New England Patriots wide receiver Mack Hollins isn’t afraid of letting his voice be heard — whether it be in between the white lines, in the weight room, or anywhere else he can push his teammates.
For the 31-year old, it all comes back to a lifetime full of competing.
“I grew up with three boys in the house,” Hollins said Sunday. “You always were competing and sometimes the loudest guy meant he won. But I expect the same thing from the defense. If they’re whooping our ass, like I expect you to talk
bad to me because when I’m up, I’m going to do the same.
“Everybody here is a high-level athlete. Like you competed your whole life. Don’t feel like you can’t be the same athlete and you can’t be aggressive. What got you to this level just because you’re here like compete within the rules. That doesn’t hurt the team, but compete and have fun with this game. It’s a game at the end of the day. Don’t forget that.”
Hollins has learned through nine NFL seasons when, and how, to use his voice to push teammates in the right direction. He has admitted that that wisdom comes in part from a younger version of himself who sometimes let the trash talk spill over.
“Plenty. Never on game days, but in practice. Sometimes you tail that line between — at the end of the day those are your teammates,” he responded when asked if he’s ever taken the talking too far. “But for sure in games, I mean that’s what we work for. We work for the competition on Sundays or Mondays or Thursdays. You don’t change what was working for you during the week just because it’s game day.”
Since returning to the practice fields after missing the start of training camp with an injury, Hollins has showcased a steady connection with quarterback Drake Maye. Hollins, who had the best statical season of his career under Josh McDaniels in Las Vegas back in 2022, now seems set to play a large role in New England’s offense.
But it’s perhaps his off-field intangibles that are making the biggest impact, as the veteran has been praised for his energy and off field help — such as late night film meetings with undrafted wide receiver Efton Chism III — in a young Patriots wide receiver room.
“I ain’t never had a player like that on my team — that talked that much trash but he can back it up,” DeMario Douglas said of Hollins. “I never had a teammate like that, but I feel like it brings that energy and it’s going to get in a DB’s head to where they get out of character, but Mack is going to keep his composure. Mack is a dawg. I feel like he’s going to bring that dawg out of the whole room.”
