New England Patriots Wide Receiver Calls Out Coaches

The New England Patriots stumbled to their fifth loss in their past six matchups with the Buffalo Bills on Thursday Night Football, and their players couldn't hide their disappointment. Wide receiver Kendrick Bourne expressed his frustrations with his team's scheme and play-calling following the game.

More Bourne: "No Von Miller, we gotta take advantage of that. No Micah Hyde... they're more soft in what they're doing, so they're more conservative. We've gotta take advantage and not just have 5-yard throws. We need to be able be able to attack and put pressure on the defense." https://t.co/9zuz91JPSp
— Andrew Callahan (@_AndrewCallahan) December 2, 2022

The Patriots definitely struggled on offense last night, totalling only 242 yards and 14 first downs. Quarterback Mac Jones netted a mere 182 passing yards on 37 dropbacks despite a 48-yard screen pass to defensive back Marcus Jones. Bourne personally nabbed one of his two targets for 15 yards in the 24-10 loss.

Following yesterday's defeat, the Patriots now rank 20th in scoring and 25th in yards gained per game. Bourne has had a particularly disappointing season; after setting career highs last year with 800 receiving yards and 11.4 yards per target, Bourne is down to 20.5 yards per game and 8.7 yards per target this year. Whatever the Patriots are doing, it's not working for Bourne, and it's not working for the team, either.

Bourne joined the Patriots via free agency ahead of the 2021 season after four years with the San Francisco 49ers. Bourne only totalled 1769 receiving yards in 58 appearances with the 49ers, but the Patriots saw something they liked and signed the wide receiver to a three-year, $15 million deal. The Patriots appeared to have gotten a bargain after his first year, but the disgruntled wide receiver seems to have fallen out of favor with the organization this year. The Patriots were apparently willing to part with him at the trade deadline.