Patriots' Belichick on Gray not seeing a snap: 'We do what we think's best'

While few expected New England Patriots running back Jonas Gray to replicate the 37 totes he saw a week ago against the Indianapolis Colts, many were surprised to see the Notre Dame product did not receive a single snap in Sunday's 34-9 victory over the Detroit Lions.

While it's easy to explain Gray's lack of involvement as a situational decision by the Patriots, who elected to use Shane Vereen in a more predominant role against the Lions' top-ranked run defense, Gray's tardiness at Friday's practice figures to have played a factor in the team's decision to leave the rookie on the sideline.

Asked after the game why Gray didn't see any snaps, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, "We do what we think's best, and that's what we did today."

Gray himself would not confirm whether his lack of playing time was because he was being disciplined.

"I'm glad we got the team win. I think it would have stung more if I didn't play and we would have lost the game," Gray said, according to ESPN. "I'm happy for these guys and I just wish I was able to contribute to the win, but I was glad that we came away with the victory and these guys played great."

Next up for the Patriots is a trip to Green Bay where they will take on the Packers and their bottom-10 run defense.