Getty Bill Belichick
The momentum behind the Mac Jones hype train may be slowing, but very few people are calling the New England Patriots‘ rookie a “bad quarterback.”
That’s exactly what First Things First’s Nick Wright did recently. He laid into Jones about as brutally as we’ve heard anyone besides I’m Just Saying’s Paul Esden Jr. do, and there was no mercy.
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Fox’s Nick Wright Rips Mac Jones to Shreds
Wright didn’t just call Jones “a bad quarterback.” He also said Bill Belichick “emasculated him on national television.”
“He stinks,” Wright said. “Ever since (Bill) Belichick emasculated him on national television, he’s been awful, except for one game against the (Jacksonville Jaguars). “He’s been terrible. He’s playing his worst football, at the worst time of the year, when all the other rookie quarterbacks are showing growth because they were allowed to make mistakes early.”
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Wright wraps up his rant by summarizing Jones as “a bad quarterback.”
“Mac Jones has been terrible. He’s playing his worst football, at the worst time, when all of the other rookie QBs are showing growth bc they were allowed to make mistakes early. Tua threw for 107 yards & the Patriots lost to the Dolphins bc Mac was terrible.” — @getnickwright
The “emasculation” Wright is referring to happened in Week 13 when the Patriots defeated the Buffalo Bills on the road with Jones throwing just three passes the entire game. Many critics had harsh words for Jones’ lack of input in that game.
The Patriots are 1-3 since and Jones’ numbers have taken a dip. He’s completed just under 60% of his passes over that four-game stretch compared to 67% for the entire season.
Jones has also thrown 6 TD passes and 5 picks and lost a fumble. If you take out the 50-10 rout over the Jaguars that Wright referenced, Jones’ numbers look even worse.
Still, a “bad quarterback?”
Mac Jones Judgment is Coming Too Soon
The elevation of Jones as a future great at the quarterback position came far too soon. The same can be said about Wright’s over-the-top and negative assessment. Jones’ rookie season has been strong, and that won’t change even if he plays horribly on Saturday against the Bills.
He has already been the quarterback for a playoff team that won 10 games and was in the hunt for the AFC East division crown into the final week of the season.
That’s a better result than most anyone expected him to produce. Does Jones still have a lot to prove when it comes to his ability to win the Patriots a game with his arm? Absolutely, but he isn’t required to have the answers to that question just yet.
Based on the experience Jones is getting this season, what he’ll acquire in the offseason and next year–barring an injury–the midway point of the 2022 campaign should tell us a lot more about what Jones will ultimately become.
As of now, he’s done just about everything he’s been asked to do by his coaching staff. If he helps the Patriots knock off the Bills, the narrative will change once again and we’ll be waiting to hear what Wright has to say about the rookie at that point.
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