FOXBOROUGH – Being a rookie in the NFL is hard enough.

Being a rookie in the NFL trying to make an impact on special teams with minimal opportunities in a game is even harder.

That’s where having a coordinator like Jeremy Springer comes into play.

Now in his second season, Springer has been a huge help for guys like Andy Borregales, Efton Chism III, TreVeyon Henderson and others. Springer’s willingness to listen, teach, learn and support his young players rather than just casting them aside for a veteran player is allowing the Patriots’ special teams unit to flourish.

Last Sunday, Chism III got his first NFL reps when he returned kicks for the Patriots. This past Monday, he spoke about the confidence that Springer instilled in him leading up to the big day.

“He’s been awesome,” said Chism III. “Especially early on in the week when I found out I’d start to do (kick returning) as a new role, totally. Just, meeting with him after practice, seeing like, ‘what do you think here? What do you think here?’ And then he’s giving me extra things to go watch on the iPad, watching different teams do different things just to kind of build my confidence in myself and then he had total belief in me.

“He told me a bunch of times this week, so it was pretty special.”

Borregales and Henderson both echoed the same sentiments when asked about Springer on Thursday.

“He’s been awesome, really,” said Borregales. “He’s like, ‘look, we drafted you for a reason. Go out there and do exactly what you’ve been doing X amount of years.’ He just reminds me to be myself. He tells me that day in and day out. Even on game days, he’s like, ‘look, I’m excited to see you go play and just be yourself.”

When asked about Springer’s energy and whether or not it’s contagious, Borregales lit up.

“Oh ya,” Borregales said with a laugh. “He’s got a lot of energy, but it’s awesome. You need someone like that in the building. Maybe you wake up a little down because now it’s getting cold or whatever. I don’t know. He comes in day and and day out, energy’s through the roof.”

“A lot,” Henderson added when asked about how much Springer has boosted his confidence. “You can just tell by the way he coaches he cares a lot about this job, about being here. He just takes the time to coach us as young men. He’s done such a great job. He brings a lot of energy on the field.”

For a guy like Henderson – who made an immediate impact in the preseason with his big kickoff return touchdown – not running kicks back lately has simply been a byproduct of the Antonio Gibson injury. Still, Henderson remains ready to take on the role whenever called upon, thanks in large part to Springer.

“Coach Springer does a good job of still allowing me to get reps in practice because you never know,” he added. “You’ve always got to be ready, so he definitely keeps me on point.”

Upon hearing the comments made by Chism III earlier in the week when he met with the media on Thursday afternoon, Springer smiled.

“Good, that means we’re doing something right,” he said. “I think that all starts with our head coach and how he’s preparing us for practice. I think it starts in the locker room with those guys maintaining confidence in the younger guys and then coming out on the field and putting the work in, They put the work in. They prepare and a lot of times, those guys feel confident on game day and they feel good.

“That’s what we’re looking to have.”