Bill Belichick disputes Patriots benched Aaron Dobson for discipline

UPDATE

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is disputing the report that Aaron Dobson was benched for disciplinary reasons related to an alleged incident with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.

"In my year and a half with Aaron Dobson, he has always been respectful to me and to the rest of the coaching staff. 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."

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The Patriots look like a team in disarray after two weeks. The offense has been the primary culprit, and wide receiver Aaron Dobson's has failed to emerge in his second year in the NFL.

The 2013 second-round pick was expected to be one of Tom Brady's top targets this year, but thus far, has just one catch for 13 yards on the year.

The 6-foot-3 receiver caught 37 passes for 519 yards and four touchdowns in 12 games last year; but Dobson has been inactive for three games this year, all three being healthy scratches.

According to Shalise Manza Young of the Boston Globe, Dobson was inactive for the last two games because he "mouthed off" to offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. Dobson was a healthy inactive for Week 1 against the Dolphins, but he did miss much of the preseason recovering from a foot surgery. He practiced fully and should have played in the past two games, but was inactive for both contests.

Julian Edelman leads the team with 26 receptions, but every other New England wide receiver has a combined 20 catches this year. The Patriots need help from their other receivers, but it doesn't look like they're ready to let Dobson supply the assistance they need.