Tag: Michael Lombardi

Former Patriots assistant questions Mac Jones’ likeability in locker room

Is there a disconnect between Mac Jones and his teammates? One former Patriots assistant believes so.

Former New England Patriots assistant Michael Lombardi believes Mac Jones isn’t well-liked in the locker room, which has only added to the problems he’s having right now on the football field.

He pointed to examples such as Jones’ teammates having “no sense of energy,” when talking about him. Lombardi also believes that the quarterback “blames everybody through his body language, through his mechanics.”

“Nobody wants to hang out with Mac Jones,” Lombardi said on his “GM Shuffle” podcast, as transcribed by Boston.com. “Nobody wants to hang out with him. You can see it on these teams. So when you see a bad quarterback like (Tommy) DeVito — they’ll hang out with him. They’ll go over to his house and have chicken parm. Like, they like him. He’s no good — they like him, though. And I think that’s where we lose sight of it a little bit when we’re evaluating these quarterbacks. Because what is the likability of the player?”

Jones has had a difficult season overall. He has thrown for 2,120 yards, 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. There’s a chance he won’t even start in this week’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Yet, despite all of the noise surrounding Jones, his teammates continue to back him in front of the media.

New England could have a chance to revamp the quarterback position in the 2024 NFL draft. Currently, they hold the third overall selection for next April’s event.

At this point, a change of scenery for both Jones and the Patriots organization may do some good.

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Michael Lombardi blasts Commanders HC Ron Rivera

Lombardi does think Sam Howell will be a lot better than Washington’s QBs last season and therefore, win more games.

Former NFL executive Michael Lombardi is not very impressed with Ron Rivera right now.

Lombardi, who was an NFL scout, player personnel director and general manager, offered sharp criticisms of Rivera when he was a guest on the “Grant and Danny Show” on Thursday.

Lombardi expressed that the Commanders really struggled in the 2022 season primarily because of the struggles of their quarterbacks Carson Wentz and then Taylor Heinicke.

As a result, Lombardi does not understand/agree with the Commanders over/ under on 2023 wins, only being at 6.5. He was adamant he believes Sam Howell will be a better quarterback than what they had in 2022.

“How much worse could Howell be than those two guys? He can’t be any worse.”

Lombardi pointed to three items that he thinks reflect poorly on Rivera. Not knowing they could be eliminated from the playoffs following the loss to the Browns, his statements regarding Eric Bieniemy during training camp and now admitting he didn’t realize in 2022 what Sam Howell could do.

“What it does is it shows he was seeing practice but was not observing practice. People that are only seeing don’t get anywhere.”

Lombardi pointed out that Rivera has all the authority, and can make any move he wants to make.

Lombardi feels this reveals there is not enough observation and interaction with Rivera’s assistants regarding the player personnel.

Rivera even became the butt of Lombardi’s jokes as Lombardi compared Rivera to Jedd Clampett of the old Beverly Hillbillies, luckily striking oil.

“The quarterback of the Washington Commanders was costing them games. That’s pretty clear. Lombardi pointed in particular to the 2022 loss to the Titans “because the quarterback couldn’t make a play.”

He was emphatic that Wentz was killing the Commanders in games last year. He also pointed to Heinicke struggling and that Rivera should have noticed what Howell was doing on the scout team last season.

“New Commanders owner Josh Harris should be concerned now,” expressed Lombardi. He asked, “Did the 2022 coaching staff have a meeting after the first quarter of the season to discuss everyone on the roster?”

Were the Commanders making notes of the players on the scout teams, observing their progression and or regression? “But if you are not paying attention to it, if you are not aware of it. You’re the general manager of the team. That is not a good look for you,” declared Lombardi referring to Rivera.

There was more, but the overall tone was that Lombardi feels Rivera has revealed he is not working hard enough and not communicating enough with his staff concerning their roster and player personnel.

Lombardi was quick to qualify his comments, stating Rivera is a good man; he was not attacking Rivera as a person. He did reassert he is questioning Rivera as a businessman.

NFL fans ripped Michael Lombardi for his wildly insensitive comments on Trey Lance’s future with 49ers

What are you talking about, Michael Lombardi?

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance certainly has an uncertain future in the NFL, as it looks like he’s competing for the 49ers backup job right now.

Kyle Shanahan bluntly confirmed this week that quarterback Brock Purdy should hold down the team’s starting gig, which may mean that Lance eventually ends up elsewhere in the NFL to contend for a starting job.

However, his situation is far more complex than whatever former NFL general manager Michael Lombardi seems to think about it.

Discussing Lance’s future on his DraftKings show The GM Shuffle, Lombardi made some ridiculously unfair assessments of the quarterback’s general abilities and flatly says that Lance doesn’t have “quarterback instinct.”

“As you go down this road with Lance, it just becomes harder and harder and harder,” Lombardi said on his show, “and you can show all the clips of him moving and all that stuff. At the end of the day when his momma lifted him from the crib, he just didn’t have that quarterback instinct.

“He is not going to be the backup quarterback. I don’t know what they’re going to do with him, but there’s no chance. There is no chance based on the evidence that I’ve seen and based on what I’ve heard.”

While no one can say for certain that Lance will be able to win a starting NFL job one day, trying to obliterate the basic quarterback instinct that earned him being drafted so high in 2021 is just incorrect.

Lance had plenty of quarterback instincts when he was tearing it up at North Dakota State, and it’s not Lance’s fault that his career has been riddled with injuries so far.

He would’ve started a full season last fall had he not gotten hurt, and it’s not on Lance that the 49ers want to roll with Purdy this fall after the latter played so well.

Plus, the backup quarterback battle definitely isn’t over in San Francisco. Sam Darnold has struggled since being taken at the same pick as Lance, but we don’t hear Lombardi critiquing Darnold’s quarterback instincts.

The jury is still out on how Lance will be as an NFL quarterback, which is far more judicious than Lombardi’s wildly off-base hot takes about the quarterback.

As you can imagine, NFL fans ripped Lombardi for this take.

Browns: Former GM calls Cleveland a ‘sleeper team’ to win the AFC North

The Browns former general manager Michael Lombardi has his eyes Cleveland to make a run at an AFC North crown.

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Is head coach Kevin Stefanski facing a make-or-break season as the Cleveland Browns look to get back into the playoffs in 2023? After two straight seasons of missing the playoffs, the Browns made massive upgrades to their roster and are officially out of excuses.

And one of their various former general managers thinks they are a sleeper team to sneak to the top of the AFC North after finishing last in the division a year ago. Michael Lombardi joined The Pat McAfee Show to discuss the Browns, and he thinks the move to hire Jim Schwartz as their new defensive coordinator could push them over the top.

You can see what Lombardi had to say about his former employer here.

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Ex-NFL exec likes Dalvin Cook fit for Patriots over DeAndre Hopkins

This is a strong case for the Patriots going after Dalvin Cook

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There have been talks of free agent wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins potentially signing with the New England Patriots for weeks.

But what if the five-time All-Pro wideout wasn’t really the best fit for the team? What if it was actually four-time Pro Bowl running back Dalvin Cook instead?

Former NFL executive Michael Lombardi, who was also a former Patriots assistant, threw out the idea of Cook being the better fit of the two players in New England.

“I actually believe Dalvin Cook would be a better fit than Hopkins for them,” Lombardi said, when appearing on The Pat McAfee Show. “[Rhamondre] Stevenson is a great player. There’s no question. But without Stevenson, if he goes down, it’s Pierre Strong and Kevin Harris. They need another back, back there, and I think Cook is one of those really good change-of-pace, catch a screen, go a long way. I think he’d make a huge difference for the Patriots offense with Stevenson.”

There is no doubt the combination of Cook and Stevenson would do serious damage to opposing defenses.

With that said, Cook is a bit of a premium option for a Patriots team that does need help at receiver. There are other potentially cheaper options out there like Ezekiel Elliott and Leonard Fournette with Ty Montgomery, who had a tremendous spring showing, serving as the change-of-pace option for New England.

Those cheaper moves coupled with the addition of Hopkins might suit the team as whole even better.

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Michael Lombardi not a big fan of pending Commanders owner Josh Harris

Lombardi also famously once said Doug Pederson “might be less qualified to coach a team than anyone I’ve ever seen.” How’d that one turn out?

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It’s no secret to 106.7 The Fan listeners that Michael Lombardi was no fan of Dan Snyder or Bruce Allen.

Thursday Lombardi, a guest on the “Sports Junkies” morning show on 106.7 The Fan, offered some open opinions on current Philadelphia 76ers owner and pending Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris.

Lombardi has worked for the 49ers, Eagles, Browns, Raiders and Patriots. He has never shied away from presenting his opinion.

Thursday, Lombardi warned Commanders fans that he feels Harris is too interested in making sure his players are happy.

“As a Washington fan, I’d be concerned he is too player-friendly and wants too much for the players to be happy,” Lombardi said. “I’ve never been part of a program that worked if you’re not driving the players to be the best that can be. A former Canadiens (NHL Montreal franchise) player once told me they hated Scotty Bowman 363 days a year, but the day they got the Stanley Cup, they loved him.”

Lombardi was direct in saying Harris listened to those who were into analytics, resulting in the 76ers trading away Mikal Bridges for Zhaire Smith and Smith is not even in the G League, while Bridges is an All-Star.

“After 35 years studying players, I can tell you there are no two players who are exactly the same – so there’s no question Josh Harris will spend money and has the will to win, but what makes this tough with new ownership is, do they know how to make moves and build a culture within the building? The Commanders haven’t had a culture in the building since Dan Snyder bought the team, so this will take a lot of work.”

Lombardi doesn’t buy into the narrative that Ron Rivera has built a winning culture for the Commanders or the Panthers.

“What you hear is that he’s a player-friendly coach, but somebody has to drive the bus and run the program – if you’re player-friendly and not demanding? I’m not saying that you have to have a hard edge, but you have to be demanding and put the burden on the players to be the best they can be,” Lombardi said. “The Commanders are talented, but talent alone isn’t going to win anything. Ultimately, you have to be able to put the players in a situation to succeed.”

Lombardi does not take too kindly to Harris’s in-game involvement either.

“He sits right next to Doc Rivers on the bench, and to me, you shouldn’t be sitting there because that’s an awful message,” Lombardi said. “You need to have a global view of it. One of the reasons the 76ers don’t achieve is because they spoil all their best players. That comes from ownership; teams that win in the NFL, the owner drives the culture by saying the kind of team they want. If you want to be player-friendly, that’s great, but you’re never going to win a championship.”

There was more, but space does not permit it here. Check out the link I’ve provided above. The discussion was well worth the listen.

Ex-Patriots assistant thinks Mac Jones should show accountability

Should Mac Jones take accountability? One former Patriots assistant believes so.

The 2022 New England Patriots might not have been a mess of quarterback Mac Jones’ doing, but his reaction to it, especially on the football field, should come with some form of accountability, according to former Patriots assistant Michael Lombardi.

“Did the Patriots mess up with their decision with the staffing? I think that’s fairly obvious, and I think he’s admitted that. Okay? So that’s one,” Lombardi said, when appearing on The GM Shuffle. “Did Mac Jones’ behavior, conducive to that of an ultimate leader? No. He’s got to admit that, too. So there’s culpability on both sides.

“This isn’t a one-sided, let’s favor the player route. Let’s understand the player has to show a sincere accountability for his behavior, his lack of maturity. Some of that late tackling stuff on the field, that didn’t endear himself with his teammates either. So he’s going to have to cover that up. He’s going to have to show that he’s mature, too.”

To be fair, coach Bill Belichick has never fallen on the sword for some of the staffing blunders he made last season. Sure, he made the necessary changes in the offseason, which suggests he knows what he was doing wasn’t working.

But he hasn’t actually come out and admitted publicly to getting it wrong and changing course, which is absolutely fine as long as the necessary changes are being made.

Lombardi does make some good points about Jones. The frustrations with the way things were going and some of the decisions being made with the team are completely understandable.

Jones, a former Pro Bowler and first-round draft pick, was basically trotted out onto the field as a crash test dummy for a Belichick-approved vehicle with Matt Patricia at the wheel. But the controversial tackles out of frustration, alleged backchanneling with Alabama coaches and on-field tirades were a bit much for a player only in his second NFL season.

This isn’t just on the Patriots to get right.

Both Jones and Belichick need to figure it out together if they have any hopes of competing, much less winning a stacked AFC East division.

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Ex-GM shreds Giants’ Dave Gettleman, Jason Garrett: ‘They’re stuck in time’

Michael Lombardi takes aim at New York Giants owner John Mara, GM Dave Gettleman and OC Jason Garrett: “They are stuck in time!”

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Michael Lombardi has been a successful NFL scout, personnel director and general manage for nearly 40 years. He has been working in media imparting his wisdom for various media outlets since the 1990s and is generally a respected voice on the football landscape.

During a recent appearance on the 94 WIP Podcast, Lombardi laced into the New York Giants after their flaccid 27-13 loss to the Denver Broncos last Sunday. His first first salvo was aimed at general manager Dave Gettleman and the front office.

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“They can’t evaluate their own players. They over-judge their own players. They’re not good,” Lombardi said. “They’re not even good on D. Everybody thinks, ‘well, we’re good on defense,’ — they gave up 420 yards!”

Unfortunately, that is all true. The Giants have drafted poorly, picking players in the wrong spots and ignoring important needs. They have become a team that swings and misses in the draft and then is forced to overpay in free agency in attempt to make up for those misses.

Lombardi then moved on to offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, who has the offense sputtering to the tune of 17 points per game going back to the beginning of last year. His style and results have fans clamoring for days of Kevin Gilbride.

“There’s no imagination,” Lombardi said. “I mean, there’s no design in the running game. The Clapper refuses to design a run game, this is just not a misdemeanor. But look, the Giants have been bad for five years. They’re 28th in win percentage over the last five years, they’re 26th over the last 10 years. This isn’t just a one-time thing. … It’s one of the worst offenses to watch, and you’re not helping the quarterback.”

Lastly, Lombardi took a shot at ownership, which we have been suspect of when it comes to their competence.

“John Mara is one of the nicest human beings on planet earth. Unfortunately, John Mara can’t have an honest conversation about his organization or evaluate himself. That’s just a problem. It’s just a hard thing. He’s loyal to people, he likes people. They’re stuck in time. They can’t get out of it,” Lombardi said.

Again, bingo, right on the money. They need modern day thinking in the building and they don’t have it. At one time, they were on the cutting edge. Now they are doormats and not even trying to copycat the successful teams in the league.

We’re not sure why Lombardi is attacking the Giants out of the blue, so to speak. Perhaps he was shunned employment by them at one time (?) or maybe he’s a simply a fan who is sick and tired of being sick and tired. There’s plenty of those these days.

Or, it’s just disgusting to watch and the subject is low-hanging fruit for the media. The league is better when the Giants are competitive and this organization has lost its way and doesn’t know how to get off the treadmill of losing.

Regardless, there is no legitimate rebuke to Lombardi’s analysis. The numbers are what they are as Bill Parcells once reminded us.

Lombardi and I are around the same age and remember when the Giants were turned around by George Young in the 80s and were handed off to Ernie Accorsi in the late 90s. Accorsi and his assistant, Jerry Reese, kept the ball rolling and built a team in the 2000s that won two Super Bowls.

Gettleman also worked under Accorsi but this is 2021. All the methods on how to build and run a team we knew to be sound in the days of Young and Accorsi are no longer sound. The league is run by 21st Century thinkers. The Giants are still stuck in the 20th Century.

Michael Lombardi offers thoughts on Mac Jones winning starting role for Patriots

“You never make a quarterback shift this dramatic unless the team really believes in the guy that you go with.”

Cam Newton’s release on Tuesday was a surprise to many.

The 32-year-old appeared to be leading the quarterback race against Mac Jones, as he started all three preseason games, and at minimum he appeared to be a roster lock. The No. 15 pick is currently the only quarterback on the 53-man roster and he overcame all odds to become the clear-cut starter as a rookie in New England.

There’s speculation on the factors that led to Newton’s release — but, the overall consensus points to the fact that Jones just won the job. Former Patriots executive Michael Lombardi joined the Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday and reiterated this sentiment.

“Did he think that Mac would come along this quickly? Obviously, I don’t think that’s true,” Lombardi said, transcribed by WEEI. “I think he felt like Cam could get them through. Now, I do know that in 2022 they felt really good that Mac Jones would be the starter based on what they saw, but this kid kind of has developed. … I do think they moved quicker than they anticipated. I don’t think they wanted to do this. They guaranteed $3.5 million to Cam, but they had to make this decision because this is basically the best player who won the job.”

Jones’ leadership, which has been heavily discusses by those around him, was one of the biggest factors in the decision.

“I think it’s been organic, but look, let’s face it, Cam is a natural born leader and so is Mac Jones. But, Mac’s ability to win over his teammates, Mac’s ability to resonate. You never make a quarterback shift this dramatic unless the team really believes in the guy that you go with,” he said. “This is not Belichick making a decision, or Josh McDaniels. This is the team sees it. And you can’t fool the team. You can’t fool the team. The team knows who the best players are. They know who should be playing quarterback, particularly. Because they are at every practice, they watch every throw. They see the team being led.

“So, this was a situation where it became crystal clear and obviously, particularly after the five days against the Giants where he was really good. And then in the preseason game against the Giants where he was really good that Belichick was forced to make a decision.”

Jones is now preparing for a Week 1 matchup against the Miami Dolphins and his former Alabama Crimson Tide teammate, Tua Tagovailoa.

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Michael Lombardi meticulously explains why Patriots unlikely to trade up for QB

Coming from a former Patriots executive, this logic makes sense.

The New England Patriots’ quarterback situation is one of the more intriguing storylines heading into the 2021 season.

Cam Newton re-signed on a one-year deal, but his role as the starter is far from being secure. The Patriots trading for Jimmy Garoppolo or another veteran isn’t very likely, but the possibility of Bill Belichick drafting a signal-caller has much higher odds. The main question now is — how far are the Patriots willing to go for one of the top-tier prospects in this year’s draft?

Former Patriots executive Michael Lombardi joined The GM Shuffle podcast and discussed the situation in great detail, ultimately saying he doesn’t believe the team will trade up.

“They’re not far away. Obviously, they have to fix the quarterback position,” Lombardi said, transcribed by ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “Cam Newton has to play much better. Where are they with Jarrett Stidham, and can they trade up? If Mac Jones goes three, which is what we all believe to be true, then where does that all fit? That means get to 4. Do they like Justin Fields? I don’t think so. Do they like Trey Lance? I’m not sure. I don’t know.

“Just knowing how they operate, I couldn’t imagine they could get either one of Lance or Fields to a high enough point to justify trading up to get them. This is what fans don’t understand. If you have a grading system that you have to really adhere to, you’ve got to be able to say; well Lombardi says, ‘They don’t like Fields and they don’t like Lance.’ That doesn’t mean they don’t like them. What I’m saying is they don’t have them graded high enough to be able to justify them at that point in the draft.”

With an inside perspective, Lombardi doesn’t believe the quarterbacks are graded high enough to justify the assets they’d give up to trade.

“To go in the first 15 players; let’s just say, you think Justin Fields is a 69 player. You graded him 69,” Lombardi continued. “That player has abilities and can create mismatches versus most opponents in the league. He’s a featured player on the team. Has the ability to impact the outcome of the game. No one player can take him out of the game. Each week he has a consistent level of performance. Plays at a championship level in most situations. Rates in the top 10 in positions of his league.

“If you feel comfortable grading Justin Fields there, then OK, you can do that. I don’t. I don’t think he’s going to be a top 10 quarterback in the league. Now, you can disagree with that. That’s fine. Again, this is really important about the draft. What you have to understand about the draft. I don’t want you to think how I think, but I want you to understand how I think. That’s really critical to separate the two things.

“… So, when I say they can’t trade up to get that, I’m saying they can’t put verbiage next to the player that justifies it. Like, if I gave him a 63 grade — ‘He’s a one-dimensional player that can do well, has certain skills to be productive in a role. He may never be a full-time starter.’

“OK, if you think Justin Fields is, then you’d say, ‘A player that has the ability to be a starter, but can’t overcome some of the limitations. He’s adequate at the position, struggles to be productive versus blue or top-level players. Doesn’t play on a consistent level.’ It doesn’t mean he’s not a good player. You’re just describing this. And if you don’t have verbiage next to this, you can’t really justify it. But, if all you do is say, ‘He’s first-rounder’ or, ‘He’s a second-rounder’ then what are we saying?

“That doesn’t say anything. Descriptions tell you what he is. That’s why it’s hard for me to see them drafting quarterbacks like Fields or Lance, or even some of these guys early, because they can’t fit the description to justify trading for them.”

Lombardi knows how the Patriots operate  and it’s extremely possible Belichick plans to start Newton if a quarterback he wants doesn’t drop to No. 15.

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