FOXBOROUGH – Last season, the Patriots receiving corps didn’t get much respect.
And with good reason.
They struggled to get open against man coverage, and the star-less group didn’t do much to impact games.
Even with Stefon Diggs, they still aren’t getting much love.
Diggs, speaking with the media Tuesday, seems to enjoy having naysayers because he believes this group might surprise some people this year.
“I would hope that everyone would think that we’re terrible,” Diggs said, “(So) we fly under the radar, hide in the bushes.”
Diggs referred back to being a 5th-round draft pick in 2015 for the Minnesota Vikings who wasn’t expected to do much. Four Pro Bowls, and six 1,000-yard seasons later, Diggs has had the last laugh.
He feels the same about the Patriot receiving corps. He’s enjoyed helping and mentoring the younger receivers, be it Ja’Lynn Polk, Javon Baker, DeMario “Pop” Douglas or rookie Kyle Williams.
As long as they continue to work hard, Diggs believes they’ll prove some of those naysayers wrong.
“Go into each and every day, work extremely hard. Earn everything you get. You kinda want to lie in the bushes, you kind of want to go under the radar because obviously, your standard should be the highest,” he said. “You should hold yourself accountable. You should always hold yourself to the highest standard.”
Ultimately, Diggs really doesn’t care what people think about him, or the Patriots.
“I don’t really get into all of that (disrespect), you know what I’m saying?” he said. “People not thinking much of me, I’m used to it. I got the big shoulders, but I’ll pass it along.”
