FOXBORO — It was evident how beloved rookie wide receiver Efton Chism is in the Patriots’ locker room with how the entire team celebrated his first NFL touchdown in Sunday’s win over the Jets.
It wasn’t just Chism’s receiving skills that stood out to Patriots coaches, however. Chism also took on some of Mack Hollins’ blocking duties with the veteran wide receiver on injured reserve with an abdominal injury.
“People say just go in there and block the guy. Well, first of all, who am I blocking? When am I blocking ‘em. What shoulder am I blocking him on. Where’s the ball going? …. there’s a lot of little things that go into this,” McDaniels said Thursday. “He’s just shown a strong aptitude and understanding and desire to learn it, even though he hasn’t had a million reps at it since training camp. Getting him the work last week, he showed us he was going to be dependable to do his job in that regard.
“I’m really excited and proud of the way he played last week in terms of his toughness, his finish. We talk about the identity so much, and he went out there and embodied it the way he played. I’m really excited for him to get a chance.”
Wide receivers coach Todd Downing was asked what allows Chism, who’s 5-foot-10, 198 pounds, to take on the same role as Hollins, who’s 6-foot-4, 220 pounds.
“I think the heart’s the same size,” Downing said. “Those guys both work really hard to be great teammates, and they show it in the way that they play when they don’t have the football or they don’t even have a chance to get the football. And so that skill set is exactly the same. You try to change up some techniques because of maybe some size differences or skill set differences, but the heart’s the same.”
Head coach Mike Vrabel said after Sunday’s game that Chism has scored plenty of touchdowns on Fridays in practice. Chism finished with two catches for 40 yards with the touchdown in his first extensive offensive action of the season.
With Hollins on IR until at least the AFC Championship Game, Chism could maintain a role on offense this week and moving forward.
“I was really proud of Efton,” Downing said. “He got an opportunity to actually put into action all the hard work that he’s put in throughout the year. And I thought he did a nice job with the assignments that we asked him to do. And physically, he went in there and battled. Obviously, he’s a different skill set than Mack, but he went in there with the same intentions and unselfishness. And I was really, really happy that he was rewarded with the touchdown.”
Chism went undrafted out of Eastern Washington. He made the Patriots’ 53-man roster after being a standout throughout the spring and summer.
