Sunday could not have gone much worse for Bill Belichick, Mac Jones and the Patriots. The 38-3 loss to the Dallas Cowboys was the most lopsided of Belichick’s coaching career. Jones had two interceptions and a fumble, with the fumble and one of the interceptions being returned for touchdowns.
Belichick eventually pulled Jones from the game in the third quarter and played Bailey Zappe the rest of the way. Naturally, there are now questions about what the future holds for the Patriots and Jones, and whether he’ll remain the starting quarterback going forward.
Making his weekly appearance on The Greg Hill Show on Monday, CBS analyst and WFAN host Boomer Esiason laid out how he thinks the Patriots will and should move forward. (Listen to the full interview above.)
“I don't see any changes in the immediate future,” Esiason said. “The alternative is not much better. And there were games where Mac I thought played pretty well already this season under Bill O'Brien. Yesterday was just one of those that you got to flush it and you got to move on. I'm sure Bill Belichick would like to have Tom Brady come walking through that door, but that's not happening. So, it's growing pains. It's an embarrassment. It's really unfortunate that they went through that.
“…The reality is in the NFL, just like the Jets are finding out, there are no other alternatives than the guy that you put under center. Bailey Zappe is not going to be like a magic button where you can just throw him in there and all of a sudden they're going to go on a nine-game winning streak. That's not going to happen. You’ve got to stick with Mac. That's what they're going to do. And I know there will be a lot of fans out there that are going to be disgusted by it. Unfortunately he's not Tom Brady, and unfortunately this is a real low point I think in Bill Belichick’s coaching career for the Patriots.”
So, there you have it. At least as Boomer sees it, any conversations about changing quarterbacks or looking elsewhere for the next franchise signal-caller will have to wait until the offseason. For now, the Patriots may just have to ride it out with Jones, for better or worse.
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