FOXBOROUGH — Through 11 games, the marriage between the Patriots and Stefon Diggs couldn’t be going much better.
Though he’s only a year removed from ACL surgery, Diggs has caught 59 passes for 659 yards in New England and the Patriots are one of the NFL’s biggest surprises at 9-2.
The four-time Pro Bowler has obviously been impactful on the field, but on Thursday afternoon, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels raved about what Diggs has been providing the team behind the scenes, too.
“He’s been a tremendous professional,” McDaniels said. “Great influence on everybody. Comes ready to go. Wants to win. Very competitive. Smart player. He’s tough. Has great savvy. Football makes sense to him. I think he’s been a really good guy for our young players to watch work, watch during the course of the day, how he prepares.
“And then certainly obviously his influence on our team. On the practice field. During the course of the game. There’s an energy and an intensity about him that never stops. I appreciate that as a coach because it’s a long season. There’s a lot of ups and downs and a lot things you go through, and there’s some lulls in the action on game day, and it never seems to affect him. So very consistent with his approach, his demeanor, and his performance. As a coach, I don’t know what else you could ask for from him.”
A day earlier, Diggs labeled McDaniels a “genius” and named him as part of the “conglomerate” that drew him to Foxborough as a free agent.
“I feel like it was like a conglomerate,” Diggs said. “Young quarterback (Drake Maye) who showed some promise, showed some skill set, can throw the ball, is mobile being young. But then also McDaniels. He’s been around the game for a long time. Homecoming for him. He’s called a lot of great plays here. And then (Mike) Vrabel. So it was a group effort with everybody for me personally.”
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