Much of the dialogue around Kendrick Bourne this season has been about his apparent spot in the New England Patriots’ doghouse, but Bill Belichick insists he loves the wideout.
Widely regarded as one of the best-value wideouts in the league after Year 1 in Foxboro, Bourne has seen his playing time and targets nosedive this season.
Most recently, he played a season-high 34 snaps in a 29-0 thumping of the Detroit Lions on Sunday, catching his lone target from Bailey Zappe for one yard. The most interesting thing about his day was an animated discussion on the sideline with the Patriots head coach.
Asked about Bourne on Monday in his weekly interview with the "Greg Hill Show," Belichick had nothing but good things to say.
"I love KB," Belichick said. "He’s very passionate about the game, his performance, the team. Works hard and has helped and will help us. Great to have him on the field because he’s an explosive player, and he’s one of our key guys in our passing game. We’re always working to try to improve, do things better and nobody works harder at it than KB. He always practices hard, works hard in practice and I don’t think that will change. That’s just who he is, he loves football and competes well."
Belichick might genuinely love Bourne and his competitive spirit. But so long as the 27-year-old continues to be an afterthought in the offense, there are going to be questions about his role.
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