FOXBORO — Patriots wide receivers coach Todd Downing heaped immense praise on two of his pass-catchers in the lead-up to Sunday’s season opener against the Raiders.
The veteran offensive coach said undrafted rookie receiver Efton Chism’s “relentless work ethic” is what separates him from the pack.
“It starts well before he ever hits the field,” Downing said. “This guy’s one of the first guys in. A lot of times he’ll pop into my office super early in the morning, as I’m just getting going, and he wants to sit there and just watch me build the PowerPoint for the meeting that day or something. Just to kind of get an extra time or an extra rep, the mental processing for the system.
“He stays late with Mack (Hollins) and goes through things with Mack, and those two have developed a cool relationship, so that piece of it’s cool, and then what he does on the field is he translates that into playing fast and confident. He knows exactly what to do, so then he can go out and execute it.”
Downing said the work that Hollins is willing to put in and the time he’s willing to dedicate with Chism to nail down the playbook isn’t “rare, but it’s special.”
“Guys that have that passion for the X’s and O’s and the scheme of the game and wanting to be so rock solid on their assignment, they’re always spending extra time in the rooms,” Downing said. “I’ve been fortunate enough to coach multiple different positions. That stayed true throughout any position group. If you’re staying extra, you want the extra time and the extra resources that this profession provides you, it’s going to pay off. And so Mack’s a good guy for Efton to emulate that way.”
Chism was one of the Patriots’ training camp and preseason standouts this summer, helping him earn a spot on the 53-man roster. Hollins was still rehabbing an injury early in training camp, so he got a later start to practice than the rest of the Patriots’ receivers.
He quickly made up for lost time and was a consistent playmaker late in the summer, using his 6-foot-4, 221-pound frame to stand out with one-handed and toe-tapping catches.
He’s also the loudest player on the practice field. Downing was asked if Hollins is always turned up to 11.
“When have you seen him down at 11?” Downing quipped.
“There has not been a time that I’ve been in the building with Makc, or on the practice field with Mack that he’s not ready to go. And really, really impressive how he can be as consistent as he is.”
On paper, the Patriots are not expected to have one of the top wide receiver groups in the NFL, but it’s been a competitive room led by Stefon Diggs. DeMario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte and rookie Kyle Williams all have stood out in a positive manner this summer.
