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00:00What's going on everyone? Taylor Kyle's here for CNS Media coming at you with another episode
00:17of Pats Daily brought to you by our good friends at Prize Picks and Game Time. You guys have
00:22been loving our series where we get to interview some of the coaches of the players New England
00:26drafted to get some better insight into not only the players but also the people. So today I am
00:32joined by T.J. Brown, wide receiver specialist and brother of friend of the show, Steph Brown.
00:38T.J., thank you so much for joining me. First of all, congratulations. You and your brother
00:43combined 20 players drafted. That is an incredible accomplishment. How are you doing and how does
00:48it feel to have so much success and to see your guys shine? Oh man, I appreciate it, man. Thanks
00:53for having me on. It feels good, man. You know, glory to God. Just putting us in position to be
01:00able to work with so many wonderful athletes and, you know, we've just been putting in the work over
01:04the last couple years and it's just good to finally see the results of, you know, seeing some of the
01:09guys that we've been working with over the last couple years. It's just good to see like all their
01:13hard work pay off and, you know, they reach their dreams that they've been working towards since
01:18they were kids. Yes, sir. So you've actually worked with all three of the offensive weapons
01:23the Patriots drafted. Javon Baker, Jalen Polk, and Jaheim Bell. So give me some background on how
01:29you connected with all of those guys and how long you've been working with each other. I've been
01:34training Javon probably since eighth, ninth grade. Eighth, going into ninth grade, I started training
01:39Javon. So I've been training him for probably about six, six years or so now. I met Jaheim
01:46in high school, maybe around his freshman or sophomore year. He lives in South Georgia, so I
01:53didn't work with him as much as I did with Javon. Me and Jaheim will tap in every now and then,
01:57especially once he got to South Carolina, he'll come to Atlanta and get some work in. But Javon,
02:02I've been working with him hands-on since eighth, ninth grade, four, five, six, seven times a week.
02:10Hard-working kid, you know, he's a kid and he's just gonna push himself and, you know what I'm
02:14saying? He's just hard on himself. In high school, he used to have to tell me, like, sit down, like,
02:18you got to chill out because he was always trying to work out. And then Jalen Polk, I met him this
02:24year. He was down in Florida at XPE training and receivers for the draft. That's where all of them
02:29was down, this pre-draft training for the draft down there. So I got the chance to work with Jalen
02:36Polk down there. And my brother actually coached with his wide receiver coach, Coach Shepp. He
02:42coached with him at WKU before he was at Washington. So we kind of had a good relationship
02:48there, too. So, yeah, just had a pleasure working with him through pre-draft. And, you know,
02:54Jaheim and Javon, a little bit more hands-on with them, but, you know, it's just a pleasure to work
02:58with all three of them and, you know what I'm saying, help them elevate their game and get
03:02ready for the next level, man. Yes, sir. So you clearly know these guys pretty well, especially
03:06Javon and Jaheim. I'm curious, from your perspective, what kind of people are the
03:11Patriots and Patriots Nation getting in these young guys? Because I know we finally got to
03:15see them on the field, working minicamp and OTAs. Javon and Jalen, along with Drake, they were the
03:21last guys on the field, which you love to see from guys who project to have really big roles in this
03:26offense. So, again, from a personal perspective, what are the Patriots and the fans getting in
03:30these guys? I mean, pretty much what you just said, like, you know what I'm saying, two hard-working
03:35kids. Like, all of them, they hard-working, especially Javon. Like, he a hard worker,
03:40and we was kind of mad where he got drafted, but I was kind of glad, too, because it kind of put
03:46that fire in him going into the league. So, like, now he not coming in comfortable. He coming in
03:51with a chip on his shoulder, feeling like he got to prove something. So, Javon, hard-working kid.
03:56You know what I'm saying? He gonna bust his ass off when he on the field, when he off the field
04:00as well. Jaheim, same thing, and just from what I've learned about Pope, so far of me knowing him,
04:05he the same way. He's a hard-working kid. He don't say too much. You know what I'm saying?
04:10He just work hard. Javon, same thing. Jaheim, same thing. Just really just, like, it was actually,
04:16like, a great three y'all could have picked, because it's, like, they know each other. They
04:20got familiar with each other through pre-draft, and then all of them coming in with a chip on
04:26their shoulder, like, I think y'all got three great picks that we should see, you know, a lot
04:30of success of this season and, you know what I'm saying, season to come moving forward.
04:35Okay, so now we have an idea what these guys are like in a personal way, but also
04:39clearly very talented players. So, you haven't worked with Jalen Pope quite as long, but
04:44from where these guys started to where they are now, or the last time you got to work with him,
04:48what kind of progress have you seen? Okay, that's what we got. So, yeah, Javon, like I said,
04:52from the time I met him, great attributes, ball skills, you know what I'm saying, he was who he
04:57was. Where I helped him at was, like, you know, just getting more in tune with the game, like,
05:04learning more releases, learning more ways you could, different ways you can run routes,
05:08different ways you can get open. So, he's came a long way from the time we met to the time,
05:14to where he is now. Jaheim, same thing. From when I met him, he was a big kid. He played,
05:20actually played, he played receiver in high school. So, he played everything in high school.
05:25So, I had, I coached against him his senior year in the playoffs. He missed the first half,
05:32came in the first half, ran a punt back, ran the first punt back. Next drive, they get the ball,
05:39he caught a pass, took it to the crib. Next time we scored, kicked the ball to them, he took a
05:43kick, returned it to the crib. So, Jaheim's always been a great athlete with big size.
05:50So, I actually think, like, y'all got to steal with him, like, on some D-Bow type stuff,
05:56because, like, he can really do everything. Like, he can get stuff out of the backfield,
06:00he can run routes, you know what I'm saying, he can block. Actually, at the senior bowl,
06:04they actually said he had the best blocking, like, out of all the tight ends that was there. So,
06:10he can do it all. Jalen, same thing, like, just helping him clean up little things on his routes
06:16as far as getting prepared for the combine and getting prepared for pro day. Just making sure
06:20he's taking all the right angles and, you know what I'm saying, just cleaning his routes up to
06:24where it looks perfect for when it's time, you know what I'm saying, to get in front of those
06:27scouts. You know, it all paid off, paid off. Yeah, I really want to get more into Jaheim,
06:32but you mentioned how you kind of help with the routes. So, whether it's releases in the
06:37stem at the top of routes, like, I'm a junkie when it comes to that stuff. So, is there anything
06:40you can tell us about, like, specifically what you worked on from, again, where they started to
06:45what you were trying to coach into them and how they kind of adopted those teachings?
06:48My biggest thing is mainly just having a toolbox, man, you know what I'm saying. So,
06:52it's like if you got something broke in your house, you know what I'm saying,
06:57you don't want to just have one tool because now you might not have all the tools you need for that
07:02specific, whatever that specific thing is. So, it's like I like to build a toolbox to
07:06have a bunch of things they can use because you never know what situation you might get in rather
07:10according to playing inside leverage, outside leverage, whether you're all fat too, whether
07:14you got hard press, soft press, you know what I'm saying, just being able to work everything.
07:18So, when you do get in that situation, you don't got a thing like, man, what I need to do,
07:23you know what I'm saying. So, just showing them different releases, different ways to run your
07:28routes, different stems and angles you can take, different angles to take coming out of your break
07:33to where you can cut the defender off, you know, not rounding high. Yeah, so just showing them
07:38different ways to get open and, you know what I'm saying, biggest thing with us is just, you know,
07:42having a toolbox and most importantly, just, you know what I'm saying, building their mind
07:46mentally to be able to fight through and play through anything. Like our biggest thing,
07:49like you drop a ball or you mess a rep up, get it while it's hot. So, we like to push our guys like
07:55past the limit now. So, when it's time to get in the game, like everything easy.
07:59It's funny you mentioned like having the toolbox and trying to win different ways because I was
08:03watching Steve Smith's podcast and obviously Jay Vaughn was on that. I loved how he mentioned,
08:08he said when he got drafted that he plays with the mamba mentality and on that show, he talked
08:13about how I already know what a guy's good at. I want to, or what he's bad at, I want to attack
08:17what a guy's good at and see where I measure up. What does that say about him for you? Because I
08:21heard it, I was like, oh, this dude's going to be special because you don't hear guys talk like
08:24that very often. And that kid, just his mindset is different, bro. Like, he's a dog, bro. Like,
08:30he's a dog and he just really feel like can't nobody mess with him. Like, he don't care who you
08:35is and if you beat him one time, he's just going to find out a way what you, what he did wrong and,
08:39you know what I'm saying, fix it. He's going to come back and beat you on the next rep. So,
08:42that's just a kid that got a lot of confidence in himself. He knows who he is. He knows what
08:47he can do. Like he said, he didn't feel like 10 receivers was better than him. They got drafted
08:53better than him. So, you know, the world going to see. So, I'm just excited, like, to sit back
08:58and like see all this play out because it's like, I know what they can do. You know what I'm saying?
09:03And I know, like, shoot, the league in trouble. Like, not just with dealing with a lot of guys
09:07that train with us and there's been, you know what I'm saying, working with us. Like, they got a
09:10different mindset. Like, so, y'all going to see soon. I'm excited too, man. And especially,
09:17I want to know if we're on the same page when it comes to roles because all these guys are
09:20versatile. They can line up all over the place. But, obviously, everybody's kind of got a go-to
09:24position. So, in my head, I'm thinking Javon seems like, in this Alex Van Pelt Browns kind
09:29of offense, kind of like an Amari Cooper where he's the X, he's the guy that wins one-on-one,
09:34kind of see Javon poke. From that system, it's like a Donovan Peoples Jones where
09:38you put him at C, he's hanging a lot of the dirty work. Like, he's blocking safeties,
09:42linebackers, defensive linemen, doing a lot of that tough stuff. And then Jaheim is more like
09:46a move kind of H-back tight end where he can line up all over but really more off the line
09:51of scrimmage so he can be versatile. Do you see it in a similar way or how, you know, is it?
09:54Yeah, I see it the same way. I think Javon and Polk, they both could kind of, you know what I'm
09:59saying, both got that dog mentality. They could kind of do some of the sort of the same things,
10:04you know what I'm saying? But Javon, like, he's more of that dominant X, you know what I'm saying?
10:08He can run every route. Jalen, too, he can run every route, man. Smooth receiver, you know what
10:14I'm saying? Like, he can do everything. And like you said with Jaheim, just as far as that H-row,
10:19him being there, being versatile as a tight end, like, he's really, he's a receiver, running back
10:24slash tight end. Like, he could play everything. So I'm excited to see how the Patriots are going
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11:34When it comes to Jaheim, watching his Florida state tape, he was more of like an underneath
11:39target for them, but on the few opportunities he got targeted downfield, sometimes quarterback was
11:44missing him, but he's wide open. You see the explosiveness. So I'm curious, what do you see
11:49behind the scenes working with him that maybe he didn't get to show as much when he was in college?
11:54Um, I just think it's about opportunity with him, man. You know what I'm saying? Just him getting
12:00in the right system, getting the right opportunity to showcase all the things he can do. Him being at
12:05Florida State for one year, maybe they just didn't understand fully what they had or what they could
12:11do with him, and then you had Keion Coleman there too, and you know what I'm saying, Johnny on the
12:15other side, so his players around him, you know what I'm saying? So I think he did good this year
12:20working with the players around him, and I think it's kind of going to be kind of the same thing
12:25with the Patriots because, you know what I'm saying, with Javon, Jalen, Park, other, who else
12:33they got? Kendrick Bourne, KJ Osborne. Yeah, Kendrick Bourne, Kendrick Bourne, man, yeah. So
12:41I'm just excited to see it, and then my boy Underwood up there with them too now,
12:44so I'm just excited, man. I'm excited. You mentioned Type 1 Underwood. I'm curious,
12:50I know you guys have a relationship. Tell Patriots fans what they're getting in him because
12:54obviously they know him from his playing days back in 2011, but they don't know a lot about him as a
12:58coach because he spent so much time in Pitt, not in the NFL, so what are the Patriots getting in
13:02him because you can already see he's a hands-on coach. You can hear him on the field. I'm excited
13:06to see. I was actually happy that one of my players, like some of my players, actually got
13:13to go play for him, so he coached two of my guys at Pitt, Bud Means that got drafted by the Saints,
13:19then I got another kid, Kanate Monfield, that's there now. He's going to have a big year this
13:23season too, so he coached them, and we kind of built a relationship over the last two years when
13:28Bud transferred to Pitt, and man, he's a great players coach, man, like very hands-on, very
13:36detailed. He can relate to the players, and you know what I'm saying, and I think that's big in
13:41nowadays, you know what I'm saying, with coaches being able to relate to the players because you
13:45get some of the older coaches, they just can't relate, so you never see that player reaches full
13:50potential because that coach may not know how to talk to him or might not know how to push him,
13:54like with Coach Underwood, man, he's just a great, he's an overall great guy, great players coach,
14:00he knows his stuff, you know what I'm saying, he's passionate, you know what I'm saying, he's
14:04going to go above and beyond for his guys, so you know what I'm saying, I'm excited, man, like I'm
14:09excited, like we were talking during the draft, just like once they drafted Jayvon, like we're
14:14just talking, I'm like, bro, I know you glad you got one of the TSP guys, like you know what I'm
14:19saying, so that's my guy, man, good guy, you know what I'm saying, and he's a great coach, man, like
14:24one of the greater receiver coaches in college football before he, you know what I'm saying,
14:29got there, and I was actually, like I've seen him at Pro Day, at Pitt Pro Day, and I was like, man,
14:33bro, I'm proud of you, bro, like you know what I'm saying, you stayed down, and now you can go to the
14:38league and get more time with your family now, so I know he's excited about that, man, so yeah,
14:44I'm just excited to see all them work together, and you know what I'm saying, get out there and get it
14:48done this season, man. Upside now, wide receiver room, both in the seats and on the clipboard,
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16:12All right, so to wrap this up, obviously, every player has stuff they need to work on,
16:16especially young guys coming in the league. So, for Jalen, for Javon, for Jaheim, what are some
16:22things that you think they should be really focused and honed in on, ways they can improve?
16:26And, you know, I'm an OTA, so I'm always looking at how these guys are progressing. So, what should
16:30I and, you know, other people who are at some of the practices this summer be looking out for?
16:34I mean, really and truly, like, you're going to see explosive and big plays from all those guys
16:39throughout OTAs, throughout training camp, throughout the season. You're going to see
16:43big plays. My biggest thing with not just the guys coming in the league, with all the NFL guys,
16:49we, you know what I'm saying, that one of our biggest mottos, we always say, is control what
16:52you can control. You know what I'm saying? Us knowing how the league goes now, like,
16:56you know what I'm saying, some things be out of your control. You can be better than another
17:00player or having better practices, but they might have got drafted before you, or they might be
17:05getting paid more than you, so they might get more reps. Whatever the case may be, all that is out of
17:10your control, or what players are being called, that's out of your control. The only thing you
17:14can control is what you do, making sure you're on top of the playbook, making sure you're getting
17:19your routes at the right depth, making sure you're taking your routes at the right angles,
17:22making sure you're lining up correctly. If you're supposed to be plus two from the halves,
17:26making sure you're there, not on the halves, making sure a coach don't have to keep repeating
17:30himself to you. So the main thing is just keeping the main thing the main thing, always working on
17:34the things that help you get to where you got, and just focusing on the little stuff, because,
17:38like, I always say, like, when you, every level you move up, and I preach this to my high school
17:43guys too, like, no matter you're a five-star, four-star, no-star, when you get to college,
17:48nobody cares what you did in high school no more. If you drafted first round, second round,
17:52nobody cares what you did in college no more. You got to prove it all over again. So
17:56the biggest thing is just controlling what you can control, and that's only what you do,
18:00you know what I'm saying? Making sure you're in your playbook, making sure you're running your
18:03routes and lining up correctly, and everything else is take care of itself, you know what I'm
18:07saying? Not letting the moment get too big for you, everything else is just take care of itself,
18:12man. Football is not hard, and every level you move up, it's just, like I told Javon,
18:18it's less about how good you are, and more about how good you do the little things right,
18:23you know what I'm saying? That's why you see the guys, like, shoot, I got them on right now,
18:26guys like Cooper Cup, you know what I'm saying? Like, they're not the most athletic,
18:31you know what I'm saying? But Cooper Cup came in the league, and he did the little things right.
18:35Puka Nakul, he came in the league, he did the little things right. So it's just about,
18:39the NFL is just about doing the little things right, lining up the correct way,
18:43watching films so you're able to play faster, and everything else is take care of yourself.
18:47Your natural ability got you there, like, now it's time to do the little things right
18:51with your natural ability, and now you see the big plays, and the big, you know what I'm saying,
18:55all the big, the guys go from little name guys to big name guys. So I think everything gonna
19:00be cool, they just gotta, you know what I'm saying, keep controlling what they control.
19:04Talked to Javon the other day, it was probably like six o'clock here, and he was still in the
19:10facility. He was like, yeah bro, I'm in here trying to, I've got to get these plays down,
19:15I'm the last person to leave. So he on top of it, I think, I talked to Jalen a little bit too,
19:20he on top of it, Jaheim, same thing. So it's just, you know, controlling what you can control,
19:24and just, you know what I'm saying, being on top of the little things,
19:26and everything else will take care of itself.
19:28I know fans are gonna love to hear that, coach. Thank you so much for your time.
19:33Thank you, I really appreciate it. Before I let you go, please let the people know where
19:36they can find you if they want more of your insights, or maybe if they wanna
19:40get your services and start learning from you.
19:42You can follow me on Instagram and Twitter at Topshelf underscore TJ.
19:48That's my handle on both Instagram and Twitter. If you wanna reach out to me for training,
19:52if you wanna reach out to me for anything, you know, open ears, open book, you know what I'm
19:57saying, and look forward to, you know what I'm saying, Patriots and my guys having a great year
20:02this year, man. Yes, sir. Thank you again so much for your time, coach. And thank you all,
20:07as always, for watching. Now, take care of yourselves, take care of each other,
20:11and we'll see you next time. Peace, y'all.