There wasn't much excitement about Romeo Doubs' debut with the Patriots last week against the Seahawks, and he quickly proved that feeling valid with a devastating dropped pass and a bobbled catch that resulted in an interception.
It was far from what anyone expected the receiver to look like for an offense led by Drake Maye, and it became more concerning the moment A.J. Brown went down with an ankle injury. So, presumably, against the Steelers on Sunday, Doubs will need to be more involved in the game plan to make the offense more dynamic.
The hope is that he will be much more successful this time around, even with the immense pressure to bounce back, which has only intensified with the latest discourse following a new interview with Patriots legend Rob Gronkowski.
It's a minor controversy that began when Doubs chose to keep No. 87 upon joining the team in free agency, and it became a hot topic in New England because of its connection to the beloved tight end.
Now that Doubs put up a stinker in his Patriots debut, the debate over whether he should be allowed to wear that number has resurfaced. Fortunately for the 26-year-old, Gronkowski is on his side.
Rob Gronkowski finally puts an end to the ongoing discourse surrounding his former jersey number
During his most recent appearance on Up & Adams last week, Kay Adams brought up Doubs wearing No. 87 in New England, saying it doesn't feel right to see anyone else wear it but Gronk.
The tight end didn't share the sentiment, though he clarified that he hadn't been consulted before Doubs got the number.
Regardless, he made sure everyone knew he doesn't believe any number in New England should be untouchable except No. 12.
"I'm not the one who makes the decisions over there. I wasn't consulted at all. But I'm cool with it.
The only number that I truly believe should be retired in New England … is the No. 12. … Tom set the standards. If you're not on that page, if you're not playing for 20 years, I don't think that any other number should be retired."
To be fair, it would be a bit outrageous if Gronkowski took issue with it, since Doubs isn't the first player since the tight end first retired to wear No. 87 for the Patriots. It would be even worse if he took issue with it simply because he didn't have a good game against the Seahawks last week.
No matter what, hearing what he had to say about Doubs wearing his longtime number should end the ongoing conversation about whether it's right or wrong that he's wearing it. Gronkowski doesn't seem to mind, so neither should anyone else.
This does seem to put more pressure on Doubs to bounce back on Sunday, since more people will be watching him now that they know what Gronkowski had to say, on top of how poorly he played in Seattle.
With Brown out for at least the next four games, the rest of the receivers will need to step up. While most believe the next man up will be Mack Hollins, it would be even better if it were Doubs, since he was signed as the WR2 for this offense.
Since the Steelers will be down one starting cornerback, with Joey Porter already ruled out, Maye might have a better chance to air it out and use some of his best skills. That would include what Doubs does best, too, and it would be a strong way to reintroduce himself to Patriots fans who can't let go of last week's bad performance.
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