Julian Edelman has gone from legendary playmaker on the field to concerned fan on the sidelines for the New England Patriots.
And there is plenty to be concerned about right now in New England, most notably at the quarterback position. Coach Bill Belichick shocked NFL fans last week by benching Mac Jones for Bailey Zappe for a potential game-winning drive against the Indianapolis Colts.
The timing was the biggest surprise with Zappe being cold and coming off the bench for the most important drive of the game late in the fourth quarter. Jones’ performance was easily one of the worst in his NFL career, and Belichick decided he had seen enough.
“It’s just been tough for Mac to execute in the high pressure situations and it comes down to his confidence,” Julian Edelman said, when appearing on “The Herd” on Thursday, via WEEI’s Mike Kadlick. “He’s lost his confidence, and once you lose your confidence in this league, it’s tough. … It sucks for him, but, you know, that’s what’s happened.”
The failure of the Patriots offense this season isn’t completely on Jones in reality, but Edelman brought up a great point that illustrated the immense pressure that comes with playing quarterback in the NFL.
“If you’re a guy, you’re a guy,” said Edelman, per Kadlick. “I’m not gonna come out here and just bash on Мас. It’s been terrible for the whole unit — one play it’s the offensive line, one play the receiver slips, one play the receiver drops the ball, there’s a bad throw and collectively they’re not doing well. But this is the National Football League. If you don’t win, the quarterback and the head coach get the blame. When you do win, the quarterback and the head coach get the (credit).”
Jones and coach Bill Belichick are the ones getting blamed right now for the Patriots drowning with a 2-8 record. The perennial sharks of the AFC have morphed into fish fodder before our very eyes.
And neither Jones or Belichick can save them from it.
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