Bill Belichick Gives Vote of Confidence to New England Patriots' Mac Jones?
As New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick left the AT&T Stadium field in the wake of his team’s Week 4 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, he did so in rarefied air.
In what could have been regular-season victory no. 300 as an NFL head coach — a feat only reached by Don Shula and George Halas — Belichick and the Patriots instead suffered a 38-3 demoralizing defeat at the hands of the Cowboys. It was the worst loss of his 29-year coaching tenure — 24 of which have been spent with the Patriots. It is also leading to calls for “change” from the Patriots faithful.
While some fans and media alike are already writing the epitaph on Belichick’s legacy with the Patriots, the future of quarterback Mac Jones is also coming under scrutiny. The Pats starter mustered only 12 completions for 150 yards while committing three costly turnovers. In fact, the game unraveled so quickly that Jones found himself on the bench with 3:41 left in the third quarter in favor of backup Bailey Zappe.
Due to Jones’ disastrous showing, the calls to remove him from the starting role appear likely to grow in the coming days. However, in the hours since the final seconds ticked from the AT&T Stadium clock, Belichick has repeatedly stated that Jones’ exit from the game was not punishment for poor performance.
"I didn't think there was any point of leaving him in the game,” he told reporters from his postgame podium, while reiterating that Jones would remain the team’s No. 1 option heading into their Week 5 matchup with the New Orleans Saints at Gillette Stadium.
When asked a similar question on Monday morning — specifically whether Zappe would receive additional practice reps with the starting unit this week — Belichick appeared to affirm his statement on Jones — of course, without painting himself into a corner.
"I doubt anything will change significantly,” Belichick told reporters via video conference. “But, we’ll talk about that. I don’t know. We haven’t gotten to that point yet.”
Despite the thicket of vitriol being hurled in his direction by a large, unhappy section of Patriots Nation, Jones is placing enough self-induced blame upon his shoulders. Looking somewhat despondent while addressing the media after Sunday night’s loss, Jones expressed his desire to simply “play better” moving forward.
"Definitely disappointed in myself. I feel like I can play a lot better," Jones said. "I put a lot into it and I feel really bad. I let my team down, let the coaches down, the whole organization, everybody -- the fans. I have to put a better product out there to beat good teams."
Patriots HC Bill Belichick and QB Mac Jones
Eric Hartline/USA TODAY Sports
Though Jones’ skill set is far from being devoid of its detractors, perhaps the most surprising aspect of his woeful outing is that he repeatedly exhibited carelessness and confusion — which led to poor decision-making. Ultimately, it doomed the Pats to a 25-point halftime deficit and an insurmountable 35-point second-half hole.
Though he acknowledged the inexcusable nature of the turnovers, Belichick was not ready to declare Jones’ miscues as fireable offenses. Instead, he made it clear that a total team effort is needed to correct the Pats problems on offense.
“In general, I think he makes pretty good decisions,” Belichick said of his quarterback. “Mac sees things well. But as a team, we can’t win while turning the ball over three times … two of them for touchdowns. We’ve got to do a better job of that. That’s everybody’s responsibility. The quarterback’s part of it, so is everybody else.“
With Jones’ spot seemingly secure for the time being, Belichick also provided a pseudo vote of confidence for his players on offense. Despite compiling only 55 points in four games, Belichick believes that the execution is more at fault than the talent for New England’s offensive struggles.
“I think we have pretty good talent on offense,” Belichick told WEEI’s The Greg Hill Show. “We just haven't been able to find a consistent groove with it.”
The search for New England’s “groove” will begin in earnest when the Patriots return to the practice field on Wednesday. Though his decisions and viewpoints may be presently unpopular to an understandably bitter fan base, Belichick will not waiver in his commitment to doing what he believes to be best for the football team — a policy which has served him well for more than two decades at New England’s helm.
“I’m just really concerned about doing the best job for our team,” Belichick told WEEI. “That’s what I can control. That’s what I’m going to do and what I’m going to focus on. We’ll keep working hard … and keep fighting.”
