It’s still not set in stone that Mac Jones takes the field against the Chicago Bears on a wet, cool night at Gillette Stadium for Monday Night Football, though Jeff Howe of The Athletic reported Sunday that Jones is expected to make his first start in three weeks Monday “barring any setbacks.”
But whenever he does, he figures to be the starting quarterback of the New England Patriots despite rookie Bailey Zappe’s captivating three-game run in Jones’ absence. So we can dispense with any lingering “quarterback controversy” talk. Until further notice, there is none — never was, honestly.
Another thing we can do away with? The toxic narratives that mushroomed around Jones while he was out of action in an effort to prop up Zappe as the second-year quarterback’s replacement.
Howe took an axe to a few reports last week disparaging Jones as having an “attitude problem” or being at odds with the team over his recovering from his high-ankle sprain, relaying conversations with people from the Patriots organization and those close to Jones himself.
The Athletic reporter, who now serves in a national capacity after years on the Patriots beat, highlighted the warping of the conversation around Jones, pointing out that he was praised for his persistence and competitiveness in college despite not having a guaranteed chance to start at Alabama and his communication with the coaching staff this season as New England revamped its offense following Josh McDaniels’ departure.
(The latter point has recently become fodder for the notion that Jones is too much of a “why, why, why?” person, questioning the Patriots’ offensive direction and showing up the coaching staff.)
Jones’ dogged work in the off-season to change his body and prepare himself better for the coming NFL season also stood out this off-season, which clashes with the idea that the quarterback was getting “fat and happy” after making the Pro Bowl and being named one of the NFL’s Top 100 players.
Also, Howe’s sources dispute the assertion that Jones went rogue in deciding against a “tightrope” surgery to repair damaged ligaments in his ankle and opting to rehab the injury instead.
“According to league officials with knowledge of the situation, Patriots coach Bill Belichick was not pushing him toward a procedure, contrary to another narrative that indicated the sides clashed about his recovery,” Howe wrote.
As Jones nears his return to action, whether it’s Monday night or against the 5-2 New York Jets next Sunday, he’ll have to win back a fan base that turned toward his understudy both due to Jones’ own uneven play to start the year and Zappe’s surprisingly good stretch.
But that’s the only thing he should have to atone for. He shouldn’t also have to defend his honor, especially not against people more interested in spinning yarns than getting the facts right.
