Beetle: Terrible decision for Belichick to bench Pop Douglas
Patriots rookie wide receiver Demario “Pop” Douglas was effectively benched following a first quarter fumble during their 24-17 loss at the hands of the Miami Dolphins on Sunday night. Marc Bertrand discussed why he disagrees with the decision not to play Douglas on offense any longer following the miscue.

Sep 17, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Demario Douglas (81) fumbles the ball under pressure from Miami Dolphins linebacker Bradley Chubb (2) in the second quarter at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
“I could see if it was some sort of careless, stupid play. But he’s changing direction. He’s looking back up and he gets it punched out from behind. Yeah, would you like to emphasize ball security and not making those mistakes? But it was not a careless play by him. In addition to that, you know what really annoys me about the benching of Demario Douglas? You barely played him in the preseason. You barely put him out there to make a mistake like this and maybe prove a point about ball security in the preseason. But you treated him like a starter the entire way, and he barely played in those games despite being a sixth round pick 210th overall. So if you want to teach your lessons, how about playing the guy in the preseason and teach a lesson there? You need the player. You don’t have talent on offense. You need speed. This guy made the team because he’s got some talent and has speed and you are sorely lacking in that department. Sort of benched the guy. What does that prove?
“You can’t just sit the guy down because he’s a rookie and had a fumble. Those are part of football. You never like to see them when it’s your team, but sometimes a very talented guy on the other side who also gets paid, makes a great play. And that was a great play by the Dolphins”