FOXBOROUGH, Mass — Many members of the New England Patriots' coaching staff spoke on Thursday, highlighting what went right and what went wrong in Sunday's win, while looking ahead to the upcoming Raiders matchup.
Whether it was players stepping up, Drake Maye's impressive performance, or how the team is looking on the injury front, it was all talked about.
Here's what I'm hearing:
Erick Hunter takes on an unlikely role
With injuries mounting for the Patriots, they were forced to turn to another player to take on an important special teams role. And it was a first for Jeremy Springer.
"I've never used a linebacker... You see guys around the league do it from time to time, especially with injuries," he said. "And like I said, when you have a guy that's big, strong, fast, and powerful,
why not put him out to see what he can do?"
Linebacker Erick Hunter impressed in the role, having a highlight reel tackle.
"We had a bunch of injuries and stuff like that, and he's a guy that can run really well," Springer explained. 'So just (Mike) Vrabel and Coach DQ (Dan Quinn) are doing a great job of just thinking outside the box right there and putting a guy who's got speed and some size and some power out there that can run like a safety and a receiver."
Defensive coordinator Zak Kuhr shared similar sentiments.
"That was awesome to see because we're all so proud of Erick," he explained. "Because since Erick's been here, his work ethic, how he just wants to learn, his drive to learn, and how he wants to be so good. He comes early. He'll stay late. He's asking questions all the time. He takes the stuff to heart, and he works at it so hard. And he's just a great dude, and he's talented. Now, he's still a rookie, and he's learning these things. But to finally see some success come along, everybody in the building is ecstatic for him."
Josh McDaniels talks Drake Maye, keeping the ball rolling on offense
After three weeks of offensive struggles, the Patriots showed a lot of improvement, scoring a season-high 29 points. And they don't plan to stop there.
“I just think staying consistent. I know this is hard to believe, but we didn’t really do a whole lot different from Week 1 to 2 to 3 to 4,” McDaniels said. “We knew we hadn’t played our best brand of football that we could play. I keep saying this, it’s about the group. You know, the group has to play well in order for us to play well as an offense and believe it or not, we didn’t, you know, that was far from perfect also, you know, so there was much to improve on that we’re going to work hard to try to make better and hopefully we can do that.”
A large reason for the success was Drake Maye's performance, which earned him the honor of AFC Offensive Player of the Week.
“I think his approach being consistent with the things we’re trying to improve on for himself, but also the group as a whole,” McDaniels said. “There are just so many areas where we can do better and make better decisions, use better techniques and fundamentals and produce more offense. And so hopefully we’ll see that again Sunday.”
"It was awesome," quarterbacks coach Ashton Grant added. "I love to see him go out there and put his best foot forward."
Practice attendance and injury report
Once again, the Patriots were without starting cornerbacks Carlton Davis III (neck) and Christian Gonzalez (shoulder), as well as rookie Karon Prunty (hamstring), at practice. Wide receiver Mack Hollins (calf) also missed the second straight day, while Reggie Gilliam (ankle/knee) was sidelined after being listed as a limited participant on Wednesday.
Now, the good news with Gilliam is that Thursdays are typically his days off from practice, and he did participate in some capacity the day prior, which means he could still play this weekend. But, having missed five straight days, Gonzalez will likely miss another game, with Davis' status also in serious doubt.
As DT Christian Barmore (shoulder), CB Channing Canada (hamstring), LB Christian Elliss (chest), LB Dre'Mont Jones (shoulder), OT Morgan Moses (foot), RB Rhamondre Stevenson (knee), CB Charles Woods (shoulder), and S Craig Woodson (shoulder), they were all limited.
QB Drake Maye (right shoulder) and Brenden Schooler (back) were full participants, but Schooler remains on NFI.
Preparing for TE Brock Bowers
After the Patriots' success defending Dalton Kincaid, it should provide them with some confidence going up against Brock Bowers this weekend. However, Kuhr made it clear that they are very different players, and Bowers comes with his own set of challenges because, in his own words, "he's a stud."
"He brings a lot of challenges," Kuhr said. "He can block like a tight end and run like a receiver... We've got to be good, knowing where he is."
"They do a great job of moving him around," he continued. "And again, we got to play to our style, our identity, know our roles within our scheme, and do what we can with him."
Offensive line's identity
Josh McDaniels used one word to describe the Patriots' offensive line: "fighters."
"Guys are fighting, and I think again, growing into the way we have to play together," he continued. "I think it's really exciting for us to see them continue to try to grow. It's not perfect. Nothing we're doing right now is. But I think everybody's working hard to try to get to that point."
Offensive line coach Doug Marrone was asked about his thoughts regarding McDaniels comments, echoing what the offensive coordinator said.
"You got to compete. It's a game where you work hard; you've got to trust the process, and during the week, constantly try to improve. So when you get out there game day, it's what everyone sees," Marone said. "It's performance based."
What's going on with the quarterback-center exchange?
In the win over the Bills, there were some shaky exchanges between center Jared Wilson and Maye. On Thursday, offensive line coach Doug Marrone was asked about that and used his personal experience to highlight what they can do to fix it.
"I know having played center for a long period of time, it's something that when you go out there and you work on it, you prepare for it, it's something that, there's a purpose to it," Marrone said. "It's something that you'd like to be able to just go out there and just be able to do it, but it's a skill. It's a transfer. It's ball security. It's all those things."
"I think Jared has a lot of pride in being able to hand the ball, and Drake has a lot of pride in being able to take it," he added. "And it's something that obviously we'll keep working on, and it's something that we'll never lose sight of."
Patriots QB coach could have been on the Raiders' coaching staff this season
Following the 2025 season, in which the Patriots made it to the Super Bowl, quarterbacks coach Ashton Grant recevied a phone call, asking him to interview for the Raiders open offensive coordinator job.
However, he made the decision to stay with New England.
"I think it was two days after the Super Bowl, he called me and asked if I'd be interested, and I talked to Josh (McDaniels) and Vrabel about it a little bit," he explained. "And I just that for the long haul of my career, for what we have going here as a team, I thought it would be best that I stay here and stick around and learn more from Vrabel, learn more from Josh, continue to help develop Drake, and be around this group of people."
Other notes
- Patriots DC Zak Kuhr on CB Kindle Vildor: "Kindle is a pro's pro. I think using that term, but he is the ultimate pro. Didn't bat an eye, got in there, challenged. He's a vet... He's brought a great presence even since OTAs, and if he has to be one to go in there, then we'd be excited about it."
- Patriots OC Josh McDaniels on Raiders forcing takeaways: "They're a great example of complementary football... Leading the league in takeaways, which I think starts with their front and how disruptive they've been up front. They've got some really impactful players that play on the defensive line."
- QB Coach Ashton Grant: "Drake is the same person every day and through every single mistake, which is a positive trait to have for the quarterback position. You almost have to be a little bit like Teflon because you can't have one mistake turning into two."
- WR Coach Todd Downing on practice squad WRs Kyle Dixon, Cameron Dorner, and Chandler Brayboy: "I got to tip my hat to all three of them. They've been working really hard... I got a great room, and it includes those three."
- Patriots DC Zak Kuhr on LB Robert Spillane: "His effort never wavers, and a guy that's playing damn near all the snaps to never waver his effort, on top of the intelligence, on top of the physicality, on top of the leadership, and his presence on the sideline, it's just great to have out there."
- Patriots SPT Jeremy Springer on Raiders kick returner Dylan Laube: "He hits it. He's confident in his ability. He's a lot faster than he looks. He runs through the smoke. He's fearless. He's got good contact balance. He made really good decisions, and he's doing everything they ask of him, and he plays at a high level because of it."
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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: What I’m hearing at Gillette Stadium: Thursday rumblings (Week 5)
