Getty Mac Jones of the Patriots
If there was a complaint to be made about Patriots quarterback Mac Jones in year two of his NFL career—and, sure, there was more than one complaint—it was a lack of leadership shown as the season went on, as mistakes piled up and frustration mounted. Jones was frequently seen yelling at teammates and coaches, and letting his frustrations show.
Jones took a lot of heat for those reactions last year, and it will be something to watch going into 2023. Three-time Pro Bowl left tackle Matt Light, who spent 11 seasons in New England and won three Super Bowls, certainly hopes Jones reels in what Light called, “the antics.”
“I don’t like what I saw last season for a lot of reasons,” Light told Tom Curran of NBC Sports on his podcast. “As an offensive lineman, I don’t want the guy behind me to ever put himself in the position that Mac did. Just in terms of the antics, the optics. Look at the optics of it. Forget about the why. The why is irrelevant. There’s a lot of reasons—if you went to our military and you asked some of our top generals if they agreed with what they had to do, they would say, ‘No, I did not, but I’m part of an organization, this is my duty and I’m going to fulfill that duty with valor and integrity.’”
Mac Jones Had Cause for Frustration in 2022
In two seasons with the Patriots, Jones has flashed talent. He has started 31 games and the Patriots have gone 16-15 in those games. He threw for 3,801 yards as a rookie, with 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, but took a step backward last year, with 2,997 yards to go with 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Jones was hurt for three games in that stretch.
The problem, though, was a dysfunctional offense led by coordinator Matt Patricia, who had been a defensive coach, with coach Bill Belichick and Joe Judge also involved in orchestrating the plays. The setup was a disaster, and Jones was probably right to be frustrated at times.
But he was not right to show it, Light said.
“It’s bigger than you, Mac,” he said. “It should be. It always has been for the individuals and organizations that do it at the highest levels. By the way, you don’t think that Tom Brady had the right to do that five years into his 20-year career? And Mac’s doing this one year in? Compare and contrast the best to ever do it in the history of the game and the guy who took his position and the things that have happened during these last couple of seasons and there is just no place for it.”
Mac Jones Must ‘Be the Best Version of Himself’
So while the circumstances that Jones faced in the offense were not his fault, he did not do enough to mitigate those circumstances and lead his teammates. The frustration level should be lessened this year, as the Patriots have brought back Bill O’Brien to be the offensive coordinator, and O’Brien has attempted to construct a playbook around Jones’ talents.
That means there should be no excuses for showing a salty demeanor this year.
“I was disappointed in how that played out during the regular season, and it opened up the door to be a distraction for everyone else in that locker room,” Light said. “So, he can’t do those things. … This will be the year to see, can he put aside the things that can really make a workplace difficult and just focus on being the best version of himself he can possibly be.”