Are the Patriots ruining Mac Jones?
At the very least, it’s fair to guess that things aren’t going to progress as we had hoped.
COMMENTARY
Have we seen enough yet?
Even through the porous offensive line, receivers who can’t separate, and a coaching approach that seems more insistent on proving a point than winning games, it’s become easier to make our own conclusions about Patriots quarterback Mac Jones after eight games of the 2022 season.
The theory here: He’s not the guy.
That isn’t to say that Jones won’t be a competent quarterback for years to come, or that he won’t ever make “another” Pro Bowl. He could, one day, wind up on a Super Bowl-winning team. He might even put up enough offensive numbers to land him in Canton one day. If the Patriots don’t ruin the kid first.
Here we are, a year-and-a-half into his professional development, and the Patriots have seen haphazard return on their investment in the 15th-overall pick. Jones had a nice rookie season, a “Pro Bowl” one even. He “led” his team to the playoffs where they were unceremoniously trounced by the Buffalo Bills. Now, one season later, New England is mired in last place in the AFC East (albeit with a winning record) sustaining a pathetic offensive attack that is seemingly getting worse as the season wears on.
Credit to the Patriots’ defense and special teams, which each contributed to their team’s 26-3 victory over the Indianapolis Colts Sunday afternoon. But if you think the Patriots are in dire need of an offensive wakeup, then the Colts are entirely on another level of futility. New England was able to stop what amounted to a high school attack behind poor, overmatched Sam Ehlinger? The defense was able to halt a team so on a downward turn that the loss was the final nail in Colts head coach Frank Reich’s job? Neat. But, credit where due. Of course.
As for where Mac Jones lands in the department of recognition…well, he didn’t throw a pick for the first time all season on Sunday. That’s about where the good news ends.
Jones’s line on the day (20-for-30, 147 yards, and a touchdown) isn’t the worst, but the quarterback’s inefficiencies go much deeper than numbers on the surface. As The Athletic pointed out, “The Patriots had 14 possessions Sunday, but only two saw them gain 20 yards or more.”
Two.
Two.
Overall, New England amassed only 203 yards of offense on the afternoon. As The Athletic points out, looking at advance metrics, New England’s expected points added/play ranked 17th of the 18 teams playing at 1 p.m. Sunday. Care to venture a guess which team was the only one worse than the Patriots? (Hint: It was the one your team held to three points.)
I’m not sure what it means, but The Athletic also notes that Jones had minus-0.25 expected points added per play. That’s a number that ranks in the 13th percentile of quarterback performances over the past decade.
That second part of the equation I get. It’s not good. Especially during a decade that boasts the likes of DeShone Kizer among its quarterbacks.
Yes, the offensive line in front of Jones is an increasing disaster. Isiah Wynn is a walking penalty flag magnet and Cole Strange is playing like a rookie who isn’t shedding any critique of his questionable first-round status. Maybe the bye week will help David Andrews return in time for another showdown with the Jets. But even when whole, the line has been a collapsing factor.
But Jones isn’t reacting well to any time in the pocket, no matter how much the line gives him. Give Jones three seconds to read the field, and he’s going down. Give him more than enough time for his receivers to find separation, and it still won’t matter. Jones could probably hold the ball indecisively for a minute while his line blocked to perfection, and still not find the open receiver.
The line has been awful, but it’s not the main problem. That’s been Jones’s decision-making, or lack thereof.
Have the Patriots ruined Mac Jones? At the very least, it’s fair to guess that things aren’t going to progress as we had hoped. Jones isn’t going to make the second-year leap that the team was, apparently, hoping he would by coupling him with a pair of coaches in Matt Patricia and Joe Judge with no offensive-coordinating experience. In fact, depending on which conspiracy you want to believe, Patricia and Judge have been using the playbook to their advantage, making Bailey Zappe look good by calling plays tailor-made for the “yes sir!” quarterback. Mac Jones? Eh, he’s a bit whiny, so toss him the tough stuff.
It sounds ludicrous, though based on what former Lions players have said about Patricia, and the sudden resurgence of Daniel Jones’s career with the Giants, minus Judge, it does stand to some reasoning that the play of the Patriots quarterbacks could come down to something that petty.
And if that’s what made the coaches decide it was worth ruining Mac Jones, they’re well on their way to accomplishing the goal.
The Patriots had one touchdown drive on Sunday, only made possible due to a blocked punt. Jones could have added another, but inexplicably took a dive at the two-yard line on a rush, rather than diving for the end zone. By that point, the fans still paying attention at Gillette Stadium threw up their hands in frustration. Even Jones’s decision-making, when the ball is in his own grasp, comes with valid criticism.
This is all the Patriots’ fault, not giving a sophomore QB the proper tools to find success in the NFL. Oh, the defensive coach in Belichick is loving this, while leaving the offense to figure it out. And despite all the frustration, the team is still only one game out of a playoff spot, a status that seems unlikely based on the way this overmatched group has been playing.
The 5-4 record is one that speaks to the outside state of the NFL surrounding them more than it does the quality of their team. But now they’ve also got a petrified quarterback, one whose game is regressing before our eyes. In his second season, Jones has only gotten more frightened. That’s much worse than getting even only fractionally better.
Jones is the Patriots quarterback moving forward this season, unless Belichick wants to return to Zappe Hour. How much worse could it really be?
But at the end of the 17th game of this season, the Patriots may have decided that Jones is no longer the answer. Someone new will take the role. Then someone else. Soon, the Patriots will be no different than the Broncos, Bears, or Colts teams desperately seeking a player who might be their constant at quarterback with little-to-no answers over the years.
The Bears might have finally found one in Justin Fields. The Colts and Broncos still don’t have any answers. Those waiting for one in New England can’t be encouraged by what they’re watching.
Mac Jones is getting worse. And the Patriots seem just fine with that.
Let me know when you’ve seen enough.
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