The Patriots’ surprise late-season suspensions of rookie cornerback Jack Jones and punter Jake Bailey may speak to larger issues on the team, according to one NFL Insider.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer said recently on NBC Sports Boston that the team’s young players may not be in sync with the coaching staff.
“I think it sort of speaks to a little bit of a disconnect between the younger players on the team and the coaching staff,” he said. “You wonder what that's going to look like after the year. We've all seen the discord between Mac Jones and some of the coaches. We've seen, of course, over the course of this year, the players being openly critical of the coaching. So, I think this is something that's going to be addressed in the offseason just as far as the makeup of the team and what it looks like.”
Jones visibly expressed his frustration about the offensive play-calling numerous times, yelling on the sidelines about how the “short game sucks!” and dropping f-bombs on the field. On Monday, Bill Belichick refused to guarantee that Jones will start for the Patriots next season. Instead, Belichick just said Jones “has the ability to play quarterback in this league.”
Not exactly a ringing endorsement.
Belichick was also testy Sunday when asked about Bailey’s suspension, only saying the punter was “unavailable.” The Patriots signed Bailey to a four-year, $13.5 million extension last August. The Patriots placed Bailey on injured reserve with a back injury Nov. 19., and he was slated to return Dec. 21.
Bailey’s agent said Saturday his client has filed a grievance against the Patriots to “fight this unknown suspension.”
Jones’ agent was more contrite, saying there was a “miscommunication” between the 2022 fourth-round pick and the Patriots regarding his rehab process for a knee injury he suffered against the Cardinals Dec. 12.
However, there may be more to the story. Breer says Jones pushed back against Belichick over his rehab plan.
“My understanding of the way that went is, [Jones] was late to rehab sessions, he missed rehab sessions, and I think he even talked back to Bill a little bit about it, to the point where Bill felt like he had to address it in a team meeting two Fridays ago,” said Breer.
At that team meeting, Belichick used Jones as an example to other players about how not to behave while rehabbing, according to Breer.
While the Patriots’ 8-9 finish was disappointing, they looked even worse at times, with players committing mental errors and the lack of a cohesive offensive game plan. At times, the Patriots looked like a rudderless team.
Jones and Bailey’s suspensions seemingly symbolize the dysfunction.