Bill Belichick responds to Dion Lewis' 'cheap' comment about Patriots

Players play their former team, and especially if they win they might say things in the heat of the moment that they might not mean. It happens.

Tennessee Titans running back Dion Lewis doesn’t seem to have much regret, but he did blast his former team after the Titans beat the Patriots last week. He wasn’t happy that he wasn’t brought back to the Patriots.

“That’s what happens when you go cheap,” Lewis said. “You get your ass kicked.”

It’s a bit of an odd shot. From 2015-17 the Patriots helped Lewis reinvent himself. He came to New England as a talented but injury-prone back. He was a key piece for the Patriots for three seasons, and won a Super Bowl in New England two seasons ago. When he left, the Titans gave him a $19 million deal over four years. It worked out pretty well.

But we can understand why there were hard feelings. Patriots coach Bill Belichick seemed confused, however.

Bill Belichick ‘not sure’ about Dion Lewis’ comments

On WEEI, Belichick addressed the Lewis comments. It’s not like he ripped Lewis back, but it’s also not like Belichick says this much about basically anything.

“Dion’s made plenty of positive comments in the past… I’m not sure about this one, but whatever it is, it is,” Belichick told WEEI, via NBC Sports Boston. “Right now, we really need to worry about what we’re doing and our football team. And that’s really where our focus is. Whatever else anybody says or doesn’t say is out of our control. I don’t think it’s going to affect us too much one way or the other, whether it’s good or bad.”

It’s not like Lewis’ comments about the Patriots being cheap really were too accurate. They’re not swimming in cap space (18th most in the NFL at $7.2 million, according to Spotrac). The year before, the Patriots spent big and ended up in a Super Bowl. Lewis played in that game.

But it’s fun to pile on the Patriots, especially after a win when you weren’t re-signed.

Patriots are 7-3 after Titans loss

The Patriots are having a good season, though there are some flaws. They’re 7-3, and have been significantly outplayed in all three losses. Two of them came against Detroit Lions coach Matt Patricia and Titans coach Mike Vrabel, who have strong Patriots ties.

When you’ve won for as long as the Patriots have, everyone will be looking for cracks in the foundation. Lewis had his chance to pile on, and he didn’t miss.

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Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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