Receivers carry big chip
Want to show what they’ve got
FOXBORO — The Patriots will take the field Sunday in the season opener against the Texans with their weakest receiving corps in more than a decade.
They’re without Julian Edelman for the first four weeks. Chad Hansen, the new guy they claimed off waivers, can’t possibly catch on that quick- ly, if he even sticks with the team. Making matters worse, who knows if Tom Brady will have either Rex Burkhead or Sony Michel in the backfield to help take the pressure off? Both have been nursing knee problems throughout the preseason, although Burkhead wasn’t listed on the practice report yesterday, so that has to be considered a good sign.
With that as a backdrop, one might think the Texans are going to have an easy time bottling up an offense that’s usually one of the toughest in the NFL to contain.
The Patriots? They say fine. Keep doubting them. Keep questioning their ability to move the ball and put up points.
“We know it’s a challenge. We’re going in with that chip on our shoulder. Not to prove everyone wrong, but just to prove that we’re right. We know what we’re capable of,” said wide receiver Phillip Dorsett, sticking up for his group. “We know what we are. We’re an offense that interchanges. We got a lot of weapons. Josh (McDaniels) will figure out a way.”
Is Dorsett spouting blind faith in the Patriots offensive coordinator and the rest of his teammates, or is his confidence borne out of something else?
When asked, he looked a few lockers over toward Brady and smiled. Dorsett has learned something fairly quickly about the man who throws him the football. Brady loves a challenge, especially if everyone is counting him out.
“I know he loves it, he craves it if you doubt him,” Dorsett said of Brady, considered by many the greatest of all time. “And I can’t think of a bigger challenge for us Week 1 just to see what we’re made of, just to see what we’ve got going on.”
Dorsett isn’t alone with his view of the offense. Several teammates in the receivers room echo his sentiments. They know who they are, what they have, especially at quarterback, and they’re looking forward to seeing how that will translate against the Texans, who sport one of the best defenses in the league.
“It’s a great defense. Their defensive coordinator is a genius,” Cordarrelle Patterson said of Romeo Crennel, “and we’re going to bring our A-game for that great defense they got.”
A chip on their shoulder? You bet.
“I always have a chip on my shoulder just from my background,” said Chris Hogan. “But if (the doubts) create a chip on (our) shoulder, I think that only helps.”
Asked if he took offense to the view the Pats couldn’t win with their receiving corps, Hogan smiled and said those opinions didn’t bother him.
“I really don’t listen to the outside and what people think. I think we have a great room, I’m really excited about the guys we have, we have a lot of explosive playmakers in our room,” he said. “I’m really excited for these guys to get into the regular season and see how many plays they’re able to make.”
It will be interesting to see how McDaniels employs Patterson, and what ways he’s able to utilize his obvious talents. Can Patterson be more than just a gadget-play guy? And can Dorsett be any kind of a threat? Last year the Patriots beat up the Texans vertically thanks to having Brandin Cooks in their arsenal. But he’s gone.
Can Dorsett or Patterson be as effective? It’s hard to believe they would be, but maybe McDaniels has other ideas. Patterson was looking forward to seeing what was in store for him.
“I’m ready, man,” he said. “It’s football. I’m ready to play my best and do what I do best. Whenever my number is called, offense, special teams, whatever it is, I have to be ready, however they use me.”
And for those who are harping about the Pats being undermanned, Patterson said they’re not worried. It’s out of their control.
“It doesn’t matter if we have 12, 14, 18 receivers,” he said. “We’ll be ready.”