No sane person could ever possibly argue: the New England Patriots have been the most dominant professional football team over the past twenty years. The past two years have been polar opposite could be said for the past two seasons under former Alabama quarterback Mac Jones. Jones has certainly not grown under the New England coaching staff with his quarterback rating decreasing 8 points each season he’s played until this season at a career low of 77. There are mixed reviews however as to who is to blame for the Patriots pitiful offensive effort.
Former Patriots Star defends Mac Jones
There have been a lot of people who have been critical of Jones for both his behavior and his ability during his New England career. One of those players was Former Pats safety and three time pro-bowler Devin McCourty when he went on The Greg Hill Show earlier this week. McCourty had strong commentary against the Patriots coaching staff:
“You have three different offensive coordinators in three years. They had different receivers, and I would say impact players kind of each year. All have been kind of moving parts.”
McCourty has switched careers fairly smoothly as he’s begun his analyst career with ESPN last year and he has been one of the few players to attack head coach Bill Belichick after leaving New England. Belichick made a career out of bringing the best out of all of his players and brining in new talent that fit his system. Many have called superstar quarterback Tom Brady a system play in Belichick’s system which has become a point of contention between the two titans over the past few years.
Argument behind McCourty’s comments on the Patriots
While many people could attack McCourty for his loyalty in going after his former coach, very few could argue his point. Belichick has done a horrible job setting his young quarterback up for success as he has focused solely on setting up his defense and an adequate running game. No receiver of Mac Jones has ever made a pro bowl and his offensive tackles are below average at best.
On top of that was Belichick relying solely on what I have called over the years as the “Belichick Mafia”. Over the years, if Belichick has the option between bringing in an elite coach or a mediocre coach he has a history with, he will always choose his people. That is why Josh McDaniels seems to always find his way back home in New England and its why Belichick made the horrendous decision last season of hiring defensive-minded coach Matt Patricia to run the offense.
To say the least, Patricia’s foray into the offensive camp was a colossal failure as the Patriots couldn’t get anything going in the points department. So what does Belichick do? He brings in another disgraced Belichickite back into the fold in Bill O’Brien. I believed that the offensive minded O’Brien would certainly be a step up over Patricia but Jones has actually done worse this year. While Belichick has proven that he is a tremendous coach, he has also shown that the New England atmosphere would certainly not be praised for its professionalism.
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