Tag: Kendrick Bourne

Robert Kraft lays out expectations for Patriots’ 2021 free agents

The Patriots spent an unprecedented amount of money in free agency last year and some players didn’t meet the expectations.

The New England Patriots spent over $163 million in free agency last offseason.

New England brought in the best tight ends available in Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry, while securing a slew of other players on large contracts. Matthew Judon, Nelson Agholor, Kendrick Bourne, Jalen Mills and Davon Godchaux are some of the other names.

Bourne had a career-high 55 catches for 800 yards and five touchdowns, while Judon tallied a career-high 12.5 sacks. Henry had a career-high nine touchdowns and was Mac Jones’ most reliable target.

On the flip side — Agholor was the team’s highest-paid receiver by far and he only had 37 catches for 473 yards and three touchdowns. Godchaux didn’t nearly have the impact that was expected and Mills proved he wasn’t the lockdown player the Patriots needed.

In an interview with The Athletic’s Jeff Howe, Robert Kraft discussed the free agent class and laid out his expectations for the 2022 season.

“I hope that some of the free agents who we brought in who didn’t perform as high as we would have liked last year will (produce) this year because they’ve adjusted to the system,” Kraft said. “And we’re making changes to take advantage of what they do best. We have a lot of talent that hasn’t been tapped into yet in my opinion.”

Kraft continued and discussed the future of Jones, who led the Patriots to an 10-7 record in his rookie season.

“This year will be very telling,” Kraft said. “To come into something as new as this, as established, I think he got beat up pretty bad, and he kept coming back and getting up and really doing some great stuff. Just the way he handles himself, he took some real beatings and hopped up. He has developed a good relationship with the whole cadre of receivers. I’m very happy with what I’ve seen. But this is a big year, the second year.”

The Patriots, unlike last year, have moved extremely slow in free agency due to the lack of funds.

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Matthew Judon leads Patriots teammates in recruiting Chandler Jones

Matthew Judon and a couple Patriots teammates went to Twitter in attempt to recruit Chandler Jones.

Chandler Jones is one of the best free agents on the market in Day 3 of free agency.

The 32-year-old is still near the top of his game and he’s coming off a Pro Bowl season with the Arizona Cardinals. Jones recorded 10.5 sacks, 12 tackles for loss, 26 quarterback hits and six forced fumbles. Due to his age, he will also be slightly cheaper than he was on previous contracts.

Jones played his first four years with the New England Patriots and he’s a perfect fit to rejoin the team. Matthew Judon understands the dynamic duo they could be and he made sure to voice that understanding with a quick message on Twitter.

Devin McCourty, who just re-signed with the team, and Kendrick Bourne were on board with Jones coming back to New England.

The Patriots cleared up cap space by releasing Kyle Van Noy and training Shaq Mason — so, picking up a free agent like Jones isn’t out of the realm of possibility.

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Kendrick Bourne explains how the tiniest detail had him buying into Bill Belichick

“It was just a shift, man. I bought into everything, and that was one of the smallest details of buying in.”

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick is quick to surprise incoming players, who tend to have preconceived notions about the coach.

The Patriots tend to demand more out of their players (which is why the organization has a reputation for not having fun). Belichick is funnier than players imagined. And Belichick attends to detail in a way players couldn’t have imagined. That final point was what really opened Kendrick Bourne’s eyes. He joined the Patriots as a free agent in 2021.

“Bill Belichick, man,” Bourne said during a conversation on “Getcha Popcorn Ready” for fubo Sports. “One hundred percent, Bill Belichick changed my life. He’s the best coach in the world. Shoutout to you, Bill Belichick. He is the best coach in the world, hands down.”

What changed for Bourne?

He explained that Belichick sat him down after Bourne failed a hydration test. Belichick didn’t want to let Bourne practice — and the coach advised his receiver to change the way he hydrates, drinking water in the mornings (which Bourne didn’t previously do). Bourne said that helped him put on roughly 10 pounds in muscle over the course of the 2021 season when he had career-high numbers.

“It was just a shift, man. I bought into everything, and that was one of the smallest details of buying in. It’s a small detail, but people don’t think about it. They don’t drink water. I just (started doing that) every day, and everything got better after that, off that little detail, adding it to my routine. It was huge.”

Belichick urges players to eat clean during the season. Bourne didn’t totally receive that message.

“I still go eat McDonalds,” Bourne said. “… But it’s not about what you eat; it’s about what you do, how frequent and consistent you are, what you do every day. You can trump all the food. If you’re working hard, it’s going to burn off. But you’ve got to have a balance. It’s all about balance.”

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Kendrick Bourne tweets at Cooper Kupp to celebrate Rams’ Super Bowl win

“I wanna be juss like you! @CooperKupp.”

New England Patriots receiver Kendrick Bourne had words of admiration for receiver Cooper Kupp after the NFL awarded him the Super Bowl MVP award in the Los Angeles Rams’ win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.

Bourne and Kupp worked alongside each other when they were together at Eastern Washington. Both receivers eclipsed 1,000 yards in 2016 and both decided to leave for the NFL in 2017. Kupp joined the Rams as a third-rounder and Bourne landed with the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent. Last offseason, Bourne joined the Patriots as a free agent.

Next season, it seems Bourne will be readier than ever to chase a ring.

A touching tribute.

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Cooper Kupp knew Kendrick Bourne was going to be impactful in the NFL

Cooper Kupp knew Kendrick Bourne was going to be special.

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Wide receivers Kendrick Bourne and Cooper Kupp were teammates at Eastern Washington from 2013-2016. During that time, Kupp knew that Bourne was going to turn into something special.

Bourne served as the No. 2 receiver at Eastern Washington, as both he and Kupp provided a dynamic duo for school. In three years, Bourne recorded 204 catches for 3,013 yards and 25 touchdowns.

Kupp was able to put up better numbers, including a 2016 season that’s saw him record 117 catches for 1,700 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Despite his own success, Kupp was convinced that Bourne was going to be something special. Speaking at Super Bowl Opening Night on Monday, Kupp talked about what he saw in Bourne that made him confident in his assessment, as transcribed by NESN’s Zack Cox.

“I remember watching Kendrick’s film after my first year (at EWU),” Kupp recalled Monday during Super Bowl Opening Night. “Our receiver coach said, ‘We’ve got this guy coming in, we think we really like him. Check his film out.’ So I watched him, and I was blown away by just how great of a route-runner he was, how strong he was after the catch, had the twitch. He had so many things about his game that I think are very impressive. He continued to grow, too. He ended up (playing) as a (true) freshman and just continued to get better and better, year after year.

“A little inside scoop, I guess, on Kendrick is before our last year together, I actually sat down with him, and I told him straight up, ‘You are a better receiver than I am.’ And if he was able to get some things in order, he was going to just take off. And I think he really did just that.”

Kupp had a year of historic proportions in 2021. He recorded 145 catches for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns. Although his numbers were not as productive, Bourne enjoyed a career year in his own right. He caught 55 passes for 800 yards and five touchdowns. He also rushed the ball a little bit, recording 12 carries for 125 yards — while throwing a touchdown pass as well.

As both receivers look to go to new heights, it is fascinating to hear about where their careers began to really take off.

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Kendrick Bourne makes pitch for Trent Brown to re-sign with Patriots

Kendrick Bourne is making sure his Pro Bowl tackle returns back to Foxborough.

Trent Brown is on a long list of New England Patriots who will be hitting free agency this offseason.

The 28-year-old was with the Patriots in 2018 and left to sign a monstrous four-year, $66 million deal with the Las Vegas Raiders. Brown returned to the Patriots this season on a restructured contract that was much cheaper, but it left him as an unrestricted free agent following 2021.

Brown dealt with a nagging calf injury, but he started in the 10 games he appeared in this season. He was a huge boost for both the rush and pass attack and his presence helped the rookie Mac Jones feel comfortable.

Kendrick Bourne understands Brown’s impact on the team and he lobbied for him to return in free agency with this Instagram story.

Brown is one of 18 free agents and his price tag likely won’t be cheap.

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Here’s how Patriots teammates reportedly feel about playing with Mac Jones

The rookie has a strong foundation to build on within the Patriots’ organization.

Mac Jones proved that he belongs with the New England Patriots as the starting quarterback for the foreseeable future.

The No. 15 overall pick beat out Cam Newton for the role and he led a franchise with high expectations to 10 wins and a playoff berth. The pressure of Tom Brady’s unprecedented success alone was enough to make quarterbacks crumble — but, Jones had the right mentality and he continued to show growth.

He finished the year throwing for 3,801 yards, 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions — with a 68 completion percentage. Jones’ teammates have raved about his leadership and ability to see the football field the entire season.

Pro Football Focus’ Doug Kyed has a close source inside the organization that confirmed the overall belief in Jones, saying he’s “well-liked and trusted.”

“Players want to continue working and building with him,” Kyed wrote.

Longtime Patriot and team captain Matthew Slater summed up the respect that Jones has in the locker room perfectly.

“I know my kids and I will watch be watching him a long time to come,” Slater said. “It’s certainly been an honor for me to play alongside him and see him grow over the course of the year. Patriots Nation — they should be excited about having No. 10 as a quarterback.”

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Kendrick Bourne not intimidated by Mac Jones’ demand for perfection

Wide receiver Kendrick Bourne respects the demands of Mac Jones.

Even though he is only a rookie, quarterback Mac Jones is not afraid to demand perfection from his teammates.

Jones has thrown for 3,801 yards, 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions this year. Kendrick Bourne has caught 55 passes for 800 yards and five touchdowns. The duo have been a dependable pair, as Jones has looked for the wide receiver frequently throughout the course of the season. Bourne has logged at least four targets in 10 games this season.

Per Dakota Randall of NESN.com, Bourne is not intimidated by the rookie quarterback’s demands for perfection. In what was a difficult day for the offense last Sunday, he caught three receptions for 24 yards. As the wideout noted, he does not mind when the quarterback yells at him during practice.

“When Mac can come yell at me, and I stay the same, that’s key. I’m not offended. It’s nothing personal. It’s about me doing my job so the team can succeed. And I think we’ve all grown that way together. So, to get to this point and make the playoffs our first year together, it’s just like, wow, what can’t we do? Like I said, it’s about us, it’s not about the other team, it’s about what we do and how we control our effort and things like that. It’s just gotten us to this point. It’s exciting.”

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With the Patriots losing three out of their last four regular-season games, there is room for improvement. As New England looks to exact revenge on the Buffalo Bills, Bourne and Jones will need to find that connection once again as the Patriots look to win their first playoff game since 2019.

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This season recap video will fire up Patriots fans ahead of wild-card round vs. Bills

This hype video will take Patriots fans through a wild ride during the 2021 season.

The New England Patriots, despite some low moments, had a complete turnaround following the 2020 season.

Mac Jones led his team to a 10-7 record and a playoff berth in his rookie season. New England had one of the most dominant defenses in the entire league and Bill Belichick proved that he can still put a winning team on the field without Tom Brady in the mix. The ceiling is high for Jones and he’ll continue to learn and improve with experience.

The Patriots are now set for a wild-card round matchup against the Buffalo Bills on Saturday night. The regular season series was split and this has looked like an equal matchup this year.

With the game approaching, the Patriots’ social media team put together a nearly five-minute clip recapping the year.

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Winners and losers from Patriots’ ugly loss to Dolphins in Week 18

Mac Jones’ inability to overcome a deficit continues.

The New England Patriots got off to an extremely slow start against the Miami Dolphins in Week 18.

Penalties were a major issue and Mac Jones’ early pick-six stalled the Patriots’ momentum. The pick-sick was following a seven-minute opening drive that resulted in a Jaylen Waddle touchdown.  The theme throughout the season has been Jones’ inability to overcome a deficit — and that rang true against the Dolphins.

The Patriots’ rush defense allowed 195 yards on the ground and that’s another issue that’s haunted them the entire season. It is worth noting that key defensive players in Kyle Dugger, Dont’a Hightower and Myles Bryant weren’t available for the game.

Now, the Patriots have to rest up and prepare for a playoff game.