Former QB blasts Patriots' Bill Belichick over Mac Jones

Former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Robert Griffin III blames New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick for the supposed regression of signal-caller Mac Jones following Jones's rookie season.

"For me, this comes down to coaching," Griffin said about Jones during a segment on the ESPN "Get Up" program, per Christian Arnold of the New York Post. "In year two, Bill Belichick messed up his young quarterback. When you give him a defensive coordinator and a special teams coordinator as his offensive coordinator, and now he’s on his third offensive coordinator in three years in the NFL, that to me is the epitome of a coaching malpractice." 

A 2021 first-round draft pick, Jones earned a Pro Bowl nod as a rookie playing under then-offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. After McDaniels became the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, Jones struggled throughout the 2022 campaign working with assistant coaches Matt Patricia and Joe Judge before he received a "fresh start" thanks to the offseason hiring of offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien.

O'Brien thus far hasn't fixed Jones. According to ESPN stats, the third-year pro began Thursday ranked 24th in the NFL among qualified players with a 45.3 adjusted QBR and 25th with an 80.8 passer rating. Belichick benched Jones during this past Sunday's 38-3 loss at the Dallas Cowboys after the quarterback lost a fumble that was returned for a touchdown and had a regrettable interception taken to the house for a score. 

An unnamed "top executive from a team that played" the Patriots this season told NFL insider Albert Breer this week that Jones "won’t be the reason you win." Griffin seemed to agree with that take. 

"Mac Jones is not a creator, but they’re asking him to create," Griffin added. "That’s a scheme problem...In 2021, they were doing play-action 27% of the time. That’s the kind of player Mac Jones is. Right now, they’re doing it 14% of the time. So because of that, they’re asking him to, 'All right, we need you to go out and scramble a little bit…when the play breaks down, we’re going to do all these different things,' and that’s not who he is." 

Jones remains on track to start when the 1-3 Patriots host the 2-2 New Orleans Saints Sunday. One wonders if he could become available ahead of the Oct. 31 trade deadline if he continues to struggle this month and the Patriots decide they want nothing to do with the fifth-year option attached to his rookie contract.