Mac Jones was visibly frustrated with New England Patriots offensive assistant Matt Patricia on numerous occasions during the 2022 season, but there was apparently another coach that the quarterback butted heads with during practices.
Andrew Callahan and Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald on Thursday published a behind-the-scenes look at what sources in and around the organization describe as the most dysfunctional Patriots season they have ever seen under Bill Belichick. The story touches on the relationship between Jones and quarterbacks coach Joe Judge. While the tension between Jones and Patricia — the team’s primary offensive play caller — received most of the attention, it sounds like there was a similar dynamic with Judge and Jones.
Jones and Judge reportedly had “profanity-laced outbursts” toward one another during practices. The blow-ups were not uncommon, according to the Herald. One source said Jones did not like Judge “at all.”
Other sources told the Herald that a lot of people within the organization were frustrated with Judge.
“(Judge) would speak extra loudly in meetings, trying to project like he was the guy,” one person familiar with the situation said. “And I think that kind of rubbed people the wrong way.”
Belichick apparently did not always have his assistant’s back, either. There were reportedly times when the head coach blasted Judge during practice as well.
Judge was a special teams assistant with the Patriots from 2012-2019. Belichick added wide receivers coach to Judge’s duties in 2019, which was the season before Judge was hired as head coach of the New York Giants. He went 10-23 in two seasons with the Giants and was fired, so Belichick decided to bring him back last offseason.
Obviously, that decision did not pay off.
Jones was seen yelling at coaches on multiple occasions during games. Most of his frustration was directed toward Patricia, but that was clearly just one piece of a larger issue.
The Patriots made a big move this week when they brought back Bill O’Brien as offensive coordinator. You can probably guess how Jones reacted.
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