Trent Brown lauds Mac Jones, says Patriots’ coaches ‘let me be me’
"It's probably the best football I ever played. And we just kinda grew to love each other."
Trent Brown wasn’t drafted by the Patriots and didn’t make the biggest money of his career with New England. But Foxborough seems to be the place he likes playing football more than any other nonetheless.
In an interview with Barstool’s “Pardon My Take,” Brown opened up about his time with the Patriots, including his relationship with legendary offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia and with young quarterback Mac Jones.
The big tackle’s respect for the organization is a big reason he passed on potentially greener pastures elsewhere to re-sign with New England on a two-year deal worth up to $22 million.
While the franchise has a reputation for being a place that isn’t “fun” to play, Brown said he’s found freedom in Foxborough.
“That’s one of the things I love most about New England. They always pretty much let me be me, let me play my game…as long as it’s within the system. Pretty much everything goes,” he said.
Brown went on to call Scarnecchia the “best” offensive line coach ever, praising his attention to detail and “love he has for the guys in the room.” Sometimes, that meant giving players some choice words about their performance, Brown recalled.
“Jacksonville, my first time with the Patriots, he just cursed my ass out on the sideline one time. That wasn’t a good game for me,” he said. “Next week at practice, he cursed me out at practice. Some people would get down about it, I was like, ‘challenge accepted.’ From that point on, it’s probably the best football I ever played. And we just kinda grew to love each other.”
As has also become commonplace for Brown, the mammoth right tackle continued to talk up Jones, whom he calls “Mac10,” ahead of an all-important second season. He also noted the young quarterback has his own license to tear into teammates when they’re not playing up to standard, even though Jones just completed his first NFL season.
When asked about whether teammates would take it the wrong way to have Jones yell at them, Brown emphatically said otherwise.
“Hell no, nobody doing that. If you f— up, you f— up. You gotta be a man and take it on the chin. Can’t be out here being sensitive.
“If you’re the quarterback of the team, you’re the leader of the locker room, for sure. No matter what your age may say, you gotta handle your business accordingly.”
The next order of business for Brown, Jones and the Patriots will be to get back to their winning ways in the playoffs, which owner Robert Kraft noted this week they’ve failed to do for the last three seasons.
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