Patriots wide receiver Mack Hollins (No. 13) sparked his teammates during joint workouts Wednesday against the host Vikings in Eagan, Minn.
Patriots wide receiver Mack Hollins (No. 13) sparked his teammates during joint workouts Wednesday against the host Vikings in Eagan, Minn.Ben Pennington/for The Boston Globe
EAGAN, Minn. — Midway through Wednesday’s joint practice with the Vikings, Patriots wide receiver Mack Hollins got behind the coverage, caught a deep pass from quarterback Drake Maye, and immediately punted the ball into the stands upon reaching the end zone at TCO Stadium.
“I didn’t like the energy, so I decided to punt the ball,” Hollins said after practice. “I saved up a couple of dollars, so I can pay the fine. It wasn’t a flag against the team, so it doesn’t hurt the team. It just hurts my pockets. I thought maybe it would give us a little energy boost.”
The on-site officials penalized Hollins for the boot, but he has no regrets about his decision.
“Energy is important,” Hollins said. “What I learned from a coach early on in my career is execution fuels emotion. When you’re doing things right, usually the energy is pretty good. When you’re doing things wrong, usually the energy is not too good. So, if you see good plays happening, up the energy. Sometimes you have to fake it until it is real.”
During the 11-on-11 period of practice, New England’s offense was struggling to establish a rhythm against the versatile and challenging scheme led by Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores. Even without one of their top edge rushers, Andrew Van Ginkel, the Vikings repeatedly generated pressure against the Patriots offensive line, forcing Maye to play under duress.
Hollins didn’t know if his touchdown was going to be a turning point of practice.
He just wanted to try and motivate his teammates, encouraging them to remember four key principles of their team’s identity: 1. Effort and finish, 2. Ball security, 3. Details, techniques, and fundamentals, and 4. Great decision-making.
At that point in Wednesday’s practice, Hollins didn’t feel as though the team was hitting their standards. Wide receiver DeMario Douglas lost a fumble after cornerback Isaiah Rodgers, a former UMass standout, punched the ball out. The Vikings had logged at least three, if not four, “sacks.” The unit lacked consistency and efficiency.
“You don’t know which play is going to flip a practice, but usually it’s not just one play,” Hollins said. “Hopefully, me being able to do that sparked some guys to say, ‘Shoot, I feel like I got energy now.’ Just because I saw Mack running around and going crazy and having fun, maybe I can do just a little bit more to make my next play great.”
Intentional or not, the Patriots managed to turn things around after Hollins’s punt. Minnesota’s defense stayed strong in its efforts to disrupt the offense — and undoubtedly continued to succeed, especially in creating pressure. But Maye and the Patriots also started to settle in.
Thanks to an impressive blitz pickup by running back TreVeyon Henderson, Maye had the team to connect with Douglas for a 25-yard gain. Then, he rolled right to find wide receiver Kayshon Boutte for a long over-the-shoulder completion.
Later, in the two-minute period to close practice, Maye hung in the pocket against pressure to find a wide-open Henderson on a wheel route. Henderson ended up picking up 60 yards after the catch for a long touchdown.
“They didn’t account for him,” Maye said. “I just tried to give him an easy ball to let him catch and run. I think it’s hard to catch him when he’s in the open field.”
Added center Garrett Bradbury, “It’s two-minute. It’s either a touchdown or you lose. That’s the dream as an O-lineman, you block it up and you see a running back going down the sideline for 70 yards. Theoretically, the game’s over, right?”
The play capped an up-and-down practice for the Patriots and prompted the sidelined to erupt in celebration. Those on the field ran down to meet Henderson in the end zone. Hollins stressed the importance of keeping the energy high in those situations, too.
“Even if TreVeyon scores on a 60-yard play, who’s in the end zone first?” Hollins said. “Is it their guys or our guys? That’s the standard that we’re pushing for.”
Other notes and observations from the first of two joint practices with the Vikings . . .
1. As noted above, the offensive line really struggled at times to hold its ground against Minnesota’s ferocious pass rush and ceded several “sacks.” Said Bradbury, “It’s a good test for us. You got to apply your rules and see what the defense is giving you because when we blocked it up, there were some big home runs.”
2. Running back Rhamondre Stevenson did not practice for a third straight day because, according to coach Mike Vrabel, he is dealing with “some residual stuff” from the preseason opener. Vrabel said he does not expect the issue to be long-term, adding, “Hopefully, we’ll get him back here sooner rather than later. I don’t think it’s anything that’s significant.”
3. Safety Kyle Dugger continued to rep with the second-team defense. Asked about what Dugger needs to do to get back into the mix with the first team, Vrabel said, “Just making sure he’s where he needs to be and understanding the coverage concepts and everything we do.”
4. The fight for a roster spot remains ongoing for 2024 fourth-round pick Javon Baker and undrafted rookie Efton Chism III, as both continue to carve out a role on special teams while also earning some reps working with the first-team offense. Their impact on special teams will undoubtedly be an important factor, but the coaching staff will also have to weigh whether one type of receiver is more valuable than the other. Chism fits best out of the slot, while Baker has flashed most often as a deep threat downfield
5. After their own practice, Maye, Vrabel, Hollins, and vice president of football operations and strategy John Streicher all joined a flag football joint practice between Special Olympics Minnesota and Massachusetts athletes. Maye and Hollins coached against Vikings defensive tackle Harrison Phillips, while Vrabel and Streicher officiated. The event featured plenty of competition, enthusiasm, and even a little trash talk.
Nicole Yang can be reached at nicole.yang@globe.com.Follow her @nicolecyang.