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Even though the New England Patriots quarterback controversy appears to be over, the team still has some decisions about Mac Jones to make before the trade deadline.
“There will be a market for him,” Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports said, noting that the Patriots could move him before the 2023 season.“There are a lot of bad quarterbacks in the league right now.
“That’s where I think it’s headed,” La Canfora said on the October 27 episode of the “Inside the Huddle” podcast. “I talked to a GM this morning. He was pretty adamant that, ‘I think Mac Jones will be available by the combine one way or the other, whether Bailey Zappe looks like he’s the answer or whether Bailey Zappe doesn’t.”
Until then, Jones will be the starter in Week 8 against the New York Jets, head coach Bill Belichick told reporters on October 27.
“Mac took a full workload yesterday, and I expect him to be fully available for the game and ready to go,” head coach Bill Belichick said. “He was ready to play last week, but just didn’t feel it was the full game. This week is a different situation.”
Are the Patriots Setting Jones Up to Fail?
Dan Orlovsky, an analyst who played quarterback from 2005 to 2015, called out for Patriots for changing their play calling based on who is under center, perhaps intimating that Jones is set up to fail. In three drives against the Chicago Bears in Week 7, Jones threw for 13 yards and an interception before being pulled in favor of Zappe.
“I will challenge the Patriots: Run the same offense that you have [run] with Bailey Zappe for Mac Jones,” Orlovsky said in audio tweeted out by The Boston Sports Journal’s Greg Bedard. “You put Mac Jones under the center once in the first quarter. He ran one play-action pass all game. What has made your offense better over the past three weeks with Bailey Zappe is you have put him under center, you have lived in play-action, you have dominated on the ground and you have max protected. Don’t change, just because Mac Jones is in there. That’s my challenge to them now that he’s your starting quarterback.
“Run what’s best for the offense as a whole not just the QB,” Orlovsky said in a follow-up tweet.
What Did Matthew Slater Think of Patriots Fans Booing Mac Jones?
Though Jones will be the starter, it could be difficult for him to forget the treatment he received from Patriots fans in Week 7 when they were chanting for Zappe and booing the second-year quarterback.
Team captain Matthew Slater was asked about the fans booing Jones.
“I would imagine that that is going to impact those two guys in their own way. And that’s certainly something that I don’t want to speak to. It’s challenging, and we’re humans as we play this game,” Slater said. “It is very challenging, but I have an understanding of the city that I play in and I have an appreciation for our fan base. Though they may be tough at times, they understand the game. They’re passionate. I feel like they respect what we do and they want to see us do well.
“Our fan base is entitled to feel any way they want to feel, cheer any way they want to cheer,” he continued. “That’s their right as a fan base. And you know, as an athlete, you have to understand that. It’s not always easy at times, but you have to understand that you can’t control the way the fans feel, or what they’re going to do on game day. So you know, my feelings for our fans are what they’ve always been. There’s respect, there’s admiration, there’s appreciation for how in touch they are with their teams and their athletes, and how much they appreciate what we do. And I know they’re hard on us at times, but you know, I think it’s just because they love their team.”
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