Tag: Mohamed Sanu

Mohamed Sanu offers useful advice for rookie N’Keal Harry

Mohamed Sanu is still learning the Patriots’ system, but that hasn’t held him back from mentoring N’Keal Harry. 

Mohamed Sanu is still learning the New England Patriots’ system, but that hasn’t held him back from mentoring rookie wideout N’Keal Harry.

Sanu told reporters shortly after arriving in New England that he was teaching Harry some intricacies about playing receiver in the league. Both Sanu and Harry are over 6 foot 2 and they both have the talent to catch passes over most defensive backs.

Harry is the only wide receiver to get drafted in the first round by Bill Belichick, so it’s already known that he’s extremely talented. Sanu continued his mentorship role on Thursday while speaking with reporters.

“He’s been around for a little bit,” Sanu said. “You’ve just got to go out and let him have fun. Don’t let him think too much of it. I know it’s his first NFL game and whatever; he’s going to feel what he’s going to feel. But let him go out there, have fun and play football.

“He’s a special kid. Go ahead and be himself and let his abilities take over. Don’t think too much. Have fun. He’ll be good.”

Sanu put a huge emphasis on being relaxed and not overthinking, even though it’s his first  game in the NFL.

“If you don’t understand it, you’ve got to think,” Sanu said. “So you’ve got to make sure you understand it and get up to speed so when you go out there, you don’t think. Because when you’re thinking, you’re a step behind, a step late, a miss here or there. That’s when bad stuff happens.”

He even took some time to reflect back on his first NFL game.

“It was Monday night versus the Ravens,” Sanu said. “My first game, I dressed up. I didn’t really play much, but we got whooped pretty good. Ray Lewis came out, and I’m sitting there like, ‘Man, this is insane.’ But it was different. I don’t know what it’s going to be like for (Harry), but for me, I got in at the end a little bit, played some plays, gave it all I had.

It’s still unknown whether or not Harry will make his debut in Week 11 against the Philadelphia Eagles, but he definitely has the right support system around him for when he is ready.

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Bill Belichick says the bye is a good chance for Mohamed Sanu to play catch-up

Bill Belichick says Mo Sanu is “getting a better foundation on terminology, fundamentals, some nomenclature.”

Mohamed Sanu got an opportunity to hit the pause button as he acclimated to the New England Patriots’ offensive system. He hasn’t spent the last week learning a weekly game plan. But he’s definitely not taking a break.

Sanu, who joined the team in a trade with the Atlanta Falcons on Oct. 22, has surely been studying the playbook during the bye, but it’s just a slightly different body of material than he studied in his first two weeks with the team. During the Patriots’ bye week, Sanu — along with a handful of other in-season acquisitions — absorbed as much of the foundation of the offense as possible. Because the Patriots develop a new game plan every week, they have to teach their players the plays that are most important to that particular game plan. It’s like starting at step 2,000 and cherry-picking the important steps for that particular week. The bye week is an opportunity to go back a few hundred steps, even if it’s likely impossible to start at the beginning at this point in the season.

“(The bye) definitely gives those guys a chance to catch up a little bit,” Bill Belichick said on Wednesday during a press conference at Gillette Stadium. “There’s no game plan, per se, so getting a better foundation on terminology, fundamentals, some nomenclature, just some basics. It’s a good chance to go back and get those. It’s a little bit less of a cram than it is during a regular weekly preparation schedule.”

He added: “You can’t put 14 weeks into four days either. It’s good but there’s a long way to go. But (Sanu) has worked hard at it. He’s smart — he’s picked up a lot. That’s been good.”

That much was clear in Week 9 when Sanu’s involvement skyrocketed with 10 catches for 81 yards and a touchdown against the Ravens in Baltimore. His breakout game came after a two-catch, 23-yard performance in Week 8 when he looked like he didn’t quite have a hold on the playbook. Considering the progress he made between Weeks 8 and 9, the bye should have helped him take an even larger step forward.

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Mohamed Sanu on Rob Gronkowski’s potential return: ‘Come, man, come’

Gronk may be unlikely to return, but Mohamed Sanu would love to have the tight end.

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New England Patriots receiver Mohamed Sanu wouldn’t mind giving up a few touches to tight end Rob Gronkowski.

Gronkowski reentered the news cycle during the Patriots’ bye weekend. Though he has playfully teased a possible return from suspension, he has made zero meaningful indication that he intends to play for New England this season. To some, that’s surprising, because there was speculation he might return for a Patriots’ playoff run, a scenario that Patriots owner Robert Kraft reportedly suggested to Gronk at the end of last season. As unlikely as it may be, Sanu discussed the idea on Monday.

“If he does, I would love it. Just gotta go about it day by day and just do my part. Come, man, come,” Sanu told reporters, via NESN’s Doug Kyed.

The Patriots’ tight end situation has been extremely unsettled since the team  saw Gronk retire. They have looked to tight ends Ben Watson, Matt LaCosse and Ryan Izzo, but haven’t gotten much production. Even with the position struggling, the Patriots receivers and running backs have carried the passing offense, and New England entered Week 10 with the second-most points per game (30).

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