16 Chris Hogan Quotes To Get You Excited About The Newest Patriots Receiver
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- The New England Patriots are taking a familiar approach to free agency in the 2016 offseason, opting for less expensive contracts with players they deem a good fit for the team in lieu of big-ticket, recognizable names. Wide receiver Chris Hogan is the latest to sign such a deal.
Hogan's three-year, $12 million offer sheet may have been bigger than expected for a lesser known name such as him, but a closer look at Hogan as a player on the field (and as a person in the locker room) shows that he is just the kind of receiver the Patriots always seek.
I scoured the Buffalo News sports section to learn as much as I could about Hogan, an undrafted free agent who played Division I-AA football at Monmouth University. The quotes from coaches and teammates - and especially, Hogan himself - reveal a player that sounds born to play in Foxboro.
Hogan is known as a guy with sneaky-good athleticism, high football IQ, and tireless work ethic. But what really makes him sound like a great target for Tom Brady is his good route-running ability and exceptional offensive awareness. Provided he can pick up the playbook and get on the same page with Brady - and there's little reason not to be confident that he can - his ability to read defenses and find space could make him a viable secondary target, if not a weapon.
Though some of these quotes scream of football (read: sports) clichés, they add up to a convincing whole. When you get to the end of this list, it will be hard not to be excited to see what Hogan can bring to the Patriots offense for the next three years.
"When I first came into the league it was based off of pure athleticism. I was raw. Playing receiver in the league is completely different than in college. You have to master your craft, be so much more precise."
- Hogan on his development as an NFL receiver
"Every year I'm in the league, I'm just soaking in every little bit of knowledge I can about the position ... Every year I feel I've gotten better."
- Hogan on his year-to-year progression
"If you're able to read the defense, you know exactly where you need to be. If the ball's going to come to you, where the ball's going to be?"
- Hogan on the importance of reading defenses
"Have we seen the best of Chris Hogan? I can't answer that because he keeps getting better and stepping up every time. Every time you try to count him out a little bit if he doesn't have the greatest day, the next day he'll come back and you say to yourself, 'Holy cow.'"
- Then-Bills head coach Doug Marrone
"[Hogan] is a resilient type of guy with attention to detail ... You can trust what he's doing out there on the field. He knows exactly what to do. He knows all three positions."
- Marrone
"[Hogan] runs hard routes ... He's aggressive to the ball, makes contested catches and is a smart player so he's stepped in nice and has really seized his opportunity to get more playing time on the field."
- Former Bills QB Kyle Orton
"I try to be that guy that's willing to do anything and everything to help this team win."
- Hogan on being a team-first player
"In terms of the route-running, he is one of the fastest to pick up all the small technique things we teach. And then no one works harder than him."
- Bills wide receivers coach Sanjay Lal
"The competition is great because it pushes everyone in that room. And it's been that way since I've been here. It's a crowded room always during camp. I think it really pushes us to work hard and try to get each other better."
- Hogan on positional battles in training camp
"I'm that type of guy no matter who you bring in – 14, 15, 20 guys – to that room, it's really just going to make me work that much harder. And I'm the type of guy that really has to go out there and prove myself every single time, every single year. And like any other year, I've just got to go out there and make the best of my opportunities and impress."
- Hogan on his drive to work harder and get better every day
"He catches well, really has a good feel for the game ... He understands defenses, spacing. I trust him."
- Lal
"Film study ... Going into the week knowing who you're going up against and what beats certain defenders helps because every defender plays differently."
- Hogan on what helps him prepare for opposing defenders
"For me, it's about being accountable and letting [Bills QB] Tyrod [Taylor] know and the coaches know they can count on me to put me in the game."
- Hogan on his desire to be a reliable player for his team
"I've been around long enough to know this is something they're going to do every single year. But every single year, I have that same kind of mentality where it's like 'Oh man, well, I'm just going to have to work that much harder to outplay these guys.'"
- Hogan on his constant drive to get better
"Maybe I relaxed a bit the year before when I thought I had a good year and proved myself a little bit ... But I'm back to that old 'underdog, me-against-the-world' mentality."
- Hogan on his renewed motivation at the start of a new season
"I just need someone to give me a shot ... Just look past everything else, let me run routes and catch the football. I guarantee I can do it just as good as anyone else can."
- Hogan on his confidence in his abilities
Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. His opinions do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Have a news tip or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.
