It wasn't quite "We're on to Cincinnati," but Bill Belichick gave a very Bill Belichick-type answer when asked repeatedly about accusations that Mac Jones is a dirty player Friday.
Rather than address the criticisms, Belichick simply talked about how he's focused on preparing the Patriots to play the Miami Dolphins Sunday:
Multiple clips have surfaced on social media this season of Jones seemingly taking cheapshots at opposing defenders:
The second video in that clip -- a low hit on Cincinnati Bengals' cornerback Eli Apple -- led to the NFL fining Jones $11,139, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
"I went down in front of him to kind of get in the way to stop him from slowing down Tyquan, who obviously could make the tackle there," Jones said earlier this week on WEEI when asked about the incident in question. "So, just kind of went down in front of him, trying to stop a fast guy from getting to another fast guy. It’s a split-second decision and there’s a lot that goes into it. You’re out there trying to compete, and it’s a physical game. So just trying to help the team win."
On the surface, Belichick's response, or non-response, shouldn't be surprising at all. If you ask him any question that could potentially be perceived as controversial, he's going to respond in a similar manner. Heck, unless you ask him about long-snappers, he's probably going to give you a cold, short answer.
But given the perception that the relationship between Belichick and Jones is somewhat icy -- whether that's accurate or not -- many will read into the coach not going out of his way to defend his second-year quarterback.
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