‘We’ve got a lot of doubters’: Kendrick Bourne responded to a Patriots critic
Bourne (sort of) quoted a reporter's soundbite back to him.
The Red Sox were routed by the Blue Jays 13-1 on Sunday as Toronto completed the three-game sweep. Boston will try to turn the page quickly, with the Royals traveling to Fenway Park to begin a four-game series tonight at 7:10 p.m.
Elsewhere, the Revolution will try to advance to the quarterfinals of the Leagues Cup tonight at Gillette Stadium (8 p.m.) in a matchup against Liga MX side Querétaro FC.
Kendrick Bourne’s quotes a reporter’s disparaging comment back to him: The quality (or supposed lack thereof) of wide receivers around Mac Jones has already become a discussion point for the 2023 Patriots.
Coming into training camp, New England’s skill position players — wide receivers, running backs, and tight ends — were seen as ranking near the bottom of the NFL (ESPN’s Bill Barnwell placed them 26th out of 32 teams).
Added to this has been criticism of the receiving corps since the start of camp, with Boston Sports Journal reporter Mike Giardi recently describing the group as “stink, stank, stunk.”
“I’ve said they’re bottom third in terms of wide receiver talent, and it might be lower than that,” Giardi added during an appearance on NBC Sports Boston in July.
And despite the longtime team mantra, “ignore the noise,” it seems that Patriots wide receiver Kendrick Bourne is using the comment as motivation.
“We’ve got a lot of doubters,” Bourne told reporters on Sunday. “So we’ve got a lot to prove. I’m excited. It feels good to be the underdog sometimes because they don’t know we’re coming. We’ve put in the work behind closed doors. A lot of things are said. But we put in the work so we know how we feel, we know what we’re capable of. It’s not just us receivers. It’s all of us as a group.”
At the end of his media availability, Bourne directly referenced Giardi’s quote, responding to a question from him with “stink, stunk, and stank” before exiting.
Afterward, Bourne told Karen Guregian of MassLive that while he hears outside criticism, he’s ultimately only concerned with the opinions of Bill Belichick and Patriots coaches.
“There’s always going to be doubters, but we don’t look for approval from the outside world,” Bourne told Guregian. “We look for the approval of Bill, first and foremost, and our coaches. If they feel good about us, and confident with us, then we believe in ourselves.”
Trivia: Kendrick Bourne played college football for Eastern Washington. What fellow future NFL wide receiver did he play alongside?
(Answer at the bottom).
Hint: The receiver led the NFL in catches, touchdown catches, and receiving yards in the 2021 season.
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Casas power: In what was a weekend to forget for the Red Sox, Triston Casas continued to be a bright spot. The 23-year-old, who was named American League Rookie of the Month in July, smashed what proved to be team’s only run on Sunday on a 414-foot home run. He’s hitting .355 in his last 20 games, with eight home runs and a 1.251 OPS.
Messi watch: The Argentine great scored two more goals — including yet another clutch free kick in stoppage time — to help Inter Miami rally to win on penalty kicks against FC Dallas in the Leagues Cup Round of 16 on Sunday. He now has seven goals in four games since arriving in Miami.
On this day: In 1932, Mary Carew of Medford ran the lead-off leg of the 4×100 women’s relay at the Los Angeles Summer Olympics.
Carew, who overcame difficult circumstances in her childhood — as well as the lack of a local high school girls track program — discovered her talent at a young age. His development was furthered after local football coach Eddie Pigeon started the Medford Girls Club, enabling participation in track events.
After Pigeon helped her get a ticket to U.S. Olympic trials, Carew made the relay team.
Running the first leg of the Olympic final, she paced the U.S. to an early lead over the rival Canadian team.
And though the Canadians fought back to make it close in the final stretch, Billie von Bremen was fast enough over the final 100 meters to clinch a U.S. gold. Both the U.S. and Canadian teams ran world-record times in the process.
Daily highlight: Here’s a fantastic play from Vermont in the Little League World Series, though New Hampshire still won 12-1.
Trivia answer: Cooper Kupp
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