Category: Mac Jones

Dan Orlovsky blames Patriots, not Mac Jones, for offensive regression

Former NFL QB Dan Orlovsky strongly believes the Patriots are the problem, not Mac Jones.

Dan Orlovsky isn’t buying the idea that second-year quarterback Mac Jones is the reason for all of the offensive problems right now for the New England Patriots.

Quite the contrary, the former NFL quarterback and ESPN analyst believes it’s the other way around. He sees the structure of the offense itself as the culprit that has led to the regression of the player.

Something has clearly happened considering Jones was a Pro Bowl quarterback in his rookie year. Now, people are debating whether or not he’s worthy of starting over rookie fourth-round draft pick Bailey Zappe.

The last two seasons are like a night and day comparison for Jones.

“If anyone tells you it’s Mac Jones’ issue in New England they’re out the freaking minds,” Orlovsky posted on Twitter. “This offense has completely regressed this player, and it’s awful.”

It’s hard to ignore the fact that the Patriots wrote the book on a 100 different ways to ruin a young quarterback this season.

Jones lost his offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels, in the middle of his formative years as a quarterback, and instead of hiring a viable replacement, coach Bill Belichick leaned on familiarity and handed the play-calling duties over to former defensive coordinator Matt Patricia.

It doesn’t help matters that the offensive line has been a mess to go along with the shaky play-calling. Jones also missed a significant chunk of the season with a high ankle sprain.

There are a lot of reasons to explain why the offense hasn’t taken off yet. The Patriots can only hope to continue to put the pieces together when heading into the bye week and emerge an even better team ahead of their big Week 11 rematch with the New York Jets.

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Patriots assistant Joe Judge refutes highlight-seeking Mac Jones critics

Joe Judge still has a lot of confidence in Mac Jones as the starting QB for the Patriots

New England Patriots offensive assistant Joe Judge is showing support for quarterback Mac Jones as the latter has been struggling with turnovers and interceptions.

Jones has three touchdowns and seven interceptions on the season, including one he threw against the New York Jets on Sunday. He has had an interception in every game he has played in this season.

That includes a three-interception game against the Baltimore Ravens back in September. It’s a considerable drop-off with him only throwing 13 picks in total last year. He’s battling some adversity this season, as he works his way back from injury.

Nevertheless, Judge has faith in Jones heading into a crucial point in the Patriots’ schedule.

“He really did some good things for the team the other day that won’t show up on the stat sheet,” Judge said, via NESN’s Dakota Randall. “That won’t show up if you’re (not) just watching tape and saying, ‘Hey, that’s really a big-time play by Mac of really understanding what the entirety of the game is.’ Or understand the flow of the game. …It’s not always the stuff that you see on the ESPN highlight reels. …Mac does a very good job of staying engaged. And the way he comes to work every day, you know, he’s (improving) on a daily basis.”

Up next for Jones and the Patriots is an Indianapolis Colts team looking to find an identity of their own. The Colts beat the Patriots on the road last December by a 27-17 score. Jones finished with 299 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions for the game.

The second-year quarterback may have to play at a high level on Sunday, as the Patriots will have their work cut out for them in trying to contain running back Jonathan Taylor.

A two-game winning streak could help Jones get his confidence back with the Patriots looking to cement their spot in the playoff hunt.

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Did the Gillette Stadium SkyCam wire cause Mac Jones’ interception?

Did Mac Jones’ intercepted ball touch the SkyCam wire?

If you thought things couldn’t get any weirder from the New England Patriots’ shocking Monday Night Football loss to the Chicago Bears, then you’re going to want to take a seat for this one.

A Twitter user (BillsFilm) posted a slowed down video of Patriots quarterback Mac Jones’ ill-fated interception that was picked off by Bears safety Jaquan Brisker. In the video, Jones’ high-arching ball looks like it might have touched the SkyCam wire hanging above the stadium.

Granted, there’s no certainty that the ball actually made contact, and even if it did, there’s no way to know how much or even if the pass was actually altered. Yet, it’s still an interesting video that does make you wonder.

Jones was benched after the interception ended a drive that was seemingly headed in the direction of the Patriots putting points on the board. Rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe took the reins after that for the rest of the game.

Does the ball touch the wire, or is there nothing to see here? Please let us know your thoughts in the comments section.

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Mac Jones gets benched, Bailey Zappe leads Patriots to 10-point comeback

It’s Zappe-mania in New England again

The New England Patriots went away from rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe, but it didn’t take long before they came right back to him.

Mac Jones got the nod to start on Monday night against the Chicago Bears after missing the previous three weeks with a high ankle sprain. Things started off rocky right away with Jones not seeing open receivers, before going completely off the rails with another interception for the second-year quarterback.

A chorus of boos started ringing throughout Gillette Stadium, and coach Bill Belichick made the decision to turn to his red-hot rookie.

Zappe ran out on the field to Patriots fans chanting his name, and he repaid them by leading the team on an immediate touchdown drive. He finished the drive with a 30-yard touchdown pass to wideout Jakobi Meyers.

He then led the team down the field for seven more points to bring the Patriots back from a 10-point deficit. The Patriots now lead the Bears 14-10 before the half.

Zappe-mania is running wild in New England once again—and rightfully so.

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Mac Jones expected to retake starting job from Bailey Zappe against Bears

Mac Jones is expected to start on Monday night against the Bears

Mac Jones is expected to resume his role as the starting quarterback for the New England Patriots on Monday night against the Chicago Bears, according to The Athletic’s Jeff Howe.

Of course, his return would be barring any setbacks with the high ankle sprain he suffered in the team’s Week 3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. He has been out the last three weeks rehabbing the injury in an effort to cut down the return time.

A high ankle sprain generally takes around six weeks to heal. So it wouldn’t be a surprise if he still isn’t exactly 100 percent entering the game. But he clearly must be near that mark for the Patriots to put him on the field against a 2-4 Bears team coming off three straight losses.

Jones’ return brings a halt to the Bailey Zappe phenomenon. The rookie quarterback stepped in and helped lead the team to back-to-back wins over the Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions, along with nearly pulling off an upset victory on the road at Lambeau Field against the Green Bay Packers.

But one has to wonder if coach Bill Belichick will have a shorter leash on Jones if turnovers continue to be a problem. Zappe-mania might be slowing, but it isn’t over by a long shot.

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What did Mac Jones say in his first comments since ankle injury?

Mac Jones made his first public comments in weeks on Friday

New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones made himself available on Friday, which is the first time he’s spoken publicly in such a forum since the Monday after his ankle injury.

Jones is expected to be ready to play in Week 7 against the Chicago Bears, and assuming everything checks out health-wise, he’ll be the starter over rookie Bailey Zappe.

But this brief Q&A with Jones wasn’t about Zappe-mania.

He simply talked about where he’s at with his ankle injury and how he’s feeling ahead of a possible return against the Bears.

“I think it feels pretty good,” said Jones. “Just trying to work through all the stuff and being able to play in an NFL football game. I want to be able to go out there and help the team and once I’m there, I’m there. So I’m definitely making progress, and we’ve done a good job with the treatment.”

The fact that Jones was actually fielding questions is a great sign that his return could be imminent. He traveled with the team to Cleveland last week to take on the Browns, but he ultimately wasn’t ready to suit up and play.

Things are clearly trending in the opposite direction this time around with the second-year quarterback ready to take back the reins at home against a struggling Bears team in the primetime spotlight.

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Mac Jones ready to play, one last hurdle to be cleared for Week 7 return

Great news for Mac Jones and the Patriots

The Bailey Zappe era could be coming to a halt with New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones reportedly expecting to be ready to play in the team’s Monday Night Football game against the Chicago Bears.

Jones, who has been sidelined with a high ankle sprain since the Patriots’ Week 3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, came close to returning last week against the Cleveland Browns. He even made the trip with the team, but the decision was made to hold him out for another week in hopes of getting him closer to 100 percent.

The extra time off obviously helped, and the second-year quarterback could be mere days away from making his return. On Thursday morning, ESPN’s Mike Reiss wrote:

“New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones expects to be available for the team’s “Monday Night Football” game against the visiting Chicago Bears, sources told ESPN.”

Per Reiss, the final hurdle will have to be cleared this week at practice.

For all of the talk surrounding a possible quarterback controversy in New England, there’s little doubt that Jones will be the starter if he’s ready to play, even if the job comes with a shorter leash.

It’ll be back to riding in the backseat for Zappe, who did a tremendous job helping to keep the team afloat in Jones’ absence.

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Patriots QB Mac Jones gets injury update ahead of Bears game

Will Mac Jones play in Week 7?

There is hope that the New England Patriots will have their starting quarterback, Mac Jones, back under center for their Monday Night Football game against the Chicago Bears in Week 7.

But then again, we’ve heard the same thing for multiple weeks as the second-year quarterback tries to work his way back from a high ankle sprain. Jones actually made the road trip in an effort to play against the Cleveland Browns in Week 6.

He still isn’t 100 percent healthy, but his goal is to get back on the field with his team against the Bears.

“Mac Jones is currently at 85-to-90 percent, according to a source,” Pro Football Focus’ Doug Kyed posted on Wednesday morning. “It’s up to the team whether or not he plays Monday against the Bears. He’s been open to playing through the ankle injury.”

If the Patriots need Jones to beat the Bears, then they have bigger problems on their hands. It makes no sense to force him back into the lineup injured, especially when rookie Bailey Zappe is already playing so well under center.

Granted, it does make sense why Jones would want to hurry back out on the field. Zappe-mania running wild isn’t exactly good for his career, particularly when some are calling for him to be replaced as a starter.

He’d much rather silence the Zappe noise before it gets even louder.

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Good news for Mac Jones in Patriots’ official injury report for Browns game

Mac Jones has a chance to play against the Browns on Sunday.

There’s a chance that Mac Jones could be making his return as the starting quarterback for the New England Patriots in Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns.

The team released their injury report on Friday, and the second-year quarterback was listed as questionable to play. That’s a significant step in the right direction considering he was doubtful at this time last week.

Jones has been dealing with a high ankle sprain that he suffered in the Patriots’ Week 3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. The injury wasn’t as bad as initially expected, and he managed to avoid surgery. So there’s always been a belief that he would return sooner rather than later.

His potential return comes after rookie backup quarterback Bailey Zappe helped lead the team to a win over the Detroit Lions last Sunday. It was fun to talk up the possibility of a quarterback controversy in New England, but Jones is clearly the starter if healthy.

Zappe-mania might be short-lived for the Patriots.

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NFL insider claims ‘quiet friction’ between Mac Jones and Bill Belichick could ‘boil over’

Is there friction between Mac Jones and Bill Belichick? One NFL insider has reason to believe so.

Even with Mac Jones on the fast track to healing and returning from a high ankle sprain, things reportedly aren’t so hunky-dory between the second-year quarterback and New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick.

Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio claimed he had reason to believe there was “quiet friction” brewing that could potentially “boil over” due to how the coaching staff changes have been handled.

“Let me be careful how I frame this because I don’t really have this nailed down yet, but I have reason to believe there’s something between Mac Jones and the coaching staff,” said Florio. “…I think Mac may be a little disconcerted with the quality of the coaching this year.

“You go from Josh McDaniels last year to this amalgamation of Joe Judge and Matt Patricia, two guys who weren’t offensive coaches before they became head coaches, before they failed as head coaches. And now, Matt Patricia calling the plays. I have reason to believe there’s some quiet friction there that could boil over at some point.”

There’s no question that the Patriots have struggled offensively without McDaniels calling the plays. Granted, they looked like they were moving in the right direction in their Week 3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in a game where Jones threw three interceptions.

It hasn’t helped matters that rookie backup Bailey Zappe is starting to steal headlines after knocking off the Detroit Lions and putting up a valiant effort at Lambeau Field against the Green Bay Packers.

Belichick had a chance to pour a bucket of ice water on Zappe-mania when talking about the quarterback situation during an appearance on The Greg Hill Show, but he never vehemently proclaimed Jones as the starting quarterback.

Of course, his reasoning could be something as simple as trying to light a fire under Jones.

It’s still obviously a situation that bears watching when Belichick is finally forced to choose between his first-round draft pick and fast-rising rookie fourth-round pick that has seemingly taken the league by storm.

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