‘Polarizing’ Patriots WR Not ‘On the Same Page’ With OC: Report

N’Keal Harry has failed to live up to expectations since being drafted by the New England Patriots in the first round in 2019. What went wrong? Some blame Josh McDaniels’ rigidness.

Ryan Spagnoli and Keagan Stiefel  of Pat’s Pulpit collaborated on a look at the Patriots’ wide receiver situation, and shared this take on Harry, whom they called “one of the most polarizing players” on the team.

So how can Harry turn things around? It starts with a more specific role. Through his two seasons the Patriots have tasked Harry with doing just about everything, from working the boundary as a possession receiver to running end arounds from the slot, he’s been asked to do a little too much. That statement won’t sit well with some, who believe if he can’t be a “Prototypical Patriot” then they should just move on, but the fact of the matter is, if the Patriots are ever going to get over their shortcomings in the draft it’s going to be by adapting to the talent and not forcing the talent to adapt to the team. There is still some hope for both sides if Harry and his offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels can ever get on the same page.

There would appear to be some truth to that, and we’ve ever heard about McDaniels’ unwillingness to adapt to his player’s strengths hurting Cam Newton in 2020.

Unfortunately, when you’ve been successful, as McDaniels has been with the Patriots–granted we’re still not sure how much of that was due to calling plays for Tom Brady–it is tough to push a guy to change.

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Harry Could Still Be an Excellent Short-Yardage and Red Zone Threat

It’s probably not what the Patriots had in mind when they drafted Harry in the first round, but he still has the potential to become a TD machine.

At 6’4″ 225 pounds, Harry is one of the more physically imposing wide receivers in the league. He doesn’t have an issue out-muscling corners for the ball in short-yardage situations. When you consider the team might be able to run three tight end sets with Jonnu Smith, Hunter Henry and Devin Asiasi, they could be a handful inside the 10-yard line with Cam Newton, Harry at receiver and James White/Damien Harris/Sony Michel/Rhamondre Stevenson in the backfield.

The options would be aplenty. New England would have excellent personnel on the field to run the ball with Newton or one of the running backs, while also having capable pass catchers who represent big targets in the end zone.

If Harry catches four or five TD passes in these kinds of situations, some of the boos from fans would be silenced and New England might have found a way to get some value from their former first-round pick.

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Patriots 2021 Preseason and Regular Season Schedule

Harry and the rest of the receivers only have a little over a month to prove their worth with the team possibly only keeping five players at the position. Here is a look at the Patriots’ schedule for the preseason and regular season:

Date		Opponent	Time/TV
Thursday Aug. 12		Washington Football Team  (Preseason) Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA	7:30pm ET Local/NFL NETWORK
Thursday Aug. 19		at Philadelphia Eagles  (Preseason) Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA	7:30pm ET Local/NFL NETWORK
Sunday Aug. 29		at New York Giants  (Preseason) MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ	7:30pm ET Local/NFL NETWORK
Sunday Sep. 12		Miami Dolphins Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA	4:25pm ET CBS
Sunday Sep. 19		at New York Jets MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ	1:00pm ET CBS
Sunday Sep. 26		New Orleans Saints Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA	1:00pm ET FOX
Sunday Oct. 3		Tampa Bay Buccaneers Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA	8:20pm ET NBC
Sunday Oct. 10		at Houston Texans NRG Stadium, Houston, TX	1:00pm ET CBS
Sunday Oct. 17		Dallas Cowboys Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA	4:25pm ET CBS
Sunday Oct. 24		New York Jets Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA	1:00pm ET CBS
Sunday Oct. 31		at Los Angeles Chargers SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA	4:05pm ET CBS
Sunday Nov. 7		at Carolina Panthers Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC	1:00pm ET CBS
Sunday Nov. 14		Cleveland Browns Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA	1:00pm ET CBS
Thursday Nov. 18		at Atlanta Falcons Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA	8:20pm ET FOX/NFL NETWORK/AMAZON
Sunday Nov. 28		Tennessee Titans Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA	1:00pm ET CBS
Monday Dec. 6		at Buffalo Bills Bills Stadium, Orchard Park, NY	8:15pm ET ESPN
Sunday Dec. 12		BYE
Saturday Dec. 18		at Indianapolis Colts Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN	Time TBA ET or Sun., Dec. 19
Sunday Dec. 26		Buffalo Bills Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA	1:00pm ET CBS
Sunday Jan. 2		Jacksonville Jaguars Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA	1:00pm ET CBS
Sunday Jan. 9		at Miami Dolphins Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL	1:00pm ET CBS

Also Read:

• Stephon Gilmore Trade Could Be Shaped by Eagles Star’s Deal
• Patriots Veteran Called ‘a Lock’ to Make 53-Man Roster
• Young Patriots QB Placed on ‘Bubble Watch’ for Final Roster Cuts
• Patriots Former First-Round Pick Cut in Bold Roster Prediction
• ‘Expendable’ Young Patriots LB In Danger of Being Cut: Report

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