New England Patriots - NESN.com
Mack Hollins thought the New England Patriots needed a spark, so he gave them one in memorable fashion.
During Wednesday’s joint practice with the Minnesota Vikings, New England’s offense was stuck in neutral. Drake Maye and the first-team unit were under constant pressure from Minnesota’s front, leading to sacks and stalled drives. Then Hollins broke the drought.
The veteran wideout slipped behind the secondary, hauled in a 50-yard touchdown pass from Maye and, after crossing the goal line, punted the ball high into the stands at TCO Stadium. The boot was shared on social media by Sean Borman of Vikings Territory.
“I didn’t like the energy, so I decided to punt the ball in the end zone,” Hollins said. “I saved up a couple of dollars to pay the fine… maybe it’ll give us a little energy boost,” as transcribed by Mark Daniels of MassLive.
Hollins wanted to snap his teammates out of what he saw as a sluggish stretch, stressing the importance of pairing execution with emotion.
“Sometimes you have to fake it until it is real,” Hollins said, as quoted by Nicole Yang of the Boston Globe. The shift was almost immediate. Maye hit DeMario Douglas for 25 yards, then found Kayshon Boutte for a contested 30-yard gain.
In the two-minute drill to close practice, rookie TreVeyon Henderson caught a short pass in stride and sprinted 70 yards for a touchdown.
Hollins made it clear he expects his teammates to match that energy in moments like Henderson’s score, noting that the first players to the end zone should be wearing Patriots uniforms.
Signed to a two-year, $8.4 million deal in March, Hollins could prove as valuable for his energy as for his production — a sparkplug presence for a young offense still solidifying its identity.
