11/23/2023 0 Comments Mac jones cam newton patriots![]() ![]() I cannot recall another circumstance where an outstanding head coach undermined his promising young quarterback in the ways Belichick did last season. It was a ridiculous situation, exacerbated by the way Belichick jerked him around in a loss to the Bears upon a probably premature return from a calf injury. Jones did not always handle the circumstances well - his on-field anger and frustration often came across as petulance - but I’m not sure it’s fair to have expected him to conduct himself with grace. Of course Jones couldn’t build on that promising rookie season. Patricia simply could not do the job, and in retrospect, putting a promising quarterback’s future in the hands of a know-it-all coach who was a relative novice at coaching offense was Belichick’s worst decision since benching Malcolm Butler in Super Bowl LII. Instead, he crashed at the first turn, and kept crashing all season. Patricia, as abrasive as he can be, is extremely smart, and Belichick figured he’d zip through the learning curve. Training camp was not yet over when it already was clearly a debacle. Trusting Patricia, who made his bones as an NFL coach on defense, to lead the offense was curious. (Hiring Joe Judge as quarterbacks coach was no genius move, either.) But Belichick himself failed Jones by appointing Matt Patricia offensive coordinator after Josh McDaniels left. There’s no way he would do such a thing deliberately. So what did Belichick do last year? Is it too harsh to say he set up Jones to fail? Yes, it is. ![]() A quality quarterback on a rookie deal is a gift, and you have to do everything you can to make sure he has the tools to thrive. When you have one, you’re not only getting a bargain at the most essential and highest-paid position, but you also can use that savings to load up the roster in other areas. The most valuable asset in professional sports is a capable young quarterback on his rookie contract. But this is also true: Belichick failed his young quarterback last season in a way that bordered on malpractice. Any debates about the greatest coaches in NFL history must begin with who is in second place, because Bill Belichick is obviously the best. Of course, it’s easy to overlook or even flat-out forget that now because his second season was such a debacle, very little of which was his fault. ![]()
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