An injury is always a bad thing for any athlete. At any time. In any sport.
But the fact that Patriots’ second-year quarterback Mac Jones left Sunday’s season-opening loss in Miami needing X-Rays for back injury, well it would almost be laughable if it weren’t true. It’s just another latest layer of adversity for the young face of Robert Kraft’s retooling franchise.
The good news is that those X-rays were reportedly negative. Jones flew back with his teammates from Miami. And he’s scheduled to speak with the media on Monday afternoon after apparently being unable to make it to the postgame press conference microphone Sunday evening at Hard Rock Stadium.
Hopefully, and seemingly, Jones avoided major injury.
But really, what more does the young franchise quarterback have to deal with to open his second NFL season? This is getting to be ridiculous. Even his critics have to feel bad for him at this point.
He’s already spent portions of the offseason having to “teach” his new quarterbacks coach the offense because, well, Joe Judge is an expert on special teams not NFL offense.
He’s spent the summer and preseason showing obvious and understandable frustration with the new, “streamlined” Patriots’ offense that was anything but effective or impressive during training camp practice or August exhibition action.
Jones has gone from being under the tutelage of one of the most proven, experienced offensive coordinators in Josh McDaniels to the least experienced, most unproven in Matt Patricia.
The stable structure of his rookie season now resides with the Raiders, meanwhile he’s left with an open conversation offense and a collaborative coaching effort that clearly is a work in progress, or rather a “process” as Bill Belichick prefers to call it.
Oh, and arguably Jones’ best playmaker at the wide receiver position has found himself on the outside of the playing rotation for most of the summer. That weird existence for Kendrick Bourne had him failing to even step on the field in Miami until late in the fourth quarter when he immediately hauled in a 41-yard grab down the left sideline. Bet Jones would have loved to have had that option at his disposal in, I don’t know, maybe the first quarter!
And likely part of the reason that Jones is working through a back injury is that his offensive line has been less than impressive from late July straight through opening day. The group allowed multiple, unblocked runaway rushers against the Dolphins. One led to a strip sack and touchdown for the home squad. The other left Jones peeling himself off the turf in obvious discomfort, a play that included roughing the passer among offsetting penalties.
Both should have been blocked according to Belichick.
But they weren’t and Jones is the one left paying the price. With his body. With his reputation. With his won/loss record.
After just one week of sophomore action, reactionary critics in Patriot Nation already think trading Jones for 49ers backup Jimmy Garoppolo is the only way to save the season. That’s the world that Jones lives in these days, a far cry from his storybook national title season at Alabama or Pro Bowl rookie campaign in which he was almost universally treated with kid gloves.
As a first-time captain and polished professional quarterback who may indeed be wise behind his NFL years, it’s unlikely Jones will crack under the immense pressure that Belichick, his assistant coaches and the offensive line have put the young quarterback under these days.
Jones is too smart and might still be too good to resort to pointing fingers.
But the reality is that there is way too much on his plate right now. His current existence would be a tough pill to swallow for a proven veteran quarterback, never mind a guy trying to prove he’s indeed skilled and talented enough to be considered a true franchise QB in just his second season.
They say tough times don’t last but tough people do.
We’re in the midst of finding out just how tough – mentally, emotionally and now physically – Mac Jones really is.
