Former Bills WR Chris Hogan quite a catch for Patriots
Ex-Bill settles in nicely with Brady & Co.
Karen Guregian Thursday, June 09, 2016
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Rex Ryan wasn’t exactly thrilled about losing Chris Hogan to the Patriots when the deal went down back in March.
Of course Ryan would hate losing a game of tiddlywinks to Bill Belichick, but to surrender a player who might help his mortal enemy? Allow the rich to get richer in a position that’s so valuable to Tom Brady?
That cuts deep, and the pain is only getting worse for the Bills head coach.
In the three months since the Pats wrestled Hogan away with an offer sheet the AFC East rival and cap-crunched Bills weren’t able to match, Ryan has lost his top receiver Sammy Watkins to a broken foot, while it sure looks like Hogan might be a godsend for the Patriots given both Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola are rehabbing from offseason surgeries.
As it is, Hogan was going to provide much-needed depth for Brady’s favorite receiver duo, who endure a ton of hits during the season just by the nature of the routes they run. Only now, Hogan has had to step in and fill the role during the early camps.
Watching the Patriots offense during the first few open practices of this offseason, Hogan has been one of the central figures. He’s catching everything being delivered his way by either Tom Brady or Jimmy Garoppolo, and he’s constantly getting open.
That 7-Eleven nickname is on the money. He does always seem to be open.
Case in point, on Wednesday, he ran a perfect sideline route, hitting the timing just right to snag a Brady pass before stepping out-of-bounds during 7-on-7 drills. On that play, he had Malcolm Butler on his tail, and there was nothing Butler could do.
During the first two days of minicamp, he’s caught nine passes from Brady, most on the team, and another three from Garoppolo.
“That kid is tough as heck. I really liked that guy,” Ryan said of Hogan back in March. “Big, physical, a great contributor on special teams, and he’s a good receiver. (Belichick) knows what he’s getting.”
What Belichick got was a perfect fit for his offense. Hogan works very well in the Patriots horizontal style of play. At age 27, he’s a few years younger than the 30-year-old Edelman and Amendola, and with the duo sitting out organized team activities and minicamp, Hogan has been running those similar routes, the quick hitters that are staples to Brady and the Patriots offense. There’s little doubt, at 6-foot-1, 220 pounds, Hogan could move into Brandon LaFell’s old “X” receiver role as well.
Whatever the job description, Hogan sure doesn’t seem to be overwhelmed or overmatched by whatever is thrown his way.
“It’s going well so far,” Hogan said. “I’m excited to be here. It’s always exciting to come to a new team and just being able to be a part of the process and learning and getting to know everybody, getting to know the offense and getting to know how we do things around here.”
In three seasons with the Bills, Hogan caught 87 passes for 959 yards with six touchdowns. With Brady throwing him the football, instead of Tyrod Taylor, who knows where it will lead.
“It’s early,” said Hogan. “Right now, I’m just trying to take advantage of all this time that I have. We have all these OTAs, and I had a lot of time to sit and learn the playbook, because it’s a lot. But for me, it’s fun coming into a new offense and learning from (offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels) and (wide receivers coach Chad O’Shea) and Tom and Jimmy and (Edelman) and just being able to learn this offense and trying to be a part of it for training camp and the season.”
Asked what he thought it would take to be a successful receiver in the Patriots offense, Hogan provided the perfect answer.
“Know your job,” he said. “Know your job, know where to line up, and be able to play fast.”
By the look of it, he’s on his way.
http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/...s_hogan_looks_like_quite_a_catch_for_patriots
