Team sources indicate Jones will start the Patriots’ game at Las Vegas primarily because their other options — a second-year backup they cut six weeks ago and a third-string journeyman — are unfit. Before Bill Belichick
announced his decision Wednesday, members across the organization doubted Jones would get another shot.
“How can he?” one source asked Monday afternoon.
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... Detractors see Jones’ tape as littered with inexcusable errors independent from his surroundings. Fundamental mistakes like poor footwork to dropping his eyes against pressure, both of which Jones copped to this week. Some describe him as immature in the face of adversity, with one source even using the word “bratty.”
Jones, they say, is a player whose greatest faults are not the physical limitations that have been evident since he was a prospect, but his alleged strengths that hold instead the team back.
“He’s a panic player versus pressure,” a league source said. “And he turns the ball over.”
Another noted how many “dumb mistakes” Jones makes for a quarterback who was touted for his intelligence.
Others, though, see a quarterback who makes an effort to connect with teammates outside of the locker room — “a normal human being” — who has earned respect with the hours he puts in at Gillette Stadium; a sentiment consistently echoed by teammates over Jones’ two-plus seasons in the NFL.
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All Jones has demonstrated is he cannot elevate a team by himself, something the Patriots knew before he attempted to rejuvenate his career in Year 3.
“We know Mac isn’t going to win for us. He needs to be comfortable,” a team source told the Herald this summer. “But we think we can win with him. We’ll see.”
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Two and a half years later, the Patriots’ evaluation of Jones as a heady prospect who could play within the confines of a system, limit mistakes, make sharp decisions before the snap, and lead appears to have missed the mark.
More than that, internal confidence in him has waned.
After logging 32 career starts, Jones is now making more costly decisions than any NFL quarterback this season. He leads the league in Pro Football Focus’ turnover-worthy play rate, with three of his seven turnovers resulting in defensive scores.
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“I think there’s compounding issues,” a league source said. “Combination of coaching and talent. The biggest problem is the quarterback, though, and that makes everything harder.”
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In April, a team source said of Jones: “There’s definitely hope that he’ll improve. But I don’t think there’s a ton of confidence that he will. To be clear, I don’t think there’s doubt either. More just neutral expectations with a degree of hopefulness.”
Six months later, Jones’ completion percentage, success rate and passer rating have dipped, while his interception rate skyrockets. He continues to melt under pressure.
“(Offensive line) play has a lot to do with it,” one source said. “Also a little bit of the book being out on him now. That started down the stretch of 2021.”
Since then, Jones ranks 33rd out of 35 qualified QBs in EPA per play, after ranking 14th in 2021. His antics and attitude last year — which included sideline outbursts, going over Belichick's head and outside the team for help — displeased teammates and coaches alike.
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If Zappe had a normal summer, the decision to replace Jones would be easy.
But Zappe, who not only got cut this summer but was passed over by the 31 other teams on waivers, can't cut it. The 2022 fourth-round pick owns a league-worst 41.2% adjusted completion rate, per PFF, going 7-of-18 for 79 yards this season.
One source said Zappe’s offseason was a “rough transition to the new offense.” Another source said Zappe’s performance in training camp and the preseason “wasn’t good enough on multiple levels.” A third said it “stunk.”
The Patriots signed quarterback Will Grier to compete with Zappe for the backup job, but Belichick explained last week how difficult it is for a player to move up the depth chart in-season with limited practice reps. The starter receives most of a team’s practice reps, and since Zappe knows the offense better than Grier, he remains Plan A in emergency situations.
