The New England Patriots apparently benched wide receiver Aaron Dobson for two games for mouthing off to offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
The report comes from Shalise Manza Young of The Boston Globe and indicates that Dobson was benched solely for his verbal actions directed at McDaniels.
on Dobson: source says he "mouthed off" to Josh McDaniels, leading to his being inactive vs. OAK & KC
— shalise manza young (@shalisemyoung) October 2, 2014
You really have to wonder whether McDaniels ego is getting in the way here. New England obviously could have used Dobson on the field last week against the Kansas City Chiefs. After all, none of the THREE receivers that were active in that blowout loss did much to help out a struggling Tom Brady.
It’s still important to understand the context of this report. We have no idea the extent of Dobson’s interactions with McDaniels and whether they amounted to just a couple words or a larger issue between the two.
I also wouldn’t draw the conclusion that this one specific situation represents a larger issue within the Patriots locker room. But it has to be noted that Dobson’s two-game suspension was the same exact penalty Ray Rice received before the NFL decided to take further action against the Baltimore Ravens running back. To those not connected with the nuances of the Patriots locker room, this does seem a bit heavy-handed.
Photo: Boston Herald