How a lesson from Randy Moss helped Patriots WR coach win Stefon Diggs’s trust
New England Patriots (https://www.boston.com/tag/new-england-patriots/)
Diggs admitted that he doesn't trust many people. Todd Downing, he said, is one of them.
FOXBOROUGH — For one reason or another, star athletes that began their careers in Minnesota just keep winding up in Boston. (https://www.boston.com/)
David Ortiz comes to mind in baseball, as does Kevin Garnett in basketball, and Randy Moss (https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/M/MossRa00.htm) in football.
Patriots receiver Stefon Diggs (https://www.boston.com/sports/new-england-patriots/2025/11/19/stefon-diggs-comeback-player-of-the-year-drake-maye-comments/) is the latest star in the Minnesota to Boston sports pipeline. He told reporters Wednesday that Drake Maye (http://boston.com/tag/drake-maye) ‘s presence, along with the chance to learn from Mike Vrabel (http://boston.com/tag/mike-vrabel) and Josh McDaniels were part of the “conglomerate” of factors that helped bring him to New England.
The fact that he also had familiarity with his position coach, Todd Downing, from their time in Minnesota also helped. Downing was the Vikings’ tight-ends coach in 2018, Diggs’s fourth season in the league.
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“He’s part of the reason that I came here,” Diggs said. “I said the conglomerate of people, he’s definitely one of the main people. We had multiple conversations, especially when I first got here on my visit and I trusted him.
“I don’t trust many people. I believed him,” he added. “He gave me face value words and I appreciate his honesty. Same with [Vrabel]. I appreciate straight shooters. You can tell me the truth no matter what it is and I’ll rock with you with it. If you try to pull the wool over my eyes it gets a little dicey.”
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Downing began his career as an intern with the Vikings in 2001 and was promoted to quality control coach in 2005 when Moss was there. They were at walkthrough practice when Moss taught Downing a lesson about trust that still applies decades later.
“I remember Randy Moss saying that if you ever tell a player a lie and he knows it, he won’t trust you, and he won’t listen to you,” Downing said. “And so I remember taking that to heart and thinking, ‘Well, if I don’t know that, I’m just not going to say anything.’”
Diggs has taken his opportunity in New England and ran with it, emerging as a potential Comeback Player of the Year candidate after recovering from a torn ACL.
Diggs has a team-high 659 receiving yards on 59 catches with three touchdowns through 11 games. He’s on pace for his seventh 1,000 yard season in eight years.
Trust has played a role in the success, but Downing made it clear that Vrabel and McDaniels played the primary roles in recruiting Diggs to the Patriots.
“Give [offensive coordinator] Josh [McDaniels] and [head coach] Mike [Vrabel] the credit. They were the recruiters,” Downing said. “They were the ones who painted the picture for [Diggs]. I was able to meet Stef at the Renaissance and walk over to dinner with them, and catch up a little. And you know, we kind of fell back onto that relationship that we had in Minnesota, which was nice.”
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Downing has had several brief stints as a playcaller. He spent the 2017 season as the Raiders’ offensive coordinator, and was also an offensive coordinator under Vrabel with the Titans in 2021 and 2022. He also spent a couple years as the passing game coordinator for the Jets. His experience calling plays and working with quarterbacks has provided a perspective unlike anything else Diggs has experienced from his past receivers coaches.
“This is probably like my biggest year I’ve studied the most,” Diggs said. “As far as like recognizing coverages and trying to see it before the play starts kind of like from the quarterback vision.
“Coach Todd has been in the quarterback rooms and called plays and I’ve never had it from that vantage point. I’ve had great receiver coaches, it’s just that they didn’t have the lens of a quarterback coach or guy that was calling plays. ”
One of the things Downing appreciates the most about his career, he said, has been the opportunities he has had to work in a variety of roles.
He has coached on both sides of the ball and with multiple position groups. That experience appears to be paying off for the Patriots’ receivers.
“I worked defense in St. Louis, and I think it’s given me the ability to have a well-rounded view of the game, and also some empathy for different position groups on what might be difficult or what might be a challenge for them,” Downing said. “And so I hope I can take that view and help paint a picture for our receivers as to how they can help the quarterback feel the most comfortable.”
Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.
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