FOXBORO — Tom Brady likes his tenacity.
Mohamed Sanu calls him a special kid.
Bill Belichick thought enough of N’Keal Harry to make him the first wide receiver he’s drafted in the first round as head coach of the Patriots.
But eventually, words and action away from the field can only mean so much in the NFL. Sometime, Harry must declare himself between the lines, reveal the ability, potential and player kept behind closed doors the last three and a half months.
That time, it appears, will be Sunday at Philadelphia.
Harry met with the media Thursday for the first time since the dawn of the preseason, when he left an exhibition at Detroit with a leg injury. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound wideout eventually landed on injured reserve with an ankle injury and has been practicing since the the end of October, permitted by league rules to participate behind the scenes before he was eligible to return to the active roster. Harry was finally activated on Nov. 2, the eve of the Patriots’ last game, a loss at Baltimore for which he was inactive.
For Mohamed Sanu, the anticipation of Harry’s upcoming NFL debut sparked memories of his first game as a pro. Sanu saw five snaps during garbage time of a Bengals loss on Monday Night Football back in 2012. Having practiced alongside Harry for weeks, Sanu envisions a different debut for his young teammate.
“I’m sure he’ll get a lot more plays than I did,” Sanu said.
Harry himself offered little in the way of description about his practice performance and ongoing development of his chemistry with Brady. As for the injury, and playing through an apparent hamstring pull two days earlier in a joint practice with the Lions, Harry said he wasn’t trying to prove a point as he labored back to the line of scrimmage.
“No, I don’t have any regrets. I don’t need to show anything,” Harry said. “Me going out there and playing hard and playing through stuff, that’s just the type of mentality I have and that’s just the type of mindset I grew up having.”
Teammates have remarked in recent weeks about Harry’s strength and physicality in practice. They’ve said how his size means he’s open even when he’s covered and said securing tough catches is a regular occurrence. Brady became the latest Patriot to comment during a radio appearance Wednesday on WEEI.
“He’s extremely hard-working. He wants to do it. He’s got a great edge about him. I really love that,” Brady said. “I really love his tenacity, and he’s learning every day, and he’s working hard to get better. I think that is all you can ask of a younger player.”
In order to see significant snaps against the Eagles, Harry must leapfrog fellow rookies Jakobi Meyers and Gunner Olszewski and likely Phillip Dorsett. After Sanu and Julian Edelman, Dorsett was the Pats’ third receiver during their loss at Baltimore, when they operated with three wideouts from start to finish. The Patriots could employ a rotation, though as the 3.5-point road favorites will not have a significant margin for error versus a hungry Philly team.
Whenever he makes his debut, Harry’s talent must shine within a short window to keep that window open for the rest of the season. Sanu sounds optimistic.
“He’s a special kid. He’s just going to be himself and let his abilities take over and don’t think too much and have fun,” Sanu said. “He’ll be good.”
Throwback game plan for Pats?
NFL Films senior producer Greg Cosell, who also executive produces ESPN’s NFL Matchup show, is as well-versed on the Xs and Os of football as well as any figure in the media. When Cosell eyes Sunday’s showdown in Philadelphia, he believes Patriots coach Bill Belichick will devise his defensive game plan around stopping two players who could spring an upset: running back Miles Sanders and tight end Zach Ertz.
Cosell sees Belichick sending double teams at Ertz, a two-time Pro Bowler. As for Sanders, handling him will take a group effort.
“I think the other receivers on the Eagles (Belichick) will feel like, ‘You know what? I can match up man-to-man in my normal way, and then I’m OK,'” Cosell said. “So, I think what else you’ll see with Sanders, particularly when he’s offset in the backfield, which is where he normally lines up, is you’re going To see him do what I call the bullseye approach, which is he’s going to take the widest pass rusher and going to have them run right at Sanders and smack him to prevent Sanders from getting out releasing cleanly into routes.
“Which, by the way he did against Marshall Faulk in the Super Bowl that they won back (in 2002).”
Ertz lead the Eagles in receptions and receiving yards. He caught the final touchdown of Philadelphia’s win over the Pats in Super Bowl LII. Sanders, a rookie out of Penn State, has rushed for 336 yards and is averaging 10.9 yards per reception with one touchdown.
Simon on injury report
Defensive end John Simon was added to the Patriots’ practice injury report Thursday with an elbow injury.
Simon was one of five Pats listed along with safety Nate Ebner, who missed his second straight practice. Safety Patrick Chung and defensive tackle Danny Shelton were limited again. Chung continues to deal with heel and chest injuries.
In Philadelphia, wide receiver Alshon Jeffery sat out his second straight practice. Running back Darren Sproles was also absent.
