Approaching this weekend's notebook in a different fashion. After working the locker room all week, I had exchanges about three separate topics I wanted to share with you.
Let's start with Kayshon Boutte. He's coming off a season-high 55 snaps in Sunday's loss to the Texans, and, of course, he caught his first touchdown. Teammates and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt have noticed just how far he's come.
"He took an energy shift," said Kendrick Bourne Thursday. "He took an attitude shift to where 'I'm going to be on the field this year. There's no doubt in my mind that I'm going to make the team.'
"He's so locked in. He knows the playbook really well."
"Just to see his work ethic from last year to this year. And the character that he is, he changed," DeMario Douglas added. "Just changing, his work ethic is different now. It shows on the field."
"He's a guy that we were not, I wouldn't say down on, but we didn't see him as a starter early through camp, and as he continued to work, I think the biggest thing with Boutte was the way he approached practice," noted Van Pelt. "He really put his hard hat on and went out and did great work, not just for us, but also for the scout team. His attitude was excellent. He wanted to get on the field. He earned the right to do that. I'm so proud of him for his perseverance. We were on him early, and he responded well, so it's good to see him having some productivity."
Boutte has caught seven of his eight targets this season, and considering the Jaguars' poor secondary, he should add to that in London.
Next topic: the mood in the locker room.
Austin Hooper gave me a perfect answer about what could be happening and what needs to be done to pull out of a 1-5 abyss. I then took that to Bourne, and he, too, gave an introspective response.
"It's obviously not up to the standard, especially the standard that's been set around here," said Hooper. "But, at the end of the day, you have two options. You can either go in the tank or you can confront the mistakes and tell the truth. I mean, I put a ball down, and that hurt the team. Part of that loss is on me. Could have kept it close. Thank God the defense bailed me out, where I only used cost three points, but I mean stuff like that.
"So either take the accountability, take the coaching, or you play the 'Well, you know, I did okay, like, well, you know, but I was doing..." No, no, there's none of that. You win as a team; you lose this team. That's why this game is so beautiful. It doesn't matter. So the message is to turn the page, learn from these mistakes, accept the good and the bad, take accountability, and move forward. So, I mean, we're a third to win the season. They're still, they're still a road ahead of us."
Added Bourne, "So personally, I'm trying to step into that leadership role and just telling the guys, put pressure on yourself. You have to look at yourself honestly when you run routes. How did that look? How did that feel? Did you give your best effort? Did you try your hardest? And I think that's the mindset we need to have.
"So the coach can tell you all you want, but if you don't tell yourself, we'll never get anywhere. We're going to stay in the same boat of 1-5 every year. So, personally, I look at myself in the mirror, and I hate it when I get locked up; I hate it if I drop a ball. I absolutely hate it. So what Hooper is saying is you have to be honest when you look at yourself in the mirror, and the coaches do a great job, but it's personal. It has to be personal, and I think we just need to do a better job of doing that overall."
There was a little too much satisfaction after the loss to the Texans, no doubt tied to an offense that produced some points and some explosive plays, with Drake Maye making his first start. Those smiles would have been frowned upon when this was a championship-driven organization. These younger players must learn how to win.
The final topic: an underperforming defense.
I included my questions (italics) and, in one case, my response (also italic).
Is there enough - you've had a lot of injuries, right? Ja'Whaun (Bentley), Christian (Barmore), trade Judon, etc. Is there enough in the room to be the kind of defense you want to be with some of the losses you guys have suffered?
Jahlani Tavai: "Why wouldn't there be?"
I'm asking.
Tavai: "I'm responding with that, yeah. Why wouldn't there be? Mayo believes in us, and there's a reason why we're here."
Added Jonathan Jones, "It's been tough, but it's something that everyone's dealing with. Injuries are a part of the game. I think it just comes down to guys being able to step up and fulfill those roles and make their mark. You know, getting that opportunity. When you're a backup guy in this league, you wait on that opportunity, and you know when it comes, it's your job to do what you can with it.
Do you have confidence that there are guys in the room that can elevate?
"Yeah, I think they just continue to build, learn the fundamentals, and go out there and just execute. If you carry out the things you do in practice - practice to the game - I think they'll be okay."
The Pats are currently ranked 29th in defensive DVOA. The only teams worse are the 1-4 Rams, 1-5 Panthers, and 1-5 Jaguars.
REUNITED AND IT FEELS SO GOOD
As we predicted — and it wasn't hard — Davante Adams found his way to the Jets this week, traded for a third-round pick that could become a two if certain conditions are met (unlikely). Until he finds a home, the 31-year-old wide receiver is rooming with his quarterback, Aaron Rodgers. How cute.
"It's been a roller coaster, for sure," said Adams. "It's a weird thing to say that I'm happy, but obviously, it was time for a change."
Adams was brought to Las Vegas by then-head coach Josh McDaniels, but he had no problem with McDaniels's dismissal last season or having McD's hand-picked quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo, sent to the bench. Now, he gets to play alongside Rodgers again. The two were terrific as a duo in Green Bay and are hoping that chemistry can be rekindled.
"I expect to be on the same page," said Rodgers. "I'm hoping that we click. He's been out for a few weeks with a [hamstring] injury, and we haven't played together since 2021, but we have a lot of memories to call upon. He has an incredible recall."
"One of the main things Aaron and I have is our connection, the nonverbals, reading body language and just understanding how his mind works," said Adams. "A lot of those small things are key to having success. You look at some of the plays that didn't get converted this year. This is a 2-4 football team, but this could easily be 5-1 if they did it the right way and clicked on some opportunities that are out there. It's never been far away."
The Jets fired Robert Saleh last week, naming Jeff Ulbrich the interim boss, yet lost again Monday night. They have dropped three in a row and, as Adams noted, are 2-4 for the first time since 2021. Yes, that's right. They got off to better (or identical) starts with the much-maligned (rightfully so) Zach Wilson calling out the signals.
Can the addition of Adams spark a turnaround? Or will his presence cause issues in a crowded wide receiver room led by third-year pro Garrett Wilson (20 catches in the last two weeks), former Packer Allen Lazard, and Mike Williams? However, Williams is already being shopped after Adams' arrival, and being called out by Rodgers for running a bad route at the end of the Bills' loss.
"We need to get it going," said Rodgers.
No bleep. I guess that's why they pay him the big bucks.
The Jets are at Pittsburgh on Sunday.
BILL AIN'T BAD FOR BUFFALO
In the meantime, fellow AFC East foe Buffalo made a deal for its own wideout, acquiring Amari Cooper (and 2025 6th round pick) from Cleveland for a 3rd rounder in 2025 and a 7th rounder in '26.
Cooper's production has been down this season. He is partially to blame, leading the league with nine drops. However, his previous quarterback, Deshaun Watson, is having another poor season, and his inaccuracies were highlighted when throwing at his former number-one receiver.
Cooper hopped right in his car and drove from Cleveland to Buffalo Wednesday morning. Think he's excited?
"It's just that feeling of having a fresh beginning, a new start, a blank canvas that you get to control your destiny, you know?"
He's joining a receiving group that doesn't have a single player with 250 or more yards. Only four teams in the league can say that, and half of them have had bye weeks and played one less game. Josh Allen has made it work - he has 13 total touchdowns - but this was an opportunity GM Brandon Beane felt as though he couldn't pass up.
"I'm always looking," he said. "It doesn't mean I didn't like the group. I can't make a team like Cleveland do the deal. If we didn't do this deal for him, I still like our group. It's not anything there. Any time you can add a player, just like we added (CB) Rasul (Douglas) last year, I'm always going to monitor that."
It's unknown if Cooper will be up to speed in time to play for the Bills on Sunday against the Titans. Sean McDermott said no decision has been made yet, and Beane understands why.
"You don't just walk in and just plop him in and say go," said Beane. "He's got to get up to speed with our calls, our checks, alignments for each play. So it'll take a little time. I think we need to be fair to him from that standpoint."
JOLTIN' JOE
If Anthony Richardson avoids any setbacks regarding his oblique injury, he will start this weekend for the Colts. The real question, though, is, should he?
Joe Flacco - there's that man again - has been operating the Colts offense at a significantly higher level than the young and inexperienced Richardson, stepping in early for Richardson in week four and helping Indianapolis to two wins in the three games he's either started or been heavily involved in.
Flacco has thrown more touchdowns this season than last year's #4 overall pick has in his career (7 to 6). That Flacco is maintaining a solid level of play should come as no surprise after he took a star turn for the Browns a year ago, even though he's the second oldest quarterback in the league (he's 39. Aaron Rodgers is 40).
"You can't overthink it," said Flacco of his approach. "It's football, and I think everybody's personality is a little bit different. Some guys love to think about every little thing, and everything that can go right, everything that can go wrong, and that's how they play best. That's how they stay locked in.
"I think my personality probably lends itself decent to this type of situation, because it's like, don't overthink it. Don't overdo it. It's just a game of football. Go out there if the guy's open, throw it to him and hit him."
Richardson, on the other hand, is the second youngest signal caller in the league, behind only Drake Maye (they're both 22. Richardson was born in May. Maye in August). He started 13 games in college - Maye had double that - and because of a litany of injuries since coming into the NFL, the former University of Florida standout has made just eight more as a professional. He is still learning how to play the position, and while he possesses elite tools - arm, speed, size, strength - that inexperience can bog down the Colts passing attack. Richardson is hitting 50.6% of his passes and has twice as many interceptions (6) as TDs (3).
"A hundred percent it's in him. A hundred percent it's in him," said head coach Shane Steichen earlier this year. "Obviously, we keep working through those things, but he's going to start making those throws. I have no doubt. He's been making them (in practice), you know what I mean? We've just gotta make them consistently."
Richardson is anxious to get back in the lineup, but he's been trying to absorb as much as he can from Flacco, who jokes that he's old enough to be some of his teammates' Dad.
"Learning from Joe, the main thing for me is the fact he knows it's just football," said Richardson. "He doesn't complicate it for himself; he doesn't do too much. He just goes out there and plays. I really like that about him. I try to take that from him."
The Colts host the Dolphins on Sunday, and I suspect if Richardson struggles, the temptation to go to Flacco will be hard for Steichen to resist.
NERD NOTES
- The Patriots have the longest active losing streak in the NFL (5 games). The last time the Patriots had the NFL’s longest-active losing streak heading into a week was Week 8, 1995 (Drew Bledsoe def. Jim Kelly’s Bills 27-14).
- Both Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier had 90+ rush yards & 1+ rush TD for ATL in Week 6. That’s the 3rd-time in franchise history the franchise had multiple players in a game with 90+ rush yards & 1+ rush TD in the same game, the last coming in week 1 of 2008.
- Will Levis leads all players with 7 interceptions and 10 total giveaways in 2024. He ranks last among 31 qualified passers with a 70.7 passer rating.
- The Chiefs offense has averaged the fewest pass YPG (236.8) and most rush YPG (117.8) of the Patrick Mahomes era (Mahomes became the Chiefs starter in 2018). That's the lowest pass-play percentage (53.0) and highest run-play percentage (47.0) of the Mahomes era.
- Lamar Jackson passed Cam Newton for 2nd-most rush yards by a QB in NFL history. He needs 449 rush yards to pass Michael Vick for most all-time at that position. Jackson has 5,661 yards in this, his seventh season. Over 13 years, Vick had 6,109.
- Rookie Brock Bowers leads all tight ends with 37 receptions and 384 yards in 2024. That's the 2nd-most receptions and 3rd-most receiving yards by a TE in their first 6 games during the Super Bowl era.
