FOXBORO, Mass. — Many wide receivers seem overwhelmed upon being greeted by the New England Patriots’ massive offensive playbook. Not Chris Hogan.
The wideout, who was acquired as a restricted free agent from the Buffalo Bills this offseason, already appears comfortable at Patriots minicamp.
“It’s going well so far,” Hogan said Tuesday. “I’m excited to be here. It’s always exciting to come to a new team and just being able to be a part of the process and learning and getting to know everybody, getting to know the offense and getting to know how we do things around here.”
Hogan even said he’s having good time learning the playbook that has plagued so many other veteran receivers.
“For me, coming from being in an offense for a couple years, it’s actually fun for me to pick up something new and have to learn things every single day,” Hogan said. “You learn new things every single day, so for me, it’s just about staying on top of things every single day and taking good notes. That’s part of my process.”
Based on watching Hogan at practice, it appears to be working. With Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola sitting out of organized team activities and minicamp after undergoing offseason surgeries, Hogan has been a favorite target of both Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo.
“You get out here, you get your periods when you’re working with Tom or you’re working with Jimmy, whether it’s routes or we’re doing 7-on-7s or anything like that,” Hogan said. “You just have to make sure you’re taking advantage of all the opportunities you get on the field.”
Hogan, 27, entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2011 after playing four years of lacrosse at Penn State and one year of college football at Monmouth in New Jersey. After spending time with the San Francisco 49ers, New York Giants and Miami Dolphins, Hogan saw his first regular-season action with the Bills in 2013. He caught 87 passes for 959 yards with six touchdowns in three seasons with the Bills but could have a much greater impact with the Patriots, potentially taking over Brandon LaFell’s old “X” receiver role.
“It’s early,” Hogan said. “Right now, I’m just trying to take advantage of all this time that I have. We have all these OTAs, and I had a lot of time to sit and learn the playbook, because it’s a lot. But for me, it’s fun coming into a new offense and learning from (offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels) and (wide receivers coach Chad O’Shea) and Tom and Jimmy and (Edelman) and just being able to learn this offense and trying to be a part of it for training camp and the season.”
Hogan already seems to know what it takes for a receiver to succeed in New England.
“Know your job,” Hogan said. “Know your job, know where to line up and be able to play fast.”
Thumbnail photo via Doug Kyed/NESN
