Bill Belichick Anger Revealed: Who Did Patriots QB Mac Jones Call?
FOXBORO — As Don Vito Corleone once told his proud, yet over-aggressive son Sonny, “Never tell anyone outside the family what you are thinking, again.”
When it comes to the relationship between New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Mac Jones, this quote from “The Godfather” may indeed be poignant.
Amid claims that Belichick has recently been calling multiple teams shopping Jones in a trade, a reason has seemingly emerged for the potential coach-quarterback rift in New England.
During Monday’s episode of “PFT Live,” NBC Sports Chris Simms doubled down on a previous report that that Jones was seeking help outside the organization to seek counsel on dealing with New England’s several offensive changes throughout the 2022 season.
“Of course Mac Jones must have been frustrated, and that’s what I heard,” Simms said. “I think I said that early in the season, that he had called Alabama [his alma mater] and certain coaches saying, ‘Hey, can you give some ideas to our coaches.’ Well, I mean, come on. All of us who pay attention to football, how do you think that’s going to go over with New England people if they heard that was happening, right?
“I’m sure he was frustrated, but I don’t know that calling Alabama, where the head coach is an ex-assistant of your head coach [was wise.] It’s going to get back [to the Patriots]. That’s where he went wrong.”
“It also pissed Mac off to be the guinea pig for Belichick’s unrestrained hubris,” Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio wrote Tuesday in support of Simms’ aforementioned report.
Despite entering the season on the heels of an impressive rookie campaign, Jones struggled to rekindle his previous success in 2022. Throughout the season, he displayed notable discomfort in New England's new offensive system under the direction of offensive play-caller Matt Patricia and quarterback coach Joe Judge. At times, the disconnect between the players and the coaching staff was so overt that Jones was observed hurling expletive-laden frustrations, believed to be in the direction of his coaches.
While Jones’ sideline outbursts allegedly caused friction between he, his teammates and his coaches — including Belichick — PFT’s latest cumulative report added an additional layer to Jones’ apparent discontent by taking it beyond simple “frustration in the moment.”
In short, Jones was deeply upset by the Patriots’ reversal of fortune — to which he seemingly attributed being forced to navigate an offense run by two non-offensive minded coaches.
Under the Patricia-Judge regime, the Pats offense regressed from one showing significant promise (in 2021) to a subpar unit dwelling among the NFL's bottom teams. The 2022 iteration of Patriots ended the regular season 7th-worst in total yards (5,348), while being ranked 22nd in points per game (18.1), and 26th in yards (314.6).
Unsurprisingly, Jones also regressed, ranking in the bottom 10 of NFL quarterbacks in terms of completion percentage and positive plays when pressured.
Ultimately, he finished the season with 2,997 yards, 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions — numbers which may believe should have been higher, had there been an established line of clear communication between coaches and quarterback.
Instead, he sought wisdom and counsel outside the Foxboro Family, when he should have went to Belichick.
In turn, the soon-to-be 71-year-old head coach has been reluctant to provide Jones with a vote of confidence as his choice to begin the 2023 season as the Patriots starting quarterback. Belichick’s vexation with Jones has emerged as the reason for the latter’s services being shopped throughout the NFL — with the Las Vegas Raiders, Houston Texans, Washington Commanders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers listed as potential trade targets.
"Obviously, a trade hasn’t occurred yet. That doesn’t mean it won’t happen," wrote PFT. "A team hoping to draft a quarterback could pivot to Jones, if that team doesn’t get the guy it wants."
Still, all hope may not be lost for a mending of fences between the two sides. Following last season’s dismal finish, Jones expressed his desire for a bit more persistence in the way he is coached.
“It’s accountability. It starts with me. I think I want to be coached harder,” Jones said at the conclusion of his second year as the team’s starting quarterback.
This season — assuming he remains in New England — Jones will get his wish.
After all, few, if any, coaches in football are as willing to ‘go to the mattresses’ as new Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien.
O’Brien, whose tenure briefly overlapped with Jones at Alabama, was hired by the Pats in late January to restore order to the Pats offense.
While it is unclear as to wether O’Brien was one of the coaches to which Jones reached out during 2022, his return to New England should put the 24-year-old in prime position to bounce back. O’Brien typically operates in a system which create plays for the quarterback by leading his receivers under the defense; releasing the ball quickly and delivering it accurately. This gives his playmakers the space they needed to catch and run with the football.
Not only is it likely to put points on the board, but it is also likely to help to keep Jones ahead of the blitz and out of duress.
At the very least, it should make for a much more efficient Pats offense in 2023.
But … is the pairing of Jones and O’Brien enough to adequately right the offensive ship and keep peace in New England?
Perhaps — provided neither side never takes sides with anyone against the family again … ever.
Follow Mike D’Abate on Twitter @mdabateNFL and Listen/Subscribe to his daily podcast: Locked On Patriots
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