FOXBOROUGH - Help may be on the way for the battered and bruised Patriots, perhaps in time for this weekend’s tilt with the Green Bay Packers.
Both Mack Hollins and Reggie Gilliam are eligible to return from injured reserve. Mike Vrabel addressed their possible activations on Monday morning.
“Potentially, yeah,” Vrabel said. “Those guys are all working hard. We’ve got a long list of those guys, and I think Jim [Whalen] and his staff, and obviously Frank [Piraino] and his staff are trying to do a great job with the return to play.
“We’ll see here where we come out from the game, where guys can help us and the spots that you have to make to get those guys back. So, there’s a lot of moving parts. We’ll try to make sure that the player is ready to return to practice. Then also, if they were to be available for the game, and then make the corresponding moves that would have to occur.”
Okay, Vrabel didn’t exactly shed much light on the situation (I think he’s tired of the injury questions. Too bad). But considering what the Pats had to roll out there at wide receiver on Sunday in Miami, if Hollins is ready - and from what I’ve been told, that seems to be the case (you always have to be careful with a calf) - the offense will benefit.
Hollins was Drake Maye’s leading receiver before suffering the injury in Buffalo. With him, Romeo Doubs and A.J. Brown (more on him in a sec), the Pats dressed four wideouts against the Dolphins. Efton Chism played 88% of the snaps (53 of 60), Kyle Williams 83%, and DeMario Douglas 65%. Journeyman Ryan Miller, activated from the practice squad for the game, got just 5 reps. If you wanted to know why Maye seemed a little hesitant to cut it loose in the first half - and there were some guys open - that may have played a role.
“I mean, maybe reroutes or the depth of some of the coverage players,” Vrabel said when asked about the timing of the passing game in the opening half. “Again, I've got a lot of confidence in what Drake does and what he sees. So, if he's not comfortable with something, he's going to find an exit strategy. He's going to find a check down. He's going to find ways to extend and maybe buy us some time.
“But I think just getting into a better flow, maybe just not stalling out there. Again, taking check downs sometimes isn't terrible. We’ve just got to be able to knife, get in between zone defenders and take care of the football. Every play is not going to be a 25-yard X-play or a 40-yard touchdown. That's not how the passing game is going to work.”
Of course, having his full complement of pass catchers would help. That Maye was able to