Patriots captain Matthew Slater going to bat for struggling WR Kendrick Bourne
New England Patriots wide receiver Kendrick Bourne has encountered some bumps in the road over the past couple of weeks.
Sunday was a continuation of that, as he only saw the field for two snaps. Teammate Matthew Slater recently voiced his support for Bourne, as the Patriots prepare for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Bourne has had a rough go of things over the past couple of weeks. He got into a training camp altercation during practices with the Carolina Panthers and was subsequently benched for that preseason game. The wideout indicated that he needed to get better in all areas after the limited showing against Miami on Sunday.
Nevertheless, Slater has Bourne’s back. He voiced support for the receiver during a Zoom call with the media, as transcribed by Dakota Randall of NESN.com.
“Kendrick and I have a very good relationship,” Slater said. “It’s special for different reasons. So, I’m not gonna divulge what the message is exactly, but, anytime a teammate is in that situation, you want them to stay positive, continue to work hard, keep his head down and stay committed to the team and to his craft.
“And I know he’s going to do that. He’s a selfless player. He loves this team, and he wants to help this team in any way he can. He’s gonna keep working, just like we all are. And, hopefully, opportunities will present themselves for all of us and we can take advantage.”
Several teammates—and even owner Robert Kraft, reportedly—have voiced their support for Bourne over the past couple of days. One has to wonder when he will get his opportunity to see extended playing time with the Patriots offense off to a rocky start.
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