FOXBORO — Stefon Diggs doesn’t mince words when he’s motivating his Patriots teammates.
After Mack Hollins had the ball punched out of his hands by Jets cornerback Brandon Stephens midway through the fourth quarter of Thursday night’s 27-14 Patriots win, Diggs walked up to his fellow veteran wide receiver and said sarcastically, “Well, it’s nice to (expletive) catch the ball.”
Hollins enjoys it. It shows that Diggs holds him to a high standard. He believes it helps him perform better, and he dishes it right back.
“Because we’re both at the age we are, the expectation is (that) it don’t matter what happens on a play. Make it,” Hollins said. “The same way I was giving him crap when he should have caught the ball when he got hit, he’s gonna give it to me.
Hollins and Diggs have no time for motivational platitudes.
“‘Hey, you’ll get it.’ Nah,” Hollins said. “Make it.”
So, what was Hollins’ message to Diggs after a drop?
“‘You’ll never get that play back.’ Like I’ll never get that play back,” Hollins said. “I gotta go make some more. I gotta make some other ones.”
Diggs has been a phenomenal teammate since joining the Patriots on a three-year contract this offseason in free agency. He’s constantly pushing his teammates, young and old, offense and defense, to make plays. And he celebrates their successes.
He’s also built impressive chemistry with quarterback Drake Maye since the spring, when he was still limited while recovering from a torn ACL suffered last year.
“It’s just football. OTAs, to training camp, to practice throughout the year,” Diggs said. “Just kind of learning one another and finding our spots and doing what he feels comfortable with, and just doing my job. It’s not so much just — obviously you get comfortable over the course of time, but just doing, everybody’s doing their job.”
Maye didn’t need time to get comfortable with Diggs. The veteran wide receiver has been playing in the NFL since Maye was 13 years old, growing up in North Carolina.
“That trust was built up probably when I was in middle school, (when he was) playing in the league,” Maye said. “It was long ago, guys like him and Hunter (Henry) and Mack. You trust those guys for what they’ve done in this league, and I just try to give him chances.”
Diggs led the Patriots with nine catches on 11 targets for 105 yards in Thursday night’s win. It was his third 100-yard performance of the season and the 39th of his NFL career.
With 59 catches for 659 yards and three touchdowns this season, he’s back on pace for 1,000 yards over 17 games.
It’s been an incredible season for a 31-year-old wide receiver coming back from a serious injury.
“Just getting back to a rare form and getting to where I want to be physically and mentally,” Diggs said. “So, I’m just thankful to be around — we got a lot of weapons on offense. So when I get to make some plays out there — I left one out there.
“Just getting opportunities. And wanting to be myself and be another pillar on this team. I just feel like just taking advantage of my opportunities is going to be key. Because you never know when you will get them. Got a lot of playmakers on this team.”
The Patriots pursued a lot of wide receivers over the last two years. They signed after the initial wave of free agency and were fortunate to land him. He’s been everything the team needed out of a veteran wide receiver and more.
