It is some of the strangest football analysis that’s ever been spouted. Earlier this week, Robert Griffin III told ESPN’s Mike Reiss that Mac Jones will benefit from not having an actual offensive coordinator.
In fact, Griffin even said the Patriots will be harder to game plan against with their bizarre — I’m sorry, “unconventional” — coaching staff, because teams won’t know what kind of scheme they’re running.
Is Griffin, who now works as an ESPN analyst and will replace Randy Moss on “Monday Night Countdown” this season, just throwing out a hot take?
Or are the Patriots feeding him spin?
On Sunday, Griffin went on the record as probably the only NFL analyst who said he thinks the lack of a clear hierarchy on the Patriots’ coaching staff will be good for Jones’ development. “The coaching setup will have a massive impact on Mac Jones in a good way,” Griffin said. “Mac has already spoken about how it has been a collaborative process with the coaches and players talking in meetings, installing the offense. And I believe that will lead to more ownership from him about what is being called and how he sees the game.”
It’s true that Jones is generating rave reviews for his work this offseason, both in terms of training and practicing. He’s held numerous private workouts with Patriots wideouts, and it’s apparent he’s taking on more of a leadership role entering his second season.
He also looks absolutely jacked.
But it’s hard to fathom how working with a real offensive coordinator or quarterbacks coach would prohibit Jones from maturing as a leader. That’s been the general formula employed by NFL teams for decades. Stick a young quarterback with an experienced coordinator, and watch him grow. That’s what the Patriots did last year when Josh McDaniels was still on their staff.
Did they have it all wrong?
According to Griffin, they did. He also said the Patriots’ ambiguous coaching situation will make them tougher to play against. “If you don't know who the coordinator is, the scheme, or tendencies, it makes it harder to game plan against early in the year," he said. "That will allow this unconventional staff to get its footing early in the year. Advantage Patriots.”
Advantage Patriots. Wow. That sounds like it was taken verbatim from Foxborough. Teams knew for 12 years that Tom Brady and McDaniels were in charge of the Patriots’ offense. That didn’t seem to hold them back.
Talk about a sell job.
Griffin III came out as a true Jones fanboy last week, when he tweeted Jones is the most likely quarterback of his class to win a Super Bowl first. That’s not a very bold take, considering the other quarterbacks taken in the first round last year are either stuck on horrible teams or not particularly impressive. It’s fair to surmise that Jones will win a ring before Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Justin Fields or Trey Lance, who can’t find the field.
But still, Griffin praised Jones effusively on a random Tuesday in early July. It’s possible someone within the Patriots organization spotted a potential ally, and decided to alert the novice analyst of a few organizational secrets.
Bill Belichick is always trying to find the best value. Finally, after 40 years in the NFL, he’s discovered coordinators are overrated. Amazing!
There’s also the possibility that Griffin could just be trying to assert himself and prove his opinions can lead a news cycle. ESPN values personalities who drive programming. There’s a reason why they’re reportedly paying Stephen A. Smith $12 million annually.
Either way, there must be a method behind the take madness. Griffin can’t actually think Jones is better off with Matt Patricia and Joe Judge, right?