Courtesy of the New England Patriots
FOXBOROUGH – Calling Patriots wide receiver Mack Hollins a character would be an understatement. He is a lot more than that but what the nine year veteran receiver out of North Carolina has brought to the Patriots this season is undeniable.
Hollins is famous for his social media presence on Tik Tok and walking around barefoot but he brings a lot more than his quirky antics to a 7-2 Patriots team that is starting to look like a contender.
He brings a fresh perspective and leadership that the young receivers on the Patriots roster desperately needed.
After the game, Hollins talked about the importance of staying the course with a tough three game, eleven day stretch coming up.
“Play it one at a time. I think it’s tough to look ahead and say, ‘oh well, how do I need to prepare for the third game or the second game?’ Let sports medicine or sports science do that stuff and make sure you’re ready for whatever game it is. If we have a game tomorrow, prepare for the game tomorrow. Don’t worry about the game a week from now or two weeks from now.”
It is that type of veteran perspective that makes Hollins such a valuable part of this team. Hollins only caught 2 passes for 9 yards on Sunday but did his part on special teams and as a blocker. It was not easy going up against one of the best secondaries in the NFL on Sunday. Yet despite that, the Patriots receivers had great success, specifically on crossing routes over the middle. Demario Douglas had a career day catching 4 passes for 100 yards and a touchdown. Hollins praised Douglas but also offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels for the way he has been spreading the ball around.
“Yeah, I think he did great. I’m not shocked in any way by it. It’s fun being in this group where you don’t know who’s going to get it. So, everybody’s like, ‘oh, maybe it’s me this week,’ but I think that also makes it hard for defenses to go against us. You can’t say, ‘oh, well, I’m just going to cover Pop [DeMario Douglas] this week because somebody else could go for 100.’ It could be a tight end, it could be a running back, it could be another receiver. So, it’s great to have those complements to each other, and I think Josh [McDaniels] is doing a great job of calling it. Everybody knows that any week could be their week.”
Hollins also credited wide receivers coach Todd Dowling for preparing the receivers to have success against secondaries that play as much match up man coverage as the Falcons did.
“Coach [Todd] Downing always talks about route definition and giving the quarterback a good signal on your routes that, ‘hey, I’m breaking and I’m trying to come over right now.’ This is stuff that we’ve worked on since OTA’s. This league, I wouldn’t say, plays as much man as it once did, but when you get opportunities to play against not only a man team but a team that plays at a high level, you have to have the route definition. You have to be where the quarterback expects you to be, because that’s the only way it works altogether, and I think the guys did a great job with that.”
As for his game day fit, Hollins arrived at the stadium dressed like a member of the Patriots Militia. However, Hollins doesn’t do anything without a reason behind it, which is why he is such a unique individual. Sure, on the surface it may seem like he is looking for attention but there is always a backstory to what he wears on game day.
When asked why he wore the outfit, Hollins actually gave a very reasonable explanation.
“Well, you know, Salute to Service. We have the militia, which I think is very unique to this team versus the rest of the NFL. I thought it was a good opportunity to join them, and it’s the 250th anniversary of the Revolutionary War. So, it kind of all timed up pretty well. It was cool to see those guys in the end zone every week, and then be able to get in their uniform, and get a little bit of love and show a little bit of respect for them.”
It is further proof that Hollins brings a lot more to the table than just a big personality and a quirky persona. He is a glue guy for this Patriots team.