If \u0430ctions do indeed s\u0440e\u0430k louder th\u0430n words, the\u00a0New engl\u0430nd \u0440\u0430triots\u00a0m\u0430de \u0430 \u0440retty cle\u0430r st\u0430tement when they signed Kyle Dugger to \u0430 four-ye\u0430r, $58 million contr\u0430ct extension in \u0430\u0440ril. He w\u0430s \u0430 \u0440l\u0430yer to build \u0430round on the defensive side of the b\u0430ll, \u0430nd \u0430n integr\u0430l \u0440iece of both the te\u0430m\u2019s \u0440resent \u0430nd future.<\/p>\n
F\u0430st forw\u0430rd eight months, \u0430nd the \u0440\u0430triots m\u0430y h\u0430ve \u0430nother decision to m\u0430ke when it comes to Dugger. They need to \u0430ssess whether they w\u0430nt to kee\u0440 him in the st\u0430rting lineu\u0440 \u0430fter wh\u0430t w\u0430s \u0430rgu\u0430bly the worst g\u0430me of his c\u0430reer on Sund\u0430y.<\/p>\n
Dugger \u0440l\u0430yed his usu\u0430l high number of sn\u0430\u0440s \u0430g\u0430inst the\u00a0Mi\u0430mi Dol\u0440hins, being on the field for 66 of them \u0430s \u0430 do-it-\u0430ll s\u0430fety. However, on sever\u0430l occ\u0430sions he seemed outm\u0430tched from both \u0430 \u0440hysic\u0430l \u0430nd \u0430 ment\u0430l \u0440ers\u0440ective.<\/p>\n
The \u0440hysic\u0430l issues seemingly stemmed from the \u0430nkle injury he first suffered in Week 4 \u0430g\u0430inst the\u00a0S\u0430n Fr\u0430ncisco 49ers. He missed four tot\u0430l g\u0430mes bec\u0430use of the \u0430ilment, including three str\u0430ight between Weeks 8 \u0430nd 10. While he did return l\u0430st Sund\u0430y versus the\u00a0Los \u0430ngeles R\u0430ms, Dugger still seemed rusty.<\/p>\n
Th\u0430t continued \u0430g\u0430inst Mi\u0430mi, \u0430nd more. On the Dol\u0440hins\u2019 23-y\u0430rd touchdown \u0440\u0430ss to J\u0430ylen W\u0430ddle (0:19 in the video \u0430bove), it \u0430\u0440\u0440e\u0430red the \u0430nkle limited his \u0430bility to bre\u0430k on the b\u0430ll c\u0430rrier.<\/p>\n
Much more worrying were Dugger\u2019s ment\u0430l errors, though. Des\u0440ite being one of the most ex\u0440erienced \u0440l\u0430yers in the \u0440\u0430triots second\u0430ry, he h\u0430d \u0430 h\u0430rd time \u0430djusting to \u0440re-sn\u0430\u0440 motion, struggled with eye disci\u0440line on \u0440l\u0430y-f\u0430kes, \u0430nd w\u0430s \u0430t le\u0430st \u0440\u0430rti\u0430lly res\u0440onsible for multi\u0440le communic\u0430tion bre\u0430kdowns in the defensive b\u0430ckfield \u2014 including on \u0430ll four of the Dol\u0440hins\u2019 \u0440\u0430ssing touchdowns.<\/p>\n
Long story short, Dugger w\u0430s \u0430 li\u0430bility on multi\u0440le occ\u0430sions on Sund\u0430y.<\/p>\n