Patriots WR Kendrick Bourne handling surprising benching with self-awareness

FOXBORO — Patriots wide receiver Kendrick Bourne is being honest with himself in the wake of Sunday’s benching against the Bears.

If Bourne had played well in his return off the PUP list from a torn ACL suffered last October, then he would have played in Sunday’s 19-3 win. Instead, Bourne was active but was one of two players on the gameday roster — the other one was backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett — who didn’t play a single snap.

“It was tough,” Bourne acknowledged Wednesday to the Herald. “But I’m self-evaluating and looking at myself, how I could be better. So, that’s really just how I got to look at it. You know, watching the film honestly, of my last four games, I could be a lot better, lot more crisp. And that’s just kind of how I’m gonna go about moving forward is being more clean, being better.”

Bourne caught eight passes for 70 yards in five games since he returned off of the PUP list. He had his most productive game of the season in Week 9’s loss to the Titans, but he was critical of his play after the game.

“Definitely still knocking the rust off, for sure. Like, feel like I’m in September football, and I’m trying to get to that mid-season form,” Bourne said. “So I’m just appreciative too that I played and felt contested catches, that Jets game, want to make a lot more contested catches. And so just those little things, just little details, man, within the route, knocking defenders hands off, hand fighting, stuff like that, not getting pushed to the sideline, little things that I’m just not being aware of. So my awareness needs to pick up and just be more crisp.”

Bourne didn’t necessarily believe his play was bad enough to get benched, but the Patriots have seven wide receivers on their 53-man roster right now. Bourne didn’t play, and Tyquan Thornton was a healthy scratch. Kayshon Boutte played 62 of 64 offensive snaps, while K.J. Osborn (29 snaps), DeMario Douglas (27 snaps) and rookie Ja’Lynn Polk (26 snaps) split time. Rookie Javon Baker also was on the field for four offensive snaps.

“If something’s coming up, there’s something there, and I have to look at it openly. I could lie to myself and be, ‘I played great!’ But they might not think like that,” Bourne said. “So, just applying myself, what I see and evaluate myself honestly, so I could be better. I didn’t think it was that crazy bad, but I definitely could be better, and I’m looking at it like that.”

Bourne, who was still his animated, celebrating self on the bench Sunday, said there’s no indication that his benching will be long-term.

“Just keep working basically, you know, that’s the — that’s how I’m thinking about it. I know that’s how they think about it,” Bourne said. “So just practicing good, having good practices, stacking them up, trying to have a good game. So when my op comes, I’ll be ready for that op. So I think it’ll come, bro, I think it’s coming around. So just got to keep practicing hard.”

Bourne was surprised that he was active, and he was grateful that he even had a chance to get into the game. Going into Sunday, it was left up in the air whether or not he would dress for the game.

As the oldest, most experienced and most accomplished wide receiver on the team, Bourne is still trying to be a good teammate and leader for the Patriots’ younger pass-catchers.

“It’s really trying to not think about it selfishly. The position I’m in, being at eight years, I’ve built a good career. So just encouraging my guys. We compete, and it’s like that, but at the end of the day, we’re on the same team. So if the coaches want to give somebody else an opportunity, I have to think about it bigger,” Bourne said.

“It’s tough. It’s not easy. I don’t just — I’m saying it, it’s easier said than done, but when you have to apply it, I think it gives you reps at that. So just, being a good teammate and encouraging the guys, not trying to not help anybody, because I’m not playing or anything like that. Just, applying myself in a different kind of role. And eventually, I think good things come from that kind of energy.”