Belichick Seemed to Be Throwing Shade at Kayshon Boutte When Asked About His Lack of Playing Time

Maddie Meyer. Getty Images.

There's been a sort of uneasiness among Patriots fans, one that keeps growing. It's something we've been discussing more and more as the last few weeks have gone by. What you know you can't explain, but you feel it. You've felt it all season, that there's something wrong with the world. You don't know what it is, but it's there, like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad. 

It's Kayshon Boutte. Specifically, where has the rookie from LSU been for the last month and a half? 

By way of a refresher, Boutte showed a lot of promise throughout camp. Had four receptions on four targets in preseason, including two catches for 49 yards against the Raiders in the second game. And impressed the coaches enough that, not only was he active for the Week 1 game against the Eagles, but he was second among Pats receivers with 45 snaps. And Mac Jones went to him four times, including two high leverage situations in which he made the grab put couldn't get his second foot in bounds, most notably the final play offensive play of the game, at the Philadelphia 8 yard line. 

Since then, Boutte hasn't seen the field. Despite the fact that aside from Kendrick Bourne and Demario Douglas, Troy Brown's corps of wideouts hasn't presented much of a challenge to anyone. Since your third leading wide receiver DeVante Parker is averaging 2.3 catches and 24 yards per game and Juju Smith-Schuster makes an appearance about as often as the Mothman, you'd think it the door would be wide open for a guy who was arguably their most intriguing prospect of the draft (at least I argued the point) to get thrown into the pond to see if he could swim. 

Belichick was asked about Boutte's lack of playing time today. And if anyone was expecting diplomacy, they must have wandered into the wrong press conference:

You can question whether that answer is a bit harsh given that the question was about a 6th round rookie trying not only to find his way in the NFL, but also function in an offensive system that some accomplished veteran receivers found incomprehensible (Chad OchoCinco, possibly Smith-Schuster). You might be concerned it's shattering Boutte's confidence. Or even imply that it's punitive, given that a couple of weeks ago the noob was caught posting this on the 'Gram:

But then again, show me the lie in these words. You can't. There isn't one. Belichick is running a pure meritocracy here. He always has. It's a foundational principle of how he's always conducted business here. That it doesn't matter where you came from, but what you can do today and tomorrow that matters. You can question the evaluation process all you want. But the decision on who dresses and who gets sent into the huddle is entirely based on it, not some other factor. 

In Belichick's first team meeting in 2000, Andy Katzenmoyer came meandering in five minutes late and skulked into a chair. Belichick stood their incredulously, just staring at him. Until he finally broke the silence with "What the fuck do you think you're doing? Get the fuck out of here." The fact he was a 1st round draft pick of Bobby Grier's a couple of years earlier and a former SI cover guy not only didn't count for anything; it was all the more incentive to degrade and humiliate him. It sent the message that special treatment will not exist here. And he's never caved in on that. I could cite a million examples of Belichick not caring what someone's resume' is and just going with the ones who earned his trust. Troy Brown himself being a major one. But they all pale in the shadow of Belichick benching the highest paid player in NFL history in 2001 for a guy who was fourth on his QB depth chart the year before. Because that backup proved his worth in a thousand practice reps and hundreds of hours in the film room. 

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But just to throw a completely contemporary example onto the pile to make the case, consider Douglas. He was taken 23 picks after Boutte, after facing a much lower level of competition at Liberty. And all he's done is demonstrate worth, right from the start of camp:

The reaction to Boutte's lack of playing time is very much like the reaction to Douglas getting benched after fumbling against Miami in Week 2. That was also harsh and cruel, treatment not befitting a young player still trying to find his place in the harsh reality of pro football. And all that's happened since is that Douglas has continued to improve, while protecting the hell out of the football. So mission accomplished. 

This is not meant as a knock on Kayshon Boutte. I stand by what I wrote in May about his upside. But it takes a lot to develop in this league. And on this team, trust is a thing that is earned, not given. And sometimes to put a player in a position to earn that trust, you have to tear him down, then build him back up. I hope Boutte reaches his potential sooner, rather than later. But when that day does come, we might be looking at this presser today as the moment it turned around for him.