FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL:
1. Bourne's identity: Kendrick Bourne shook his head and smiled when told that new NFL receiver tracking metrics from ESPN Analytics rated him 11th in the NFL through seven weeks of the season.
"That's kind of crazy to hear," he said leading up to Sunday's road game against the Miami Dolphins (1 p.m. ET, CBS). "I don't really think about that stuff; I'm just trying to make the plays. My mentality is to try to score a touchdown every time I touch the ball. I'm trying to change the game, and I think that's why I ended up [at 11]."
Receiver tracking metrics are generated using player tracking data from NFL Next Gen Stats and analyze every route run -- including those that are untargeted -- to assess receiver performance in three distinct phases:
Getting open
Contesting and making the catch
Generating yards after the catch
Those three components are blended to create an overall receiving metric that also takes into account:
Route type and depth
Coverage type
Down, distance and yard line
Quarterback
Extra attention from defenses
Bourne has been a top-5 receiver in yards after the catch, which helped his overall rating. The top three receivers are the Philadelphia Eagles' A.J. Brown, San Francisco 49ers' Brandon Aiyuk, and Chicago Bears' DJ Moore.
Can Bourne sustain such a high rating as the season progresses?
"I just want to keep it going. To be in talks with a great group of other receivers that are doing well, it's awesome," said Bourne, who has a team-high 34 receptions for 370 yards and three touchdowns.
"I'm not really a super stat guy. Yeah, I want to catch the ball, get yards and score touchdowns. But I want to win. So if I can do both, that's the ultimate goal. But if we have to win without me doing anything, that's good too."
In his seventh NFL season, Bourne believes positive changes off the field and "living life with discipline" have contributed to a bounce-back season from 2022, when he totaled 35 receptions for 434 yards and one touchdown.
Receivers coach Troy Brown also noted a change in Bourne, saying: "One of the biggest things I've seen is he's made a 180 with his personal life. He brings a lot of energy to our football team."
Bourne has played 74.5% of the offensive snaps through seven games, a reflection of how he has won over offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien, who returned this season. Bourne had played 25% of the snaps through seven games last season.
"My biggest thing is being able to play a lot in a row, like the Vegas game, where I touched the ball four times in a row. I take a lot of pride in that," he said. "I am tired in those situations, but the mindset is still 'how do I defeat that to make this play.'"
As for an area where he still sees room for growth, Bourne said: "I want to complete the deep balls -- that's me and the group. To get more explosive plays. Not so much YAC but also deep and fade balls."
2. Seven WRs: After signing 2021 first-round pick Jalen Reagor from the practice squad Wednesday, the Patriots have an eye-catching seven receivers on their roster. Coach Bill Belichick called it a "very competitive situation" and said, "the guys that perform the best play the most; the ones that don't, need to perform better." Based on his promotion, Reagor would seemingly be a lock on the game-day roster alongside Bourne and dynamic rookie Demario "Pop" Douglas, which would leave only a couple of spots between DeVante Parker, Tyquan Thornton, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Kayshon Boutte.
3. JuJu's role: One intriguing storyline with the receiver logjam will be Smith-Schuster's role (if any), as he has officially been cleared from the concussion protocol after missing the past two games. He doesn't contribute on special teams, which is usually what helps get a fourth or fifth receiver on the game-day roster. Smith-Schuster has 14 catches for 86 yards in five games. It's hard to imagine this is what the Patriots envisioned when they signed him as a free agent to a three-year contract that included $16 million guaranteed. Smith-Schuster ranks last in ESPN Analytics' NFL receiver tracking metrics.
4. OL the key: The Patriots have had six offensive line configurations in their first seven games, which has contributed to them posting the worst pass block win rate in the NFL this season, per ESPN Analytics/NFL Next Gen Stats data, sustaining blocks for 2.5 seconds only 43% of the time. The constant change due to injuries has made it hard to build trust up front -- which linemen say is key -- but moving Mike Onwenu from right guard to right tackle last week has sparked a higher level of confidence within the unit. That's why Onwenu is expected to stay there Sunday versus Miami.
5. Ironman Andrews: Center David Andrews has been the one constant on the offensive line and is the only player to be on the field for every snap this season. Given all the instability around him, this might be the best work of his nine-year NFL career. Andrews earned notable praise last week from Belichick, who said: "He's done a great job. He's a very good personality -- calm but enthusiastic, aggressive and energetic, but at the same time, there's not a panic to it."
6. Scuba Mac: When quarterback Mac Jones walked into the locker room after Friday's practice, he was wearing a scuba-type diving hood on his head, which he had donned under his helmet at practice. That's one way to prep for the heat in Miami.
7. Trade deadline: Tuesday marks the NFL's trade deadline, and questions of whether teams will acquire or trade away players often percolates across the league. My take: Hard to imagine the Patriots unloading any top players, regardless of what happens Sunday against the Dolphins, unless the return was at least a third-round pick. The strongest possibility of a deal would be if it involved another team being willing to absorb part or all of a burdensome contract (e.g., Smith-Schuster, Parker).
8. Practice honor: When the Patriots meet Monday after a victory, players say Belichick recognizes practice players of the week in a meeting, singling them out in front of the team and then having them wear black jerseys at practice. Often, the honor goes to practice squad players, which they say further makes them feel part of the team. Defensive tackle Trysten Hill and linebackers Calvin Munson and Joe Giles-Harris earned accolades last week, and in Week 3, it went to Munson, defensive end Keion White, quarterback Bailey Zappe, quarterback/receiver Malik Cunningham and receiver T.J. Luther.
Jerseys for LB Calvin Munson (43), LB Joe Giles-Harris (44) and DT Trysten Hill (97) are black, reflecting how they have been recognized as practice players of the week.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) October 27, 2023
Coaches award the black jerseys to those who beat helped prepare the team leading up to a win. pic.twitter.com/WIy7yv1Dis
9. Did you know? -- Part I: Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has won 10 straight starts against coaches who had already won a Super Bowl when he faced them, which is the longest win streak (including playoffs) by a starting quarterback against Super Bowl-winning coaches all time. Five of those wins have come against Belichick.
10. Did you know? -- Part II: The Dolphins, who have won three straight home games against the Patriots, haven't won four straight at home over New England since their five-game streak from 1998 to 2002.