Plenty of fans and media alike have questioned and criticized the Patriots’ offense over the first half of the NFL season.
New England has struggled mightily to move the ball, score points and avoid negative plays.
Much of the criticism has focused the regression of second-year quarterback Mac Jones.
But during his weekly interview on the “Gresh and Keefe” show on WEEI on Thursday, Hall of Fame former Cowboys receiver and current NFL Network analyst Michael Irvin made it clear that he doesn’t believe that Jones is to blame for New England’s offensive struggles.
Pointing to recent video breakdowns from ESPN that highlighted issues with the Patriots’ timing, spacing, QB drops and route concepts on offense, Irvin piggybacked on that analysis.
“That blows my mind. You know how they say basics is 101? This is before the 101,” Irvin declared. “This is not English 101, math 101.
Timing up routes with depth of routes and depth of drops, that’s even before 101. It’s that basic. And to see [ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky] call that out on some plays, where he had a three-step drop, he hitched one time and nobody is ready to come out of a route. There is no timing. That blows my mind man. That doesn’t look like anything that Bill Belichick has let go on. That’s not on Mac Jones. When you talk about Mac Jones’ regression, that’s not on Mac Jones. You see what I’m saying? You’re seeing the results and it looks like a regression. That is impossible. That’s on somebody else in there, whoever is designing those things.”
That would seem to point to Patriots offensive line coach and play-caller Matt Patricia, the former defensive coordinator and failed Lions head coach who took on a major role in the New England offense this season.
Irvin certainly questions Patricia’s ability to get the job done for Jones and company, especially considering the results through nine games this season.
“I said I’ve never questioned anything Bill Belichick has done, this is the first time that I said, ‘Oh my God. Oh my God, man. What is that?’” Irvin said of Belichick’s decision to put the offense in Patricia’s hands this year. “Ooof. It’s impossible. It’s not…this ship…how did you even win the games you won with what I’m seeing now and what [Orlovsky] just pointed out? That’s the question.”
