In a recent appearance on “The Greg Hill Show,” former New England Patriots safety Devin McCourty didn’t hold back when discussing the struggles of current Patriots quarterback Mac Jones.
With Jones now benched, it seems like his days in New England may be numbered.
Despite a very impressive rookie season, Jones has failed to develop as a quarterback – but McCourty thinks it’s the Patriots organization who is most to blame for that.
We all know the coaching dysfunction that Jones has been exposed to, especially with the revolving door at offensive coordinator … His regression has been painfully obvious.
Mac Jones failed development on paper: pic.twitter.com/71YWCLLZQG
— Savage (@SavageSports_) December 7, 2023
However, just how much of that regression is his fault?
After all, the Patriots may have the worst offensive talent in all of football.
When asked about Jones’ struggles, McCourty was unequivocal in placing the blame on the entire Patriots organization … He emphasized the challenging circumstances Jones has faced, including multiple offensive coordinators and changing personnel around him.
“I mean, to me it’s a no brainer. Everybody in the organization’s raved about the guy’s work ethic. How he’s there early, he’s there late. So, to me, it’s hard to just say, like, it’s his fault,” McCourty said of Jones.
“I don’t think, no matter how you feel about him, I don’t think you’d walk away from the situation and say, ‘hey, you know, this situation that they built around him was really good and he just didn’t get the job done.’ Like, to me, there’s no way, if you’re gonna be factual, you gotta look, there’s just no way.”
“You have three different offensive coordinators in three years. They had different receivers, and I would say impact players kind of each year. All have been kind of moving parts. Seemed like he kind of build a connection with Jakobi Meyers, then Jakobi’s gone.”
“So it would be hard for me to just say, ‘hey, like it’s all him.’ … Like Kendrick Bourne, his rookie year goes out there has a kind of a career year. Then the next year, Kendrick Bourne doesn’t really play at all.”
“Again, I have no problem with the guys that watch and say, ‘hey, I evaluated this quarterback, his arm strength, his mobility. Like if you want to come up with all of those metrics that you think makes a quarterback good and you think he doesn’t hit those certain criteria that you like in a quarterback, I get that.”
“But I think. overall, if you say, ‘hey, which side do you see more at fault?’ To me it’s no doubt the organization, what’s been put around him, for these straight three years.”
Devin McCourty on if Mac Jones’ struggles should be attributed to himself or what the #Patriots have put around him (via @TheGregHillShow):
“I mean, to me it's a no brainer. Everybody in the organization’s raved about the guy's work ethic. How he's there early, he's there late.…
— Mike Kadlick (@mikekadlick) December 6, 2023
While acknowledging that Jones may not possess ideal physical tools for the “modern” NFL, McCourty emphasized that the quarterback has not been surrounded by elite playmakers and stable coaching in New England.
Tyreek Hill on Patriots' QB situation:
"Every man cries for what he loves,"
“Coach Belichick is putting my dawg in a bad situation. You putting my dawg Mac Jones in a bad position. I just love everything about him.” pic.twitter.com/xjiweAvcH2
— Yagya Bhargava (@YagyaBhargava) December 2, 2023
One thing is for sure – the VAST majority of the Pats fan base seems completely finished with Jones.
There are reports that he has lost 80% of the locker room and has few supporters remaining.
Friendly reminder Mac Jones isn’t even playing tn bc he’s so fucking dogshit
— Apollo (@vspapllo) December 7, 2023
What are your thoughts on Jones?
Do you agree with McCourty’s take? … Has the Patriots organization ruined him? … Or is he just not that good of a quarterback?
ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky has said that if you drop Jones on the 49ers, he would be nearly as effective as Brock Purdy has been.
The intelligence is there. The work-ethic is there … But at the end of the day, is he physically good enough to be a franchise quarterback in the NFL???
Me when mac jones is off my team pic.twitter.com/dFuFmfSnKh
— DJ 🤴🏾 (@mindofgoatdj) December 5, 2023