Patriots TE Says Offense Must Be Cohesive vs. Dolphins

The New England Patriots have had recent struggles against the Miami Dolphins in past seasons, especially when they travel to South Florida for the games. The Patriots have lost four-straight games against their division rivals, and after both squads dropped their openers, Week 2 is a chance for New England to bounce back.

Tight end Austin Hooper, who is now in second season with the Patriots, spoke to reporters at his locker Wednesday and broke down how the offense needs to work together to win -- in Miami and at any road environment.

"I think just all 11 of us being tied in, playing next to each other together," Hooper said. "Great communication, especially when you're on the road, depending on however loud it's going to be. Whether that's mixing up the cadence, whatever that is -- I'm sure we're going to talk about this as the week goes on -- but the biggest component is just communicating with the guy to your left and your right, and making sure all 11 are tied in."

Hooper was one of the bright spots the last time the Patriots went down to face the Dolphins last November. The tight end caught four balls for 59 yards and a long garbage time touchdown in a 34-15 loss last year. This year, Hooper's role as the Patriots backup tight end has started fairly slow. Against the Raiders, he was targeted just one time, catching his lone pass for 10 yards in the flat.

Nov 24, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; New England Patriots tight end Austin Hooper (81) looks on after diving into the end zone for a touchdown against the Miami Dolphins during the third quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

When Hooper is in the game, typically alongside starter Hunter Henry, the team needs to rely on their end-line blocking and play action routes to spring open some offense. The Patriots struggled against Las Vegas in Week 1 in that department -- mustering up a single touchdown in the first half.

As for Hooper's head coach, Mike Vrabel spent years with the Patriots as a player. This is the first time he's heading down to face the Dolphins as their head coach. He downplayed the elements that always seem to come into play when suiting up in Miami.

"It's going to be warm, it's going to be wet, it'll be humid. I'm sure it'll rain, probably lightning, who knows, but it'll rain and then it'll stop," Vrabel said Wednesday. "I mean, I think as a rookie, I think we might have played down there, or as a young player, back when the dirt was still there and it would rain, and then it would fill up and it wouldn't drain very well. Then it would just be grass and then water. Then after it stopped, it would eventually drain out, but I think that's about what the forecast is every single time you go down there."

The Patriots are hoping to avoid an 0-2 start to the season, and in Hooper's eyes, there's no one who has more control over that than the players in the locker room.

"It starts with us, so you just have to hold each other to a higher standard and continue to improve," he said.

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