FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — It’s not that Tom Brady doesn’t want the New England Patriots’ young receivers to succeed.
He just doesn’t see his help as helpful.
Asked what he can do to boost the poor productivity rookie receivers usually yield in New England, Brady downplayed his power over their play.
The question followed Brady’s remarks from earlier in the week that young players are “hard to count on” in the Patriots’ offense.
His answer Friday essentially confirmed that if rookie wideouts Jakobi Meyers and Gunner Olszewski want to make an impact, it’s up to them.
“I think one thing we talk about here is just doing our jobs. I mean, I can do what I can do. Every player can do what they can do. I can’t do anything for anyone else. They can’t do anything for me. So a lot of it’s just trust, and trying to communicate trust and communication,” Brady said.
“So I’ve always said the best teammates are the ones that I have to think about the least because I don’t want to spend my mental energy on things that aren’t really my job.”
Opportunity may come knocking for Meyers and Olszewski sooner than expected. Julian Edelman, while expected to play Sunday at Washington, is listed as questionable as he continues to deal with a chest/ribs injury suffered in Week 3. Josh Gordon was limited for most of the week with a knee issue, but did not make the team’s final injury report.
Gordon was hampered by tight coverage in the Patriots’ last outing, a 16-10 win at Buffalo. He caught fewer than half his targets, as did Phillip Dorsett, who hauled in just two of his nine passes against the Bills.
Considering the position was seen as a strength heading into the season, Brady may have hinted at the receivers’ collective struggles Friday while discussing what he’s learned about this year’s version of the offense,
“I think (learning will) pretty much go all season,” he said. “Guys come in with different strengths and weaknesses, injury and so forth. And sometimes you might be pretty good at a position and someone gets injured, and it doesn’t (become) the strength that it might be. But that’s NFL football. Guys go in and out, and you’ve just got to keep finding a way.”
Further down on the receivers depth chart, Meyers has logged 80 percent of his snaps in a single week – the Pats’ lopsided home triumph over the Jets. On the season Meyers owns only three catches for 60 yards after a stellar summer when he routinely sliced through what’s proven to be the league’s best secondary.
He explained Friday what working with Brady has been like. Like the roller coaster that is any rookie season, it’s had its ups and downs.
“If it’s a good play, then he’s going to be excited. You’d think he was my age jumping around. But if it was a bad play, you’d think he was my parent,” said Meyers before later adding: “It definitely took some getting used to but I think I’m coming around to it.”
Brady, now in his 20th season, said he expects to discover more about the Patriots’ offense in Washington. In addition to a suddenly stalled passing game, the Pats are contending with a run game that must find its footing. Much of the struggles can be ascribed to early injuries up front, which have at last begun to slow.
For the third straight week, the Pats should field the same starting offensive line Sunday. Unlike his young receivers, Brady was quick to praise the O-line and affirm his belief, while noting the primary difference between his linemen and budding wideouts: experience.
“I think they’re doing a good job, so yeah, absolutely,” said Brady when asked if he has confidence in them. “I think they’re well-coached. A lot of guys I have played with for quite a while – Marcus (Cannon) and Shaq (Mason) and Joe (Thuney) for a while. I think Marshall’s (Newhouse) been in there for a while. He’s relatively new. Ted’s (Karras) been here for a while. So there’s a lot of familiarity with the guys.”
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