Patriots receiver Demario Douglas did not see a target in Sunday’s overtime loss to the Seahawks. The second-year player expressed frustration a day later.
Douglas told reporters he was able to showcase his talent “last year; not yet this year.”
Douglas led the team in receiving with 49 catches for 561 yards last season. He has two catches for 12 yards on three targets in two games this season.
Starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett was asked about Douglas’ comments in an interview with WEEI.
“I’m glad he’s frustrated. If he wasn’t, that would be more alarming than him not getting the ball to be honest to you,” Brissett said, via Conor Ryan of Boston.com. “You just explain it to him: You’re going to have those games where it happens like that.
“It’s the second game of the year. We’re still trying to figure out our identity and how this thing is going to play out as far as the offense. It’s a long season ahead. I told him, ‘Man, there’s 15 games left. It’s a lot of football ahead of us.’ Obviously, we’re still getting better as a whole, individually, as an offense. I’m glad he’s frustrated, but I’ll see how he uses the frustration the right way.”
It’s not like any wideout is getting many opportunities: The Patriots’ top four wide receivers have 11 catches for 85 yards with K.J. Osborn leading them with four catches for 28 yards. Tight ends Hunter Henry (10-127) and Austin Hooper (3-36) have been Brissett’s favorite targets.
Brissett acknowledged Douglas needs more chances.
“Obviously, he’s a dynamic player, and me as the quarterback, I have to find ways to get him the ball,” Brissett said. “But it’s definitely something that we’re looking at. I don’t want to get into the overreaction thing about why this or that is not happening. It’s the second game of the season. But, we’ve got to find ways to get him the ball. He’s that good of a player.
“Honestly, we’ve got to find ways to get a lot of our skill players the ball, and get them more involved in the game. So yeah, I’ve got to take responsibility for that.”