After two and a half seasons, Jones has proven to be a panicky, pocket-bound point guard with one of the highest turnover rates in the league, unthreatening arm talent and an inability to carry his offense.
You don’t bench a quarterback you believe in.
You hand him the keys at the end of the game, and trust him to drive to victory.
Instead, Bill Belichick ripped them away from Mac Jones and tossed them to Bailey Zappe.
Forget what Zappe did in the ensuing moments or what Belichick said later. That moment spoke loudest about Jones’ future in New England: the Patriots coaching staff has no faith in him.
Judging by players’ post-game comments, and whispers over the last month, the locker room would be open to a long-term change. So if they don’t believe in Jones, why should you?
Jones turns the ball over. He makes poor decisions before and after the snap. His strengths — quick processing and decision-making — have rapidly deteriorated into weaknesses this season.
This should be clear as day.
Instead, the Jones conversation has been convoluted by bad framing; fans and media alike dealing in false binaries that complicate what should be a straightforward talk after two and a half seasons.
Stop asking if the Patriots’ offensive woes are Jones’ fault or his supporting cast’s. Or debating whether the Patriots have failed Jones or if Jones has failed them. At 2-8, the truth is staring you in the face.
They’ve all failed. Blame belongs to everyone. And that includes Jones; a panicky, pocket-bound point guard with one of the highest turnover rates in the league, unthreatening arm talent and an inability to carry his offense.
We know this because it’s possible to isolate enough of Jones’ performance from his surroundings. Take his final throw in Frankfurt.
The Patriots had run four straight times, keeping the ball out of Jones’ hands — and therefore out of danger — as they drove to the Colts’ 15.
