Mac Jones Bitching Out Matt Patricia in Frustration is All of Us
There is so much to talk about here. Which I discuss in length, starting in about five hours. But there's no way any Patriots fan can go to sleep without addressing this. Mac Jones' frustration boiling over in a way that speaks for all of us.
On a night when the Patriots needed to match the Bills pass for pass, yard for yard, score for score in order to have any shot at beating Buffalo and keeping their playoff hopes alive, Matt Patricia is trying to match Josh Allen's team of Avengers with one man, Rhamondre Stevenson. In non-Mac Jones scrambles, the Pats ran the ball 11 times for 53 yards. And there's only so much of that a man can take. You're not going to beat Buffalo without letting your quarterback off the leash. So enough was enough and he spoke up. For all of New England.
This is what leadership looks like. Say what you will about Jones being just a second year player, but that just means he's got a full year more experience in this offense than Matt Patricia does. Plus, he was voted team captain for a reason. This is that reason. To speak his mind, represent his constituency - his teammates - and give voice to their frustration. Besides, he's earned it. He's got the moral authority to speak truth to power based on a rookie season in which he won 10 games, a playoff berth and a spot on the Pro Bowl roster. Then an offseason in which he went along with Patricia's failed attempt to revamp the offense, did everything that was asked of him, was first on the field for every practice and the last to leave, fought through an injury that could've knocked him out for the season, and produced the best back-to-back games of his career. And he didn't fight through all that fire and hell just to be handing the ball off down by three scores.
Advertisement
I have no idea how this will play out. Whether there'll be any fallout from this tirade, you're guess is as good as mine. But my gut tells me that Belichick isn't worried about anyone's emotional state, just the results. Tom Brady once got into a screaming match with Bill O'Brien in the middle of a game and it was a total non-story. No Patriots fan right now gives a Tuppenny fuck about bruised egos at this point. We just want an offense that makes sense. One that puts a promising young quarterback in a position to win. And Matt Patricia clearly has not been the man for the job. If screaming at him in frustration is the thing that brings us the change that is needed, then scream away, Mac. You scream for us all.