It’s hard for any player to come in and make an impact as a wide receiver with the New England Patriots. It’s doubly hard for rookie after not stepping on the practice field for a months-long stretch.
That’s the challenge that first-round pick N’Keal Harry currently faces as he works his way back from injured reserve and into a passing attack that’s in dire need of help at wide receiver.
On Friday, Patriots wide receivers coach Joe Judge gave a progress report on Harry’s NFL debut this past weekend against the Philadelphia Eagles -- and how he’s looked since his return.
“N’Keal is competing as hard as he can right now," Judge said. "He missed a lot of ball, from his injury to when he came back. He’s getting better every day and really his sole focus is progressing every day -- and he’s doing that. Every day, you’ll be happy with a guy who comes out, gives you 100%, takes a step forward.”
Harry has been in a tough spot the past couple of months. League rules prevented the rookie from participating in certain activities while he was off the active roster. In the meantime, he’s been able to be in team meetings, be around the locker room and pick up the mental aspect of the Patriots offense.
However, that’s only a part of it. As Judge puts it, the biggest thing for a player it to go out on the field and put the theory into practice.
“Meetings are great, but there’s nothing more important than practice, execution and repetition to develop a relationship with someone as a player, and the timing you need to execute on the field,” Judge said.
In his first-ever regular-season action Sunday, Harry caught three passes for 18 yards. His playing time was limited, even after Phillip Dorsett left the game with a head injury.
Harry’s frame and skill set could be a vital injection of talent for an offense that’s lacked explosion the last few weeks. But Harry is still working his way back and trying to catch up. Sure, he’s had plenty of time to learn the playbook, but the speed and the active process of the game is something that simply can’t be replicated when you’re sitting on the sidelines.
“The biggest thing you miss when you’re on IR, especially as a rookie, is the day-in, day-out practice repetitions with the team,” Judge said. “You can’t be with the team, you can’t be doing competitive reps, so while you’re picking up on the concepts and the offense and the rules and the adjustments, that’s different from going at 100 MPH and having to carry those adjustments at full speed -- or learning where exactly where that ball’s going to be on a specific route. It’s just timing. It’s a feel for the speed of the game.”
Throughout the course of the season, every player on the roster progresses. As Judge notes, a rookie is simply going to be a better player by year’s end than he was when he walked in the door. But when you’ve already missed half the season due to injury, that’s going to put you a long way behind someone like Jacobi Meyers, who’s been an active part of practice and games since Day 1.
But Judge sounded confident Friday that Harry is putting in the work to get better and become a bigger part of the offense. Just how much will the Patriots gameplan around him? Well, they’re certainly going to play to his strengths, just like they do with every player.
“It’s not X’s and O’s, it’s Jimmy’s and Joe’s,” Judge said. “So you’re always looking to find a way to play to a player’s strengths and find a way that you get somebody in a position to make a play. Any time you design a gameplan, you 're not just drawing up lines on a piece of paper. You’re thinking, OK, who do we have this week available, who are we playing against, what do they do well, what do we do well and how can we find a way to play to our strengths against their weakness?”
What can the Patriots do well? They’ve been able to throw it much better than they’ve run it in 2019. If Harry starts to live up to his potential, that will give them a little more to work with when they’re gameplanning for Jimmy’s and Joe’s.
"Happy" - Google News
November 24, 2019 at 06:06PM
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N’Keal Harry ‘missed a lot of ball,’ but Patriots are happy with what they’re getting from 1st-round WR so far - MassLive.com
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