Chinks in the Patriots’ armor started forming after Tom Brady ended his 20-year legacy with Bill Belichick.
New England’s offensive style was outdated, and Brady wanted playmakers at wide receiver.
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Coach Belichick found the succession plan for Brady at No. 15 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. He took former Alabama quarterback Mac Jones and saw the 2020 College Football Playoff National Champion lead the Patriots back to the playoffs.
Jones, a native of Jacksonville, Fla., set a couple of rookie franchise records and made the Pro Bowl. He was gearing up for a marquee sophomore year in the offseason, but New England did not set him up to succeed. Josh McDaniels, a long-time offensive coordinator for the Patriots, took a head coaching job for the Las Vegas Raiders, and New England never replaced him.
Matt Patricia (a defensive mind) and Joe Judge (a special teams guru) share the responsibility of running the offense. Jones suffered an ankle injury against Baltimore in week three and missed the next three games. He returned for the Patriots on Monday Night Football versus the Chicago Bears, but Jones got benched for backup Bailey Zappe in the game. New England suffered a 14-33 loss; however, everyone is talking about the quarterback situation and how the Patriots are poorly handling it.
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The Patriots did not call the same game plan for Jones as it did for Zappe, and the players did not know Jones would be pulled.
He had three carries for 24 yards and attempted six passes.
According to several New England beat reporters, Belichick said the team would rotate both quarterbacks but other players did not know. Some came up to Jones and apologized to him when Zappe entered the game. People are starting to feel bad for the former Heisman Trophy finalist because they feel as though Belichick is not giving him a fair opportunity. Jakobi Meyers, a Patriots’ wide receiver, said ‘it’s tough to see somebody who worked so hard get that kind of treatment.’
Belichick said Mac Jones was aware that he wouldn’t play the entire game. Jones also said that was communicated to him.
However, I was told by multiple Patriots offensive players that they didn’t know the team would use two quarterbacks tonight.
— Mark Daniels (@MarkDanielsPJ) October 25, 2022
Advice to Belichick: Pick one QB next week and stick with him
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) October 25, 2022
I’m not the biggest Mac Jones fan by any stretch, but I kinda feel bad for him. This has all been handled very strangely the last few weeks.
— Andy Hart (@JumboHart) October 25, 2022
Mac Jones will never forget the fans turning on him last night. He strikes me as a guy who will always hold that against them.
— Ted Johnson (@Teddyjradio) October 25, 2022
Belichick says that Mac Jones wasn’t benched due to performance. Also said that Jones was aware that he wasn’t going to play the whole game. Ankle was a factor in that decision. #Patriots
— Evan Lazar (@ezlazar) October 25, 2022
Belichick has destroyed Mac. Unreal
— Ken Laird (@KenLairdWEEI) October 25, 2022
Belichick has destroyed Mac. Unreal
— Ken Laird (@KenLairdWEEI) October 25, 2022
Bill Belichick on WEEI: “We were gonna play both quarterbacks and that’s what we did… We made the change. That’s what we were planning to do. We did that. The game got out of hand there in the third quarter.”
— Phil Perry (@PhilAPerry) October 25, 2022
Meyers and Jones worked out together over the summer to improve their chemistry.
“It’s tough to see somebody who worked so hard get that kind of treatment” 👀
Jakobi Meyers on the Patriots QB situation pic.twitter.com/IP9rpJZxd7
— NBC Sports Boston’s Patriots Coverage (@NBCSPatriots) October 25, 2022
During the week of practice, Jones showed no signs of a limp.
He ran well, went through offensive plays, and looked like he was ready to play. Belichick said Jones’ ankle played a factor in getting pulled, but he is three to four weeks removed from the injury. He wants to help the team, but Jones does not know if the fans and coaching staff are all in on him or Zappe.
Ed Robinson, the host of the Robinson Show, had Pat Lane (co-host of Pats Nation podcast) discuss the situation between Jones and Zappe at quarterback. Lane believes in Jones as the starter, and he made valid comparisons between Jones and Tom Brady during their second seasons in New England. Zappe played well in Jones’ absence, but the Patriots drafted Jones as the guy.
In this clip, @plane_pats #PatLane of #PatriotNation & #PatsPulpit was asked if #MacJones is the long-term answer at #quarterback for #NewEngland. #ForeverNE #NFL #BaileyZappe #Patriots #Foxboro
Click the link below to listen to the full episode:
👇https://t.co/wt9bNIlbGg pic.twitter.com/fmwllSwPRf— Ed Robinson (@edrobinson82) October 23, 2022
Hopefully, the situation improves in New England.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
