If you’d heard Bill Belichick talk about Kendrick Bourne during his weekly appearance on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show” without knowing the context, you might have thought Bourne had a tremendous Week 1 performance against the Miami Dolphins.
"I thought 'KB' did a great job stepping in there when we needed him. Made a big play for us. He's a good player. I'm sure that he'll have plenty of opportunities, as all of our skill players will, going forward,” Belichick said of his veteran receiver.
That’s where the truth steps in to muddy the picture.
For all intents and purposes, the Patriots benched Bourne in the season opener, playing only two snaps all game — the lowest count for any receiver.
His absence was already a huge talking point before he caught a 41-yard bomb down the left sideline for the Patriots’ biggest offensive play of the game.
Belichick didn’t add much to his post-game non-explanation for why Bourne didn’t play when asked by WEEI, though.
"It just kind of worked out that way. It wasn't anything that was specifically avoided. It just didn't work out," the coach said.
Bourne himself has acknowledged he needs to perform better in practice to convince Belichick and the Patriots' coaches to play him more.
Given Belichick's post-game praise of him, the ugly offensive performance and Bourne’s obvious impact once he entered the game, look for Bourne to be a much bigger part of the team’s offensive game plan against the Steelers, who have one of the better defenses in football.
If Bourne can’t get on the field for what should be an all-hands-on-deck sort of day, it might be time to wonder if he’s long for Foxborough.
