Tag: Ja’Lynn Polk

Patriots OC points out reasons for rookie WR Ja’Lynn Polk’s struggles

OC Alex Van Pelt weighs in on WR Ja’Lynn Polk’s rookie struggles

New England Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt still believes that rookie wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk can be a good player in the NFL despite his struggles.

The rookie has recorded 12 catches for 87 yards and two touchdowns on the year. He received only one target against the Indianapolis Colts the last time the Patriots played.

Things looked promising to start his career, as he recorded a touchdown in the Patriots’ season-opening win over the Cincinnati Bengals back in September. However, inconsistent play has been a theme for him throughout the season.

When speaking with media members, via Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed, Van Pelt said he believed Polk’s struggles are mostly due to a tough transition from the collegiate level to playing in the NFL, along with a mental setback due to dropped passes.

More importantly, he believes Polk will still be a “very good player” in the league.

These final four games of the season will be important for the Washington product. New England is working on developing the wide receiver room, and Polk was thought to be a player who could play a key role in the Patriots’ future.

Now, he has to go out and prove it.

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Ja’Lynn Polk explains why he thought Patriots cut him from team

Ja’Lynn Polk initially thought he was cut by the Patriots

New England Patriots rookie wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk told a funny story about how he thought he got cut by the team.

The Patriots moved his locker without informing him beforehand. When he came into the locker room, he saw the name “Lester Cotton” written on his locker. Cotton is the offensive guard the Patriots claimed off waivers last week.

When Polk didn’t see his name, he initially thought the team had cut him. The timing was bad considering his on-field struggles in his first season. The second-round draft pick out of the University of Washington has only 12 receptions for 87 yards and two touchdowns through 12 games.

A sense of relief came over Polk when he finally found his locker on the other side of the room next to veteran Kendrick Bourne.

“I had no clue. I came here one morning, didn’t realize it, didn’t look up and see my name was gone,” Polk told reporters, via MassLive’s Karen Guregian. “When I came back from watching film, I go to my locker, I looked up, and realized that wasn’t my locker. Then somebody else mentioned, ‘Hey, that’s not your locker’ like, ‘Where you go?’

“I was thinking I was gone for a second. I was like, ‘Shoot, they got rid of me already?’’

This must have been a scary experience for a rookie still trying to find his footing at the next level. Polk can joke about it now, but the pressure to perform still remains for the young receiver.

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Drake Maye reacts to ongoing struggles for Patriots rookie WR

Drake Maye still has confidence in Ja’Lynn Polk.

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye stuck up for wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk, as the rookie continues to struggle.

Polk had a false start penalty that proved to be crucial during the Week 11 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. The penalty occurred on a fourth-and-inches play late in the fourth quarter, which forced the Patriots to kick a field goal instead of having an opportunity to go for it.

Polk did not record a single catch or a target in the game. He has 11 catches for 80 yards and two touchdowns on the season. It isn’t exactly the start the team had in mind when using a second-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft on him.

Despite the early struggles, Maye still has confidence in Polk to figure things out.

“Just keep going. I think he’s gonna be a great player in this league. He’s a rookie, like myself. We’re going to have some good games as Patriots together,” Maye told media members. “So looking forward to keeping him going, and I think he’s getting thrown in there different times and throwing in to block some. I think he’s gotta pick up some little things, but he’s a great player and I need to find a way to get him the football.”

Polk has struggled on a Patriots team that needs all of the help it can get at the wide receiver position. His development and progression as a second-round draft pick will be important for the team’s future. 

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Patriots rookie WR Ja’Lynn Polk opens up on NFL struggles

Patriots WR Ja’Lynn Polk is determined to get over his mental hump

New England Patriots rookie wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk has had a rough start to his NFL career.

The second-round pick of the 2024 NFL draft hasn’t been able to get into a rhythm. Dropped passes have been the biggest issue for the University of Washington product, who is doing everything he can to get over the hump.

Polk only has 10 catches for 78 yards and a touchdown through nine games on the season.

“I just feel like the media kind of mix up our words and try to put things in place that is not,” said Polk, via ABC6’s Ian Steele. “Coach Mayo is just holding me to a standard. Whenever he speaks about me, I believe he’s holding me to a standard. He believes in me, so I just got to keep pushing, getting better each and every day and doing what I’m supposed to do.”

There is still plenty of time for Polk to turn things around and make an impact this season. The team is hopeful that he can be a big part of the offensive rebuild in New England.

We’ll see if he can start getting things on track in Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears.

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PFF stats for struggling Patriots rookie Ja’Lynn Polk are shockingly bad

Will Ja’Lynn Polk turn things around?

New England Patriots wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk is struggling in his rookie season, and there is statistical evidence to back up that statement.

The Washington product has recorded only 10 catches for 78 yards and a touchdown through nine weeks of the regular season. His lone touchdown came in the team’s season-opening victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.

He recorded no receptions and was only targeted once last week against the Tennessee Titans. Pro Football Focus has Polk ranked last amongst 128 wide receivers with at least 10 targets on the season, per The Athletic’s Chad Graff.

Graff wrote:

“And the early returns from Polk? They rank him as the league’s worst wide receiver. Among 128 wide receivers with at least 10 targets, Polk is 128th in Pro Football Focus’ rankings, 128th in yards after the catch per reception, 127th in yards per route run and 126th (out of 126 receivers) at separation when targeted, per Next Gen Stats.”

The Patriots needed help at the wide receiver position heading into the 2024 NFL draft, and they selected Polk with the idea that he would be an important piece of the offense moving forward.

There is still time for him to turn things around, but the early returns have not been good.

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Patriots CB takes a strong stance on post-game social media use

Jonathan Jones explains why he isn’t a fan of players running to social media after a game

New England Patriots cornerback Jonathan Jones strongly opposed the players’ use of social media during the season.

This comes after rookie wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk used Instagram to post a cryptic message following the Patriots’ loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 7.

When appearing on “The WEEI Afternoon Show,” Jones explained why social media can be a problem during the season.

“I don’t think there’s any space where running to social media after a game—whether win, lose, or draw—that it really does anything good for you or the team, especially when it’s bringing about division,” said Jones. “Just understanding that when you speak, sometimes you’re speaking for the whole team and not just yourself. Guys need to recognize that.”

Frustration has seemingly grown in the locker room with the Patriots dropping six straight losses. However, it’s never good when it spills out publicly on social media.

It seems the Patriots are spiraling right now, both on and off the field.

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Health update on Patriots rookie WR Ja’Lynn Polk is not good news

Patriots rookie WR Ja’Lynn Polk is in concussion protocol

New England Patriots wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk is in concussion protocol, per coach Jerod Mayo.

Polk has 10 catches for 78 yards and a touchdown in his rookie season. He had three targets in the Week 7 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but he ended the game without a single reception. He suffered a head injury during the game and never returned to the field after being deemed questionable.

The Washington product was selected in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft. He is still trying to make his mark as a playmaker in a Patriots offense that received an overhaul in the offseason.

This will certainly be a situation worth monitoring. One has to wonder if Polk’s potential absence might create an opportunity for rookie fourth-round draft pick Javon Baker.

The stability that Drake Maye brings to the quarterback position should help the offense overall, but the wide receiver position still remains a question mark with so many moving parts.

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Jerod Mayo comments on Patriots WR’s cryptic social media post

Jerod Mayo comments on Ja’Lynn Polk’s cryptic social media post

New England Patriots coach Jerod Mayo kept things close to the vest when asked about wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk’s cryptic social media post, following Sunday’s loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The rookie posted a peace emoji to his Instagram story after dropping all three of his targets in the game.

It’s been a difficult start to the season for Polk, who has recorded 10 catches for 78 yards and a touchdown. Mayo indicated he would like to see more out of the receiver following Sunday’s game, but he didn’t say much when it came to the social media post.

“I have not spoken to him (Polk) about that, and I don’t question his devotion to the team, at all,” Mayo said during a video conference.

One has to wonder if Polk’s struggles will impact his reps on the field. Kendrick Bourne has already returned to the lineup, and DeMario Douglas is the Patriots’ top receiver. Kayshon Boutte is also getting more opportunities.

Polk will have to step up if he has any hopes of ultimately turning things around.

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Patriots coach Jerod Mayo challenges struggling rookie wide receiver

Jerod Mayo challenged Ja’Lynn Polk following the loss on Sunday

New England Patriots coach Jerod Mayo still believes Ja’Lynn Polk will be a good NFL player, but he’s also honest about the rookie wide receiver’s current standing with the team.

“We need more from Polk. We need more concentration. He’ll be a good player in this league,” Mayo said after Sunday’s loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, via the Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed.

Mayo called out Polk last week for needing to overcome mental hurdles, including the alarming number of dropped passes, and Polk responded by saying, “I believe I have the best hands in the league. So, I feel like my drops, that’s not an issue at all.”

The Washington product dropped all three of his targeted passes in Sunday’s game against Jacksonville. He also slipped on a missed two-point conversion attempt.

One has to wonder when Polk will start to get things going.

He is a rookie in the league, so development is expected. Nevertheless, it’s still a surprise that he hasn’t been much of a factor seven games into the season. Hopefully, he will be able to turn things around.

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Patriots WR Ja’Lynn Polk posts cryptic message after Week 7 loss

Ja’Lynn Polk posted a cryptic message on Instagram after the Patriots’ loss to the Jaguars

New England Patriots rookie wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk took to social media with a cryptic Instagram story post, following Sunday’s loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Polk, who has struggled on the field, had three drops and slipped on a two-point conversion attempt in Sunday’s game. The second-round draft pick only has 10 catches for 78 yards and a touchdown through seven games. That lone touchdown came in the season-opening win against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Polk posted an image of an ellipsis followed by a peace emoji.

There is still plenty of time for Polk to turn things around this season. It’s clear that he’s frustrated with the way things have gone, but he has to step up and overcome the current adversity he’s facing on the football field.

This is the moment when we’ll find out what kind of player Polk truly is for the Patriots.

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