Pats Pulpit
Notes and thoughts on Ja’Lynn Polk, the coaching staff and more.
The offseason rolls on for the New England Patriots and the attention now shifting to the NFL Combine and free agency.
For anything not covered on Pats Pulpit throughout the week, let’s take a look in this week’s Sunday edition of Patriots Notes.
When the Patriots selected wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft, they did so with the vision of him being a plug-and-play option in their offense.
The early returns were promising as Polk was a fixture with the top offensive units during the spring and summer — even being one of the team’s most active pass catchers in training camp practices.
Then things came crashing down. Fast.
Despite playing in 15 games his rookie season, Polk finished with just 12 catches. In total, Polk went for just 87 yards and two touchdowns on those receptions.
The numbers almost didn’t look real to Hall of Fame finalist wide receiver Steve Smith.
“I though it was a misprint,” Smith said in his recent review of Polk on his 89 show. “I wrote it down four times.”
While the numbers were in fact real, Smith did not believe they all fell on the rookies’ shoulders. The biggest reason for the lack of production from Smith’s view instead fell on New England’s coaching staff — which has since been remodeled in all facets.
“It aint his fault that they were switching up things every week. It’s not his fault that his offensive coordinator was not very good. And it’s not his fault that his head coach, Jerod Mayo, was giving mixed messages. That’s uncontrollable things that are outside his control,” Smith said.
In Alex Van Pelt’s offense, Polk’s role often changed from week-to-week (largely due to the lack of talent surrounding him in the receiver room). The early season concepts then left a lot to be desired from the 16-year veteran. Smith pointed to Polk running routes downfield even though he was playing with a quarterback in Jacoby Brissett who operated in the quick game — especially with the Patriots’ offensive line struggles.
All of it put together, Smith believes, had the rookies head in a pretzel.
“I just couldn’t really figure out what was going on,” Smith said of the Patriots offense. “And when you are a veteran who’s learned multiple offense and can’t tell you what the hell they’re doing, what do you think a rookie [feels]? You think his head is not swimming.”
Polk was also led by first-time wide receiver coach Tyler Hughes and assistant Tiquan Underwood, a set-up that Smith was not a fan of.
“Looking at Ja’Lynn Polk and then looking at the people coaching him, I have that ‘Oh it makes sense,’” he said. “When I’m looking at his film — the inconsistency, the way he’s doing things — he’s being led by the wrong people.”
The early season struggles — which were highlighted...
