Bill Belichick Defends Tyquan Thornton After Patriots WR’s Latest Drop

Bill Belichick picks his spots when publicly criticizing young Patriots players.

Last week, for example, he offered a fair and harsh critique of Chad Ryland after the rookie kicker missed another easy field goal attempt. And Belichick would’ve been justified in doing the same when asked about receiver Tyquan Thornton, who committed another ugly drop in Sunday’s home loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.

But Belichick wouldn’t take the bait. Instead, while appearing on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show,” New England’s head coach defended Thornton when asked about the 2022 second-round pick.

“I think our receivers, generally, all have pretty good hands,” Belichick said Monday morning. “Look, every receiver drops a pass. Every defensive player misses a tackle. Every quarterback throws an interception. Every kicker misses a field goal. I mean, you know, it’s part of football. So, want to have as few of those as possible and hit all the opportunities that you have.

“But, unfortunately, those things are gonna happen. There’s gonna be drops. There’s gonna be a missed tackle. There’s gonna be a missed kick. There’s gonna be an interception. Even the great ones have done it. So, work through it. Better concentration, better finish. But Tyquan can catch the ball.”

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Belichick then acknowledged the role that costly drops — DeVante Parker in Week 6 and Jalen Reagor in Week 9 come to mind — have played in some of the Patriots’ close losses. And Thornton’s drop, which would’ve put the Patriots into the red zone for the first time Sunday, belongs in that category.

“We’ve had some drops this year that have hurt us,” Belichick said. “Again, collectively, we’ve gotta take advantage of those opportunities. We’ve gotta hit the receivers when they’re open. It’s really consistency. I wouldn’t say it’s ability, I would say it’s consistency.”

To Thornton’s credit, he was accountable while speaking with reporters after the 6-0 defeat.

“I felt like we needed that one,” said Thornton, who added he was “definitely frustrated” after making another mistake.

Ultimately, Belichick knows that drops are an issue for Thornton, who’s been a massive disappointment since joining the Patriots. And he knows receivers such as Parker and Reagor struggle with catching the ball, too.

So, it’s notable that he opted to defend Thornton rather than criticize him in a public setting, as he did with Ryland. Perhaps that’s because he believes Ryland can handle the heat, and Thornton can’t.

Regardless, with a rash of injuries at wideout, New England needs Thornton to start making plays. He’ll get another opportunity Thursday night when the Patriots visit the Pittsburgh Steelers.