Stefon Diggs, Patriots not drinking the first-place "Kool-Aid"
The New England Patriots are on a big upswing at the moment, sitting atop the AFC East at 4-2 on the season. Players have fully bought in to Mike Vrabel's system, and quarterback Drake Maye is looking like an MVP candidate.
After an up-and-down first three weeks, the Patriots have now won three straight and are in a great position for the rest of the regular season. National pundits are jumping aboard the hype train in New England, including former quarterback Drew Brees, who put the Patriots at No. 5 in his Week 7 Power Rankings on Wednesday.
Former Patriots QB Tom Brady isn't as high on his old team, but the Fox Sports analyst has New England at No. 10 in his latest NFL Power Rankings. And those who aren't putting the Patriots in their Top 10 are at least recognizing Vrabel's squad as a team on the rise -- and one that could make a lot of noise by season's end.
Three straight wins and all the adulation that has followed currently have Patriots fans yelling "Oh Yeah!" and drinking the proverbial Kool-Aid. (Some may even be crashing through walls somewhere.) That approach is fine for the team's supporters, but veteran receiver Stefon Diggs doesn't want the Patriots themselves to get too high after just six games.
"Hell no," Diggs said when asked if the team is paying attention to the standings. "The biggest thing is don't drink the Kool Aid. They're going to say a lot of good things about you, but it's only the second quarter of the season. Don't buy into that. You can get distracted by them telling you how good you are. You get to doing different things or not committing to the process like you were before."
Diggs doesn't think losing focus will be an issue in Foxboro. A close win over the one-win Saints team last Sunday was a nice reminder that anything can happen in the NFL on Sundays.
"We're not that kind of team," Diggs said confidently. "We came back in with the right mindset today trying to get back on track. We feel like we left a lot of plays out there [in New Orleans], even me. I feel like I took a touchdown away from Pop (DeMario Douglas) and I had some things going on out there. Trying to be better and I'm back to the grind.
"Just don't drink the Kool Aid and get caught up on that [boloney]," added Diggs. "It's neither here nor there. We'll figure that out ten games from now."
Spoken like a true veteran. A few Patriots didn't even know the team had climbed into first place Tuesday morning after the Bills lost to the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football.
"I knew we won three games, but I didn't realize the standings until you just said that," tight end Austin Hooper replied Tuesday morning when WBZ's Nick Giovani asked him about the first-place Patriots. "It's pretty cool, definitely believing what Vrabes talks about and preaches and just taking positive steps every week. The goal is to keep this going."
Maye mentioned the team ignoring noise and staying focused would give them a great shot come playoff time, but later admitted he jumped the gun a tad.
"I got ahead of myself a little bit there. I think we're just trying to keep going, one week at a time. That's been the goal since we got here," said Maye. "What Coach Vrabel has put on the goals of winning the division, making the playoffs and having home playoff games. So, that's been the goal in mind since we got here. So, it's not too early for me to get ahead onto it, but it is a little bit early calling it. So, just trying to keep playing, and if it happens to get there, that'll be some fun."
Mike Vrabel's reaction to being in first place in AFC East
Vrabel had a similar response when asked about his team's standing in the division on Wednesday.
"They're not going to cancel the rest of the season and that's not really our focus right now," said Vrabel. "I'd say we've put ourselves in a position to play meaningful games – not that they're not all meaningful. We're certainly focusing on this one on the road, our last one of three. I appreciate us not looking too far ahead."
Just because the Patriots are in first place in their division in mid-October doesn't mean they'll remain there come November, December, or at the end of the regular season. There is a lot of football to be played, and at the moment, New England is only concerned about playing their best football against the 1-5 Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
"We'll see if we can continue to enhance the things we do well, improve the things we are not doing well, and eliminate the stuff that could – or will or has – gotten us beat," said Vrabel.