Pats’ Hogan goes from lacrosse to Steelers killer
If you were running a “Which random Patriot will step up and destroy the Steelers” pool, Chris Hogan would’ve been a perfect pick.
Lo and behold, it was Hogan who did a lot of the damage in the AFC championship, catching nine passes for 180 yards — a Patriots playoff record — and two touchdowns as the Patriots crushed the Steelers, 36-17. Seven of those catches, 115 of those yards and both touchdowns came in the first half.
Now, it’s not that Hogan is bad; he’s a decent vertical threat for the Patriots and averaged 17.9 yards on his 38 regular-season catches. It’s not even that he’s fairly anonymous. It’s the fact that he played lacrosse at Penn State, and one season of post-grad football at Monmouth, that makes him perfect for the role he’s currently filling.
In 2007, Hogan was a first-team all-New Jersey football and lacrosse player. Instead of playing football for UConn or Rutgers, he opted for Penn State lacrosse, where he led the team in 2009 with 29 goals and “certainly played lacrosse like a football player,” former Nittany Lions coach Glenn Thiel told the Boston Globe in training camp.
“Obviously he was a great athlete,” Thiel said. “But his size set him apart. He was 6-2, 6-3, 215 pounds — we just didn’t see that on the lacrosse field, very seldom. There are some guys playing now that size but he was unique
then.”
OFF-FIELD ISSUES? The last time the Falcons went to the Super Bowl they suffered a disappointing loss following an embarrassing and distracting incident the night before: safety Eugene Robinson’s arrest on a charge of soliciting a prostitute.
The Falcons are returning to the Super Bowl for the first time since that 1999 game. Coach Dan Quinn said he’s not concerned about any of his players getting into trouble next week in Houston before the Falcons play the Patriots on Feb. 5.
“I recognize the question,” Quinn said. “Honestly, on some other teams I’ve been a part of, you might have worried, but not this team. This team is so tight and the accountability they have for one another is so strong and so, to me, that’s why (there is no worry).
“They totally rely on one another. This brotherhood is so strong, they care about one another and they are playing for something bigger than themselves. For this team and this group, I totally trust them.”
The Falcons lost 34-19 to the Broncos in the 1999 Super Bowl. Robinson was arrested the night before after Miami police said he offered an undercover officer $40 for sex.
FIRE ALARM: A Boston man described by his lawyer as a “die-hard Patriots fan” has pleaded not guilty to pulling a fire alarm that roused the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers from their hotel beds ahead of their playoff game against New England.
Dennis Harrison was released on personal recognizance at his arraignment Monday on charges including disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace.
Police say the 25-year-old East Boston resident pulled the alarm at the Logan Airport Hilton at about 3:40 a.m. Sunday. Authorities quickly determined it was a false alarm.
Prosecutors say Harrison told police he was drunk and did something “stupid” on a dare.
SUPER KNIGHTS: The college with the most players in Super Bowl LI is … Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights have five players in the game, led by Patriots’ Devin McCourty and Falcons star wide receiver Mohamed Sanu. That’s one more than Alabama, LSU and Stanford. Patriots defensive backs Logan Ryan and Duron Harmon and injured linebacker Jonathan Freeny complete the Rutgers quintet.
REDSKINS: Washington turned to internal candidates to fill two critical vacancies, promoting Matt Cavanaugh to offensive coordinator and Greg Manusky to defensive coordinator. Cavanaugh was the team’s quarterbacks coach and Manusky its outside linebackers coach last season.
BROWNS: Cleveland signed linebacker Jamie Collins to a four-year contract. A former Pro Bowler, Collins made a major impression during the eight games he started after arriving via trade from New England in October. Collins recorded 69 tackles, two sacks and forced a fumble.