Former NFL MVP: Mac Jones’ struggles are ‘sad to watch’

Patriots

“I’m sure that those coaches are looking at that film and they can’t explain some of the decisions that he’s making.”

Mac Jones has now been benched four times this season. AP Photo/Adam Hunger
  • Shannon Sharpe used a ‘girlfriend’ analogy to explain why Mac Jones isn’t a good fit for Patriots

  • Patriots reportedly host QB and Mass. native Austin Burton, 4 others for workouts

After getting benched for the fourth time this season during Sunday’s miserable loss to the Giants, it remains to be seen if Mac Jones will play another snap for the Patriots.

If you ask former NFL MVP and current CBS NFL analyst Boomer Esiason, that may not exactly be a bad thing — for all parties involved.

“It’s actually sad to watch,” Esiason said of Jones during his weekly radio spot on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show” on Monday. “The body language tells me everything. The performance tells me everything. It’s like they’re just waiting for him to make a mistake. He’s waiting for himself to make a mistake. It’s kind of like watching [Jets quarterback] Zach Wilson. 

“I don’t think it’s quite as bad, but when you’re turning the ball over the way that Mac has turned it over this year, to get benched four times tells you all you need to know. I’m sure that those coaches are looking at that film and they can’t explain some of the decisions that he’s making.”

Several factors have played a key role in New England’s current status as a cellar dweller in the AFC, including dreadful roster construction, poor drafting, injuries to key players on defense and porous O-line play.

But Jones’s own lapses in execution and decision-making have caused an already floundering offensive unit to sink time and time again in 2023.

Jones only played in the first half of New England’s eventual 10-7 loss to the Giants at MetLife Stadium. After completing just 12 of his 21 pass attempts for 89 yards and two brutal interceptions, he was replaced by Bailey Zappe under center.

In 11 games this season, Jones has only thrown for 10 touchdowns and been knocked for 12 interceptions.

Even though Jones has not exactly been surrounded by elite offensive talent over the last few years, Esiason acknowledged that the third-year QB can’t be absolved from criticism after seemingly getting worse with each passing week so far this season.

“It’s 100 percent on Mac Jones,” Esiason said. “I mean, I can’t sit here and tell you that Bill O’Brien and Bill Belichick forgot how to coach football players and coach offense. If we want to go back to last year and we want to talk about Matt Patricia and Joe Judge, maybe that was the excuse from last year.

I’m sure that they’re sitting somewhere going, ‘Oh my God, thank God I don’t have to be in the middle of this anymore.’ Because maybe the quarterback just doesn’t have it. The amazing thing to me is that two years ago, I voted him as Rookie of the Year over Ja’Marr Chase. I thought he had a tremendous rookie season and he got the team to the playoffs.

“Watching what has happened to him over the last two years is virtually unexplainable to me because I think the Patriots — I guess you could say that the offensive line has been in a state of flux, and he really has no playmakers.

“He doesn’t have a Rob Gronkowski, doesn’t have a Julian Edelman or a Wes Welker, or a Randy Moss for that matter. But I would just say eventually it comes back to the player himself and whether or not he raises all boats. He has not been able to do that. Last year, I’ll give him the pass because of the coaching situation. This year, I can’t do that. I have to say it goes back to him and him only.”

Former NFL MVP: Mac Jones’ struggles are ‘sad to watch’

Patriots

“I’m sure that those coaches are looking at that film and they can’t explain some of the decisions that he’s making.”

Mac Jones has now been benched four times this season. AP Photo/Adam Hunger
  • Shannon Sharpe used a ‘girlfriend’ analogy to explain why Mac Jones isn’t a good fit for Patriots

  • Patriots reportedly host QB and Mass. native Austin Burton, 4 others for workouts

After getting benched for the fourth time this season during Sunday’s miserable loss to the Giants, it remains to be seen if Mac Jones will play another snap for the Patriots.

If you ask former NFL MVP and current CBS NFL analyst Boomer Esiason, that may not exactly be a bad thing — for all parties involved.

“It’s actually sad to watch,” Esiason said of Jones during his weekly radio spot on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show” on Monday. “The body language tells me everything. The performance tells me everything. It’s like they’re just waiting for him to make a mistake. He’s waiting for himself to make a mistake. It’s kind of like watching [Jets quarterback] Zach Wilson. 

“I don’t think it’s quite as bad, but when you’re turning the ball over the way that Mac has turned it over this year, to get benched four times tells you all you need to know. I’m sure that those coaches are looking at that film and they can’t explain some of the decisions that he’s making.”

Several factors have played a key role in New England’s current status as a cellar dweller in the AFC, including dreadful roster construction, poor drafting, injuries to key players on defense and porous O-line play.

But Jones’s own lapses in execution and decision-making have caused an already floundering offensive unit to sink time and time again in 2023.

Jones only played in the first half of New England’s eventual 10-7 loss to the Giants at MetLife Stadium. After completing just 12 of his 21 pass attempts for 89 yards and two brutal interceptions, he was replaced by Bailey Zappe under center.

In 11 games this season, Jones has only thrown for 10 touchdowns and been knocked for 12 interceptions.

Even though Jones has not exactly been surrounded by elite offensive talent over the last few years, Esiason acknowledged that the third-year QB can’t be absolved from criticism after seemingly getting worse with each passing week so far this season.

“It’s 100 percent on Mac Jones,” Esiason said. “I mean, I can’t sit here and tell you that Bill O’Brien and Bill Belichick forgot how to coach football players and coach offense. If we want to go back to last year and we want to talk about Matt Patricia and Joe Judge, maybe that was the excuse from last year.

I’m sure that they’re sitting somewhere going, ‘Oh my God, thank God I don’t have to be in the middle of this anymore.’ Because maybe the quarterback just doesn’t have it. The amazing thing to me is that two years ago, I voted him as Rookie of the Year over Ja’Marr Chase. I thought he had a tremendous rookie season and he got the team to the playoffs.

“Watching what has happened to him over the last two years is virtually unexplainable to me because I think the Patriots — I guess you could say that the offensive line has been in a state of flux, and he really has no playmakers.

“He doesn’t have a Rob Gronkowski, doesn’t have a Julian Edelman or a Wes Welker, or a Randy Moss for that matter. But I would just say eventually it comes back to the player himself and whether or not he raises all boats. He has not been able to do that. Last year, I’ll give him the pass because of the coaching situation. This year, I can’t do that. I have to say it goes back to him and him only.”