One Patriots free agency signing has been on Mike Vrabel's radar for a long time and comes with a single quirk
While Chris Long brought up the Stefon Diggs signing on his Green Light podcast episode with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, he made it clear that, while that was very exciting, there was another free agency move by the Patriots that stood out to him more. And that was New England bringing in […]
While Chris Long brought up the Stefon Diggs signing on his Green Light podcast episode with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, he made it clear that, while that was very exciting, there was another free agency move by the Patriots that stood out to him more.
And that was New England bringing in Mack Hollins.
So, what did Vrabel have to say about this signing?
"I haven't heard one person say anything negative other than wear some shoes once in a while," Vrabel said. "His intelligence is just, you're talking to a very mature person. I love the conversations that I have with him."
"We were excited to be able to add him," he continued. "I've always looked at him for a far and said this is someone who could always play for us. But we weren't able to add him. He's had success against us and now we're able to add him through this process."
Across his eight season in the league, having stints with the Philadelphia Eagles, Miami Dolphins, Las Vegas Raiders, Atlanta Falcons, and Buffalo Bills, he recorded 162 receptions for 2,069 receiving yards and 15 receiving touchdowns.
Mack Hollins details the story behind his iconic barefoot look
Mack Hollins is known for his classic barefoot look, and he brought that with him to New England, as the new Patriots receiver walked into his introductory press conference with no shoes on.
So, that prompted a question about what's behind this iconic tradition. And he didn't hold back.
"Met some trainers… out in Australia," Hollins explained on Friday. "They showed up, I flew them out from Australia to Philly. They showed up and the way ya'll look at me is the way I was looking at them. They were walking around Philly barefoot and I was like, 'I might've sent the wrong guys out here.' But that was the philosophy was being barefoot and getting back to your original ways of movement.
"That grew into me training barefoot all the time for about two years, three years, and then probably the last two or three years, I kind of went to what's the point? One less thing to pack. Now the bags' under 50 pounds. Like I'm saving money."
However, he does draw the line when it reaches a certain temperature.
"Below 35 (degrees), I'll put shoes on," Hollins added. "There's a few times where no matter what temperature, I won't put them on."
“I’m barefoot but I’m not a dummy," he continued. "That’s the saying I live by."
