Hollins pedaling his way into wideout rotation
Mack Hollins had one thing on his mind after his 64-yard scoring reception helped the Eagles beat the Redskins Monday night.
Do I have enough energy left to pedal home?
The rookie wide receiver biked to Lincoln Financial Field for the game. He had the bicycle checked by security, his parking pass scanned and an attendant pointing out where to park.
“They go, ‘make sure you don’t take up two spots,’” Hollins said with a smirk. “It’s top security no matter what.”
The fourth-round pick out of North Carolina is going to have a rough time pedaling to the Linc if he keeps getting in the end zone.
A portion of the ride to the Linc showed up on social media. For the most part, the 6-4, 221-pound Hollins pedaled incognito.
“I’ve heard once or twice, ‘Mack?’” Hollins said. “But they don’t really think it’s me.”
The Redskins, leading by a TD, didn’t really think Hollins was enough of a threat to double him on the outside. Hollins stretched to haul in Wentz’s long ball and a few strides later was in the end zone doing the backpack celebration. It’s also known as the floss. Picture Hollins’ body as the tooth, his arms swinging back and forth in front of and behind the tooth as if he’s flossing really fast.
The game ended around midnight, Carson Wentz throwing four touchdowns passes to lift the Eagles to a 34-24 victory.
Twenty minutes later, while you were fighting to get out of a parking lot, debating Wentz’s MVP candidacy and making accommodations in Minneapolis for Super Bowl LII, Hollins was home.
“My parents will leave the
game,” Hollins said, “and I’ll be home sitting on the couch five minutes before they get there.”
Hollins also bikes to Eagles practices. He could take a taxi or Uber, of course.
“Yeah but then it’s like, now I’ve got to pay somebody else for something that I can do for free,” Hollins said. “And then I’ve got to sit in traffic again. I’ll just ride the bike. I had a motorcycle at Chapel Hill. I could park in places that cars can’t. But they’re not too fond of motorcycles in the NFL. So that’s sitting at home.”
Hollins owns a Honda CBR 600 that can go 160 mph — almost what he feels like rocketing down the field on go routes.
Hollins wouldn’t have been in the game had it not been for veteran receiver Torrey Smith, signed in free agency to be the deep threat. Smith was winded and as he came off the field, tapped Hollins.
“He happened to go on a deep ball before that and tapped me, which has happened
a million times,” Hollins said. “I was just the lucky one who got the deep ball on the next one. My job is to catch the ball.”
Hollins has six catches for 134 yards for the Eagles (6-1), who own the best record in football. The Birds take on the winless San Francisco 49ers (0-7) Sunday at the Linc.
Five of Hollins’ catches have been for first downs. He and Marcus Johnson don’t get a lot of touches in the Philly offense, but they get what they get.
“I think every week, even with Mack and with Marcus, guys who are, ‘our backup receivers,’ I can tell you as a coaching staff, we don’t look at those guys as backups,” offensive coordinator Frank Reich said. “We think those guys are good players. Coach Mike Groh does a great job mixing those guys in, not only those certain plays where we might want to put Mack or Marcus in, but during the game, probably I think we do this more than most places I’ve coached. Coach Groh, if he sees that Alshon (Jeffery) or Torrey has just run a deep ball, they’re really good at communication and he’ll pull a guy off and throw Mack in or throw Marcus in.”
The 49ers are a dumpster fire. They lost five straight games by three points or fewer, an NFL record. And that was before they turned to rookie quarterback C.J. Beathard.
It’s not just another game for the Eagles or Hollins, one of the team’s most eccentric rookies.
“The rookie class that came in, our idea was always to contribute as much as we can and help this team win no matter what that was,” Hollins said. “Whether that was practice squad or being inactive and on the sideline and helping guys out and cheering for guys, or playing and getting snaps. For us it was, how can we win games?”
If the Eagles win enough games, you just might see Hollins take a few bike trips around Minneapolis.
“I’m sure now people will recognize me,” Hollins said. “But usually I’m able to go like the whole distance without having to stop. There was traffic going through so I had to stop right in the road. I guess that’s where the picture was taken Monday.”