NFL

Patriots’ Welker benched for foot references

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Bill Belichick wasn’t pussyfooting around last week when he banned the Patriots from trash-talking.

Belichick apparently was so incensed by Wes Welker’s subtle references to Rex Ryan’s alleged foot fetish that Belichick benched New England’s sparkplug receiver for the first series of a 28-21 AFC playoff loss yesterday.

Welker, who didn’t make his first appearance until midway through the first quarter, finished with a very quiet seven catches for 57 yards and barely made his presence felt all afternoon.

BOX SCORE

COMPLETE JETS COVERAGE

Welker deserves credit for being one of the few Patriots to make themselves accountable in the locker room afterward, but his words were just as tepid as his performance.

“We just didn’t execute very well, and at the end of the day, that’s what it comes down to,” Welker said. “The Jets were a better team today, and we paid the price for it.”

Welker refused to discuss his reaction to the benching, which resulted from him making 11 sly references to feet or toes when talking about the Jets during a media session on Thursday.

“I didn’t feel anything about it,” Welker said of Belichick’s overreaction to a fun bit that even prompted a chuckle from Ryan. “I was just ready for my opportunity to go out there and play.”

Welker wouldn’t even say when he was told he would ride the bench while unheralded Brandon Tate took his place on an opening series that ended with Tom Brady being intercepted by David Harris deep in Jets territory.

“This is all [Belichick’s] decision,” Welker said. “It was what the gameplan turned out to be. You can ask [Belichick] about all that stuff.”

Welker appeared a bit rattled by the fierce reaction his deadpan comedy routine drew from his coach and some of the Jets.

Linebacker Bart Scott was so irate that he told one outlet last week that Welker’s “days in a uniform will be numbered.”

Scott kept firing last night, saying “Wes Welker can go kick rocks.”

As a result, Welker was borderline apologetic for the rare bit of humor out of a normally robotic Patriots locker room.

“I’m not really going to comment on all that stuff,” Welker said when asked if he regretted his comments. “At the end of the day, I respect the Jets and I respect Rex Ryan. They played better than us, and they won.”

bhubbuch@nypost.com