Take It Easy on Harry
I feel sorry for N’Keal Harry.
After being on IR for the first eight weeks of the season, the rookie receiver is on the cusp of playing in his first NFL game.
His debut is coming after the Patriots had the best receiver in the league (Antonio Brown) for 13 days and one game and after releasing the productive, athletically gifted deep threat from last season (Josh Gordon).
As if that wasn’t bad enough, Harry will play after some of his rookie peers, drafted after New England selected the Arizona State product in the first round, have been productive during their maiden season.
Good luck meeting expectations, kiddo.
At this point, Harry has to be Julio Jones good out the box. He’s the first receiver drafted in the first round during the Bill Belichick era, so Harry has to be good. No, make that great. Because Harry has to make up for all the bust receivers Belichick selected over the years.
The media reports during training camp fueled the Harry hype. There were practically daily reports of Harry making highlight catches. And his preseason debut was promising, but unfortunately cut short due to a nagging hamstring injury.
But now? His teammates are withholding praise. Quarterback Tom Brady, subtlety showing displeasure from losing experienced, talented targets, put the onus on Harry to “…earn the trust of your teammates,” according to Patriots Wire.
Ow! The GOAT has no interest bringing along the kid.
So what should we expect from Harry if he plays Sunday? Why should we expect anything? Harry is no better than the fourth option behind Julian Edelman, Phillip Dorsett and new arrival Mohamed Sanu.
Maybe Harry returns punts in place of rookie free agent Gunner Olsezwski for the afternoon. Maybe Harry assumes Jakobi Meyers’ role in the offense, which isn’t saying much. Meyers has just 14 receptions through eight games.
Whatever the Patriots get from Harry, at this point its gravy. He hasn’t played all season so he hasn’t carved a role on the team. Harry will have to make the most of any scraps that get thrown his way.
Besides, the offense looked good at times. When the Patriots ran a no-huddle spread offense against the Baltimore Ravens, they did a good job moving the ball. Sanu was dramatically better after the second week of offensive immersion. If Brady and company can be productive with this new core of receivers, and if he can get anything out of Harry, that would be a bonus.
Unless Harry can play tight end.
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