NFL teams
Lee Schechter 9y

Belichick blasts talk of Dobson feud

NFL, New England Patriots

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick on Friday shot down a report that an altercation between receiver Aaron Dobson and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was the reason Dobson has been inactive the past two games.

When asked whether the decision to sit Dobson was a football or disciplinary decision, Belichick offered a simple response: "Football."

On Thursday, the Boston Globe reported that Dobson and McDaniels had "at least one loud disagreement," which led to the benching of Dobson. The report also said there are concerns about Dobson's maturity.

Belichick took the unusual step Friday of releasing a statement to the media in order to make his denial clear.

"In my year and a half with Aaron Dobson, he has always been respectful to me and to the rest of the coaching staff," the statement read. "He has never once been argumentative or confrontational. The suggestion and reporting that his playing time was in any way the result of a 'loud disagreement' with a coach is completely false."

Dobson was adamant that "nothing happened."

"The statement was false and Coach [Belichick] already addressed it as well. So it's just on to Cincinnati now," he said.

"I have no idea how it happened," Dobson continued. "It's just a rumor, so I really wasn't worried about it. I guess it got real big, but Coach killed it. So I'm not really worried about it."

Dobson and fellow wide receiver Kenbrell Thompkins were inactive in the loss to Kansas City as the team opted to activate four running backs -- Stevan Ridley, Shane Vereen, Brandon Bolden and rookie James White -- and just three receivers.

"We do what we think is best for the team just like we always do," Belichick said during his Friday morning news conference. "We are going to make the best decisions that we can make every week trying to activate the players that we think will give us the best chance to win. Same thing that we do with every game."

Considering the Patriots' offensive woes, the decision to sit Dobson, a second-round pick expected to make a jump in his second season, comes as a surprise. But Belichick assured that the passing game has weapons, and his decision came with the team's best interest in mind.

"I think we have a lot of skill players in the passing game -- tight ends, 'backs, receivers," he said. "When you look at the whole group, there are a lot of guys who can be productive in the passing game."

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