FOXBOROUGH - Once again, the Patriots aren't getting nearly enough from their wide receiver position (as I detailed in yesterday's Musings). There are no simple fixes, though plenty have already earmarked Efton Chism to be the next Wes Welker/Julian Edelman clone. But considering Chism's best work has come against backups, there's no telling what his ceiling is, or even his floor. That's not the case with Stefon Diggs.
At 31, he's no spring chicken, and to this point, Diggs doesn't possess the necessary explosiveness to be a big-play threat. But in his playing time (he's at 48% of the offensive snaps), Diggs has proven to be reliable, catching 13 of his 15 targets, and the case is being made that his snaps should increase.
"We try to put him in circumstances where he's getting the ball and an option to get the ball on big plays," Drake Maye said. "He had a big third-down catch (vs Pittsburgh). The first third down we had, I probably should have thrown it to him. Little things like that. We had a fourth down against Miami. He's making plays, so he's in positions on key downs to make plays. I've got full trust in him. He just keeps showing it every week. I need to try to give him the ball more. I told him that today (Wednesday)."
Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels doesn't want his quarterback to be hyper-fixated on one receiver, nor does he look at the stat sheet to judge who's playing well and who is not.
"I literally focus on the process of what we're trying to do," he said, later adding, "I'd like our young quarterback to continue to try to distribute the ball to the person that it's supposed to go to. We involve all of our players in the game plan. Every one of them practices really hard. I think they're unselfish. I think they know that the ball may come to them and it may not, and hopefully, I think the goal for all of us is that we hope that the quarterback has thrown it to the person that's supposed to get it.
"So, that's the short and long of it. If you start trying to force it to one person or another, it gets a little bit different, you know, and now you start making mistakes."
Diggs has long been a player who has demanded the football, and it eventually led to him being jettisoned from not just one but two spots, Minnesota and Buffalo. The Bills' situation was especially galling because Diggs was one of the three most targeted players in all of football during that stretch.
In fact, just today, Josh Allen was asked why he has been so much better about protecting the football over the last year or so. He said this:
"That whole 'Everybody Eats' mentality that Joe [Brady] allowed us to take over has allowed me to be free. Not worry so much about where the ball is going."
That wasn't how Allen could play with Diggs on the roster. Now, this Diggs isn't the same player (he's still not a year removed from the ACL surgery), and at least to this point, has struck most of the right notes since training camp.
"I'm not going to bite off more than I can chew, or I'm not gonna ask for anything," Diggs said this week. "It's whatever they need. I'm gonna just handle what's in front of me. I got like, a rule of thumb, just eat the food that's in front of you. Whatever they give, take it, handle it with grace. And continue to push your teammates. That's where I'm at, at this point."
That could be the page Diggs has turned to at this stage of his career. It would be a wise decision, and could make him more attractive if the Pats decide to part ways with him after the season (he signed a three-year deal, but there is an out after year one). But for now, Diggs claims to be staying in the moment and appreciating what's happening around him.
"Comparison is the thief of joy. I can't really think about what's going on around me," Diggs said when asked about getting the ball more. "I'll be cheering for my guys. Always clap for everybody around me, even if it's not for me. I pretty much always been that way. Even if you do want more, whatever's on your plate, you got to eat it.
“But I never want to fall into the trap of focusing on something else and not eating the food in front of me. You’re not worried about what’s in front of you and focusing on things outside of football. I just try to focus on the things that’s right in front of me. I want to make sure I scrape the plate, though, I promise you. I’m gonna leave no crumbs.”
That's the right mindset, but is it his real mindset? The quote "I've pretty much always been that way" doesn't jibe with his comments to GQ during the 2024 offseason.
“The games looked a lot different,” he said. “You can blame me. I don’t mind blaming me. I got big-a** shoulders. But pay attention, pay real close attention. Watch the game. Of course, there’s plenty of plays I want back. But there’s a lot of plays that didn’t go my way. I need a lot of things to go right to get the ball.
“You can't roll out of bed and get 800 yards in the first eight games. Your best receiver’s doing that. You tell me about the last 10. What changed? Were there changes going on? I just pay attention to what really happened and not what people try to act like happened. Like, for the last 10 games, I forgot how to f****** play football?”
Diggs didn't like his role in the offense and made life difficult for those around him. Now, perhaps Diggs is continuing to grow and mature (McDaniels has insisted he's been a good teammate and hasn't demanded the ball). Or maybe he's playing the PR game. Either way, the Pats need someone to step up in that wide receiver room, and Diggs is proving to be their best option, at least at this point.