Pats Pulpit
The Minnesota Vikings leaving him wide open on an apparent coverage bust was all that Mack Hollins needed to grab his team’s attention. After entering the end zone uncontested, the New England Patriots receiver decided to celebrate by loudly screaming some choice words and punting the football into the stands.
As Hollins later explained, the end justified the means. His punt was all about sending a message.
“I didn’t like the energy, so I decided to punt the ball in the end zone,” Hollins told the assembled media after the first Patriots-Vikings joint practice in Eagan, MN, on Wednesday. “I’ve saved up a couple of dollars, so I can pay the fine. And I know it’s not a flag against the team, so it didn’t hurt the team, it just hurts my pocket. But maybe, it’ll give us a little energy boost.”
At that point in the session, the Patriots offense has had its ups and downs against a stingy Vikings defense coordinated by old friend Brian Flores. Pressure was a constant up front, passes were not always on point, and the turnover count was not where it needed to be.
New England needed a spark, and Hollins wanted to make sure to deliver it. The 31-year-old, after all, is well aware of the importance of energy and demeanor.
“Energy is important,” he said. “What I learned from a coach early on in my career was execution fuels emotion. If you’re doing things right, usually the energy’s pretty good. When you’re doing things wrong, usually the energy is not too good. So, if you see good plays happening, up the energy. Sometimes, you have to fake it until it is real and then you’re getting a play like TreVeyon [Henderson]’s, where a two-minute drill doesn’t have to go the full two minutes. It does matter.”
Hollins added that he would be expecting a “stern talking-to” from head coach Mike Vrabel rather than a monetary fine. The spike in energy, in his eyes, was still worth the action of sending the ball into the assembled audience at TC Performance Center.
Whether he shared Hollins’ opinion or approved of his approach, quarterback Drake Maye did not say after the session had ended. He did, however, agree that the Patriots need to learn to find any and all sources of energy when finding themselves in unfriendly surroundings.
“It’s one of those things where there’s fans in here, and it’s an environment that you expect to be really hostile. I think we’ve just got to bring our own energy,” Maye said. “That’s how away games are; you’ve got to bring your own energy. I think the guys responded well at times, but I think we, as a team, can do a better job bringing energy, having some energy when our guys make a play and when we don’t, responding to that.”
The Patriots will get their next chance to up the energy on Thursday, when they return to the Vikings’ practice fields for a...
