left guard in practice last week. Whether they follow through on Sunday’s game will be a remarkable story.
“Continuity would be great. We don’t have that luxury right now,” offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt said, noting that Onwenu, the only player on offense to play every snap this season, is his best offensive lineman.
5. The bell rings: Tight ends coach Bob Bicknell and special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer said last week that 2024 seventh-round pick Jaheim Bell is now appearing more on special teams, with Springer adding that he’s “light years away from when came here for the first time.” That could soon lead to Bell spending more time on offense, where he has played 19 snaps all season (11 in the last two weeks).
“He’s a really great talent. He’s a great kid, he loves football,” Bicknell said. “At the beginning of the year, I said ‘For you to rise [on the game-day roster]you have to be part of special teams. I think he went to Springer every day and did extra work. “He can do some things now and he did a great job last week.”
Patriots special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer said he has told his kickoff return unit to be ready as the Bears have shown a willingness to cover kicks.
“It’s a team that wants to put the ball in play,” he said, highlighting his larger body and his tough hand.
“Us… pic.twitter.com/NHoSG2IUeE
—Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) November 8, 2024
6. Henry’s hidden value: Ninth-year tight end Hunter Henry has been a silver lining in a difficult season, totaling 39 receptions for a team-high 414 yards. His career highs are 60 receptions (in 2020) for 652 yards (in 2019). But Bicknell said last week that the part of Henry’s game he considers underrated is his blocking, with few missed assignments.
7. Rhamondre/Robinson meeting: Running back Rhamondre Stevenson was at the team meeting Wednesday when it was announced that guard Tyrese Robinson had been waived from the Vikings’ practice squad the day before.
Stevenson was surprised to hear it and was happy to reconnect with the 6-foot-3, 319-pound Robinson, who had started at Oklahoma for two years when he and Stevenson helped the Sooners win two Big 12 championships.
What does Robinson do best? “Run blocking,” Stevenson said.
8. They said it: “I don’t know if it’s because we have such a young team that is different from 2021, 2022, when things weren’t going the way we wanted and there were a lot of older guys who were used to a certain way, used to winning. There are a lot of young guys here who are hungry, “No matter what the outcome is, they’re just trying to prove that they belong, so it’s definitely a different feeling.” — CB Jonathan Jones, in his ninth season with the Patriots, on the atmosphere in the team’s locker room 2-7
9. Jones at the deadline: Jones’ name was rumored among interested teams at last Tuesday’s trade deadline, but he had assurances that he would stay there.
He said Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf “talked to me and let me know their plan was not to trade me.” While Jones’ admitted plans can always change, he wasn’t worried about the deadline.
10. Did you know? Drake Maye has totaled 748 passing yards and 197 rushing yards in his first four career starts and can become the seventh player in NFL history with 1,000 passing yards and 200 rushing yards in his first five starts, joining Jayden Daniels , Jalen Hurts, Kyler Murray, Colin Kaepernick, Robert Griffin III and Daunte Culpepper.
