FOXBOROUGH — Phillip Dorsett knew things were different when he had his first conversation with Patriots wide receivers coach Chad O’Shea.
Shortly after he arrived in a trade with Indy in September, O’Shea explained to Dorsett the three foundational elements of being a successful Patriots receiver: Get open, catch the ball, and block in the run game.
The first two, no problem.
The third? That was a new one.
Dorsett had always welcomed the idea of working as a physical receiver -- he said proudly he was "never scared about putting my face in there to block" when called upon -- but said he had never been in a place where they had put such a priority on blocking. But after talking with O’Shea he quickly found out that if you don’t engage as a blocker in New England, you’re not going to be on the field.
“The bottom line is that around here, you’re not going to get on the field as a receiver if you don’t block. You can put on any film, any tape, and you’ll always see Patriots receivers blocking well,” said Danny Amendola. “It goes back to the mentality we like to have in our group — Chad O’Shea does a great job of expressing that to us. We know how important it is.”
Three-plus months later, Dorsett's blocking skills have been remade. He might not have the sort of production some were looking for when he was dealt for Jacoby Brissett shortly before the start of the season, but when it comes to blocking … well, that was one of a couple of reasons he was on the field for 377 snaps, despite the fact that he had only 12 catches in the regular season: He’s not afraid to get his hands dirty, like on this play where he starts in the slot and comes crashing down into the Tampa defender, allowing Mike Gillislee to pick up some extra yards.
“I now know that’s part of the job,” explained Dorsett, who remembers really understanding just what that meant after seeing some of his teammates and others deliver some ringing blocks in a Week 2 win over the Saints.
“I feel like we take just as much pride going out there and delivering blocks than going out there running routes and catching the ball. A big run, there’s nothing like springing a running back. We obviously take pride in catching the ball and getting into the open field. That’s our job. But people forget, blocking, that’s a huge part of what we want to get done. We run the ball a lot too.”
Receivers coach Chad O'Shea (right)