Bill Belichick backs Joe Judge, Matt Patricia amid concerns about Patriots offense

Former NFL wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson raised eyebrows last month when he somewhat jokingly said that New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones "looked like bad macaroni and cheese with breadcrumbs on top" during the preseason. This came after an offseason that saw Jones lose offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who became head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. 

New England head coach Bill Belichick has former NFL head coaches Matt Patricia and Joe Judge serving as McDaniels' replacement for at least Sunday's regular-season opener at the Miami Dolphins. The fact that neither has previously handled traditional offensive coordinator duties coupled with how the Patriots looked throughout August understandably has some fans concerned, and Belichick addressed criticisms of Patricia and Judge while speaking with Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe (h/t Pro Football Talk). 

"I think they’re both good coaches," Belichick said. "Ultimately, it’s my responsibility, like it always is. So if it doesn’t go well, blame me."

In typical Belichick fashion, the 70-year-old suggested during his comments that he's largely ignored what's been said and written about his offense ahead of Week 1. 

"That’s their opinion," Belichick remarked. "I’m not going to argue with them. I don’t follow it. Everybody’s entitled to their opinion. There’s a lot of complimentary things said. When things aren’t complimentary, I don’t really worry about those too much one way or the other. There’s way more publication and air time and blogs and everything else than there is actual news. So there’s a lot of opinions and a lot of stuff out there. I don’t know how newsworthy it is. It’s the world we live in."

Jones completed 13-of-21 passes for 132 yards with no touchdowns and an interception across his latest preseason appearances. The 24-year-old second-year pro could do plenty to ease the minds of fans by torching the Dolphins on Sunday.