Bill O’Brien Stands By Demario Douglas, Puts Interesting Spin On Benching

Demario Douglas got benched Sunday night after fumbling against the Miami Dolphins. We know it, you know it — and Bill Belichick unfortunately knows it.

But Bill O’Brien on Tuesday morning offered a different take on why Douglas, one of the Patriots’ more explosive weapons, played zero offensive snaps after fumbling in the first quarter. New England’s offensive coordinator claimed the gameplan simply didn’t call for the rookie receiver, whose speed could’ve been useful as the Patriots played catch-up before losing 24-17 at home.

“Ball security’s obviously a huge part of what we preach,” O’Brien said during a video call. “I would say in the game… I have a lot of confidence in Pop Douglas, as I do all the players that we have. I think as the game played out the other day — because of what we did, the packages that we went to, whether we were in no-huddle or some of the things that we were doing — it just wasn’t Pop on the field.

“At the end of the day, I think we have to do a better job of continuing to get everybody involved in the gameplan throughout the game, and that’s what we’ll do.”

Douglas, a sixth-rounder who prefers to go by “Pop”, has excelled since arriving in New England. He stood out during spring practices, improved every day during training camp and earned an immediate role in O’Brien’s offense. The Liberty product’s speed showed up in Week 1 when he caught four balls for 40 yards, and again Sunday night when he posted 19 yards on two catches before he was benched.

So long as Douglas’ ball-security issues don’t persist, he should remain an important part of what the Patriots want to do on offense.

“I think Pop will learn from what happened on Sunday,” O’Brien said. “But Pop has had a really good, in my opinion, rookie experience so far. From OTAs to training camp to where we are now, Pop has done a lot of really good things. So, we like when Pop’s in the game.”

The good news is that Douglas took his benching in stride, showing the kind of humility he’s become known for early in his career. He’ll look to rebound this Sunday when New England visits the New York Jets.