FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- In the aftermath of the
New England Patriots' 40-32 victory over the Bills last Sunday, the point was made that receiver
Aaron Dobson might have played the
best game of his three-year career with the team (seven catches, 87 yards, 70 overall snaps played).
Bill Belichick isn't one to rank such efforts, but he agrees that Dobson -- the 2013 second-round draft choice from Marshall -- has built momentum through the early part of the season after some up-and-down moments in 2013 and 2014.
"He was productive last week and really came through for us," Belichick said Friday morning. "I'd say one of the best things about Aaron last week was his blocking. He threw a couple key blocks on those slip screens to get Dion [Lewis] and Danny [Amendola] started. It wasn't just the catches, which is kind of what everybody measures the receivers by. But it's being able to do the other things that help the team and help make other plays good plays. I thought he did a nice job last week."
Dobson essentially had a lost 2014 season, in part because of an offseason foot surgery that altered his training (he only played 57 offensive snaps in the regular season). He came back strong in 2015, but then was sidelined with a hamstring injury in training camp for an extended period, before returning at the end of the preseason.
He's back on track, and with top outside receiver
Brandon LaFell remaining on the physically unable to perform list, Dobson is the team's tallest receiver at 6-foot-3 and now a top option on the outside.
"Aaron is really smart. He can play all the positions. He makes very few mental mistakes and he has a lot of length. He can run. He's been productive for us," Belichick said.
"Unfortunately, he hasn't consistently been on the field. When he has been on the field, he's had production and he's worked hard to stay on the field. As his career has gone on, I think he's worked harder each year in terms of his training and trying to be a more durable player. It's good to have him. He missed some time this year, but it was good to have him back."
