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One cannot discuss Patriots quarterback Mac Jones, it seems, without fully separating oneself from their biases about what he is and is not as a football player. As someone who wasn’t particularly high on Jones coming out of college, let me try to do that before I get to my main point here.
Jones has proven he can play and start at quarterback in the NFL through his first two seasons. I’m not terribly interested in opinions that suggest otherwise. Though neither his numbers nor his play style will excite anyone, he’s arguably been outperforming what he’s been given to work with this season, especially since putting that ghastly Week 7 performance behind him.
He is not, however, an elite quarterback and might never be. As much as Keyshawn Johnson might have been a bit harsh in his critique of Jones as a player on ESPN yesterday, you can’t deny Jones is much closer to being “just a guy” than he is to being Patrick Mahomes or even Joe Burrow right now.
Of course, neither of those guys would probably be playing their best football in…whatever this offensive situation is. Justin Herbert, for example, is just about everything Jones is not as a quarterback, but even he is struggling to consistently outplay his offensive coordinator and lacking receiving corps in Los Angeles. But let’s not digress.
Whichever side you stand on in terms of Jones' evaluation as a player probably influences a lot of how you feel about his culpability in the Patriots’ offensive struggles or what you think of his demeanor and body language on and off the field. So it’s not surprising to see so many mixed opinions about Jones once again venting openly on national television about his offense’s lack of execution or even dismissively waving off Matt Patricia.
If you think Jones deserves a pass for this year, you love to see him sticking it to Patricia, whom no one feels like defending anyway, and calling out the ineptitude around him. If you think Jones sucks, then you think he should quit showing up his coaches, put on his big-boy pants and just play better. There's room for both sentiments to have some merit.
Here’s one thing we shouldn’t get twisted, though: Mac Jones has every right to be mad about the way his offense is performing and let them know about it. Every right.
He’s not just any second-year player. He is the quarterback of the New England Patriots, and the success or failure of this unit largely falls on his shoulders, fairly or unfairly. Jones leads the offense. He runs the huddle. He takes the blame when things go wrong (and they’ve been going wrong a lot). No one ultimately cares whether procedure penalties, holding calls or missed blocking assignments are Jones’ fault or not. He has to perform and score points for this team anyway, and he catches the hell when the Patriots flame out. So when things aren't up to code on offense, especially due to factors New England can control, it's on him to right the ship one way or another.
What’s more: Jones is a captain on this football team as voted by his teammates, a role he strove for this off-season. When he sees his teammates having mental lapses and failing to execute properly or his coaches not getting plays in on time, it’s his job as captain to demand more of them. Literally his job.
So forgive me if I’m not moved by any pearl-clutching about Jones being mean to people on national TV or not having the status needed to challenge them to do their jobs better, especially when his effort level is undeniable (even if the results aren’t always).
It doesn’t matter how many years he’s been in the league; his teammates look to him to lead and respond to him. Letting things slide or being meek and quiet while someone else, like David Andrews, does all the talking is not an option. If that happened, people would question Jones' desire and will to step up for his team.
One can appreciate Patricia's reportedly more even-keeled style of doing things to an extent. Some situations require coaches like that, and it would be perfect if his offense also had laser-sharp focus and wasn't making dumb mistakes. But the Patriots are failing in both areas and have been doing so all season, setting themselves back in crucial situations with penalties and frequently exhibiting poor attention to detail (among other things). Jones has suggested his team came out flat both during the Patriots' lifeless loss against the Buffalo Bills and the ugly win over the Arizona Cardinals Monday night, and he was right.
Being chill clearly isn't working for this team. Maybe a little “mf”-ing is just what the doctor ordered.
We can debate about whether or not Jones needs to be a bit more constructive and calm when all the cameras are on him, especially on national TV. It’s no bad thing to be an emotional player, but you have to admit the optics of him dropping f-bombs in primetime or appearing to show up his play-caller aren’t great. Perhaps some issues would be better handled in private, and you just know every broadcast is going to have their eyes peeled for more public outbursts from now on.
But let’s end the debate about whether Jones has the standing to speak up. He does — not just because of his position but because his own teammates gave it to him. Him keeping his mouth shut in the heat of battle is more disrespectful to his team than anything he might’ve said to Tyquan Thornton or Patricia on Monday night. (By the way, he makes sure the congratulations are as clear as the scolding when things go well.)
Like Jones as a player or don't. Believe in him as a franchise quarterback or don't. It doesn't change the facts.
If guys don’t like what he has to say, maybe they should ask themselves why he had to say it in the first place. If he has to bust his butt to make this disaster art look presentable, the least everyone else can do is give him a hand.
