Bill Belichick Endorses Kendrick Bourne After Sideline Argument

The ongoing drama/situation/thing between Kendrick Bourne and the Patriots took another interesting turn Sunday afternoon at Gillette Stadium.

Bourne was flagged for two penalties in the first half of New England’s 29-0 win over the Detroit Lions. After the second, FOX Sports cameras got Bourne and Bill Belichick engaging in a passionate conversation on the sideline. It’s hard to tell exactly what the two were talking about.

Take a look:

Bourne went on to see a season-high 34 offensive snaps, so the argument didn’t result in a benching. That said, Bourne only caught one ball from rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe, who picked up a victory in his first NFL start.

Belichick was asked about Bourne and the sideline spat during a Monday morning interview on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show.” He avoided talking about the argument and instead offered an endorsement of Bourne, whose role has been diminished this season following an underwhelming training camp.

“I love KB,” the Patriots head coach said. “He’s very passionate about the game, his performance, the team. Works hard and has helped us and will help us. It’s great to have him on the field because he’s an explosive player. He’s one of our key guys in the 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’ll change, that’s just who he is. He loves football and he competes well.”

By the way, with that remark, Bourne joined a long list of players about whom Belichik has said, “nobody works harder than.” You can click here for the full list, which recently welcomed practice squad receiver Tre Nixon.

Bourne’s situation remains worth monitoring going forward. With rookie receiver Tyquan Thornton now back in the fold, the Patriots seemingly will have an odd man out at receiver. New England typically rosters five receivers on gamedays but had six active Sunday, including wideout/tight end hybrid Lil’Jordan Humphrey.

The Patriots will visit the Cleveland Browns this Sunday. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET.