Patriots Should Be Encouraged By These Stefon Diggs Comments
Stefon Diggs will provide a big help for Drake Maye, but he also can provide value in other ways for the Patriots.
New England officially introduced the 31-year-old Friday. The All-Pro wide receiver relished the opportunity to play with Maye and continue to be successful in Foxboro, Mass., Diggs enters his 11th season in the NFL and will be one of the more experienced wide receivers in the locker room. That should prove to be valuable for talent the front office hopes bounce back after a rough season.
“It’s more from the experience of the highs and the lows, I would say, because everyone wants to have success in this league,” Diggs told reporters, per the Patriots. “Everybody wants to play at a high level, but I feel like I can help out more with the lows just because I’ve experienced them myself on a personal level. The first three games of my career, I wasn’t playing at all, and it wasn’t until the fourth game that I got my opportunity, taking advantage of opportunities and learning that sometimes the timing is off. When it’s your time to shine, shine, and if you don’t, you can’t blame anybody but yourself, but I kind of learned that the hard way.
“Sitting on the bench in the first three games of my rookie season, it was kind of rough for me, as far as mentally. Like, ‘Damn, I felt like I had a good camp. I felt like I did what I could have to have some kind of role.’ To help them with the lows is the biggest thing because everything isn’t going to go your way. Sometimes, you got to learn that the hard way. if you’re going what your supposed to, you’re committed to it, the ball will bounce your way, eventually. You just never know when.”
Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker had rookie seasons to forget. Executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf hinted that he thought last season’s coaching staff could help unlock those wideouts’ upside. They did everything but do that, but it does seem like New England is still high on the 2024 draft picks.
The Patriots’ wide receiver room was a mess on and off the field, and Diggs’ comments should provide optimism that an accomplished player like him will guide the locker room in the right direction.