Bill Belichick and Jakobi Meyers might need to have a conversation — and in a hurry.
Meyers clearly was upset with what happened to quarterback Mac Jones during the Patriots’ 33-14 Monday night loss to the Chicago Bears. Jones, making his first start in a month, was booed off the field by a raucous New England crowd and replaced by rookie Bailey Zappe. With Patriots fans cheering him on, Zappe led his team on consecutive touchdown-scoring drives before cratering in the second half.
Belichick was all over the map after the game, saying Jones’ ankle sprain recovery played a factor in the planned two-quarterback approach but also saying neither health nor performance had anything to do with his removal in the second quarter. And it’s clear that not everyone in the Patriots locker room was aware of Belichick’s plan to play both Jones and Zappe.
Regardless of how it all went down, Meyers wasn’t happy with anyone.
“Not even as a football player, it’s tough as a man to see somebody who worked so hard get that kind of treatment,” Meyers said of Jones. “But at the end of the day, we’re all trying to feed our families, so we’ve got to go out there and make plays for whoever’s throwing it.”
Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald later asked Meyers to clarify whom he was talking about.
“Not even the coaches, just everybody,” he said. “The crowd, all of it. It was an ugly situation, in my opinion.”
On Jones’ benching, Meyers added: “That’s just how it goes sometimes. You don’t really get to — our say don’t really matter. I’m not saying we would’ve had an opinion either way, but we’ve just gotta roll with the punches when we’re in there.”
Meyers’ remarks seemingly indicate he’s most disappointed in the fans. However, if you’re reading between the lines, you could infer he also believes that the coaches’ handling of Jones emboldened the Zappe-obsessed crowd.
How does Belichick feel about all of this? He was asked about Meyers’ remarks during a Tuesday morning appearance on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show.”
“I didn’t talk to Jakobi after the game,” he said. “I’m not sure about all that.”
You can add that to the growing list of storylines currently surrounding the drama-soaked Patriots. And we still have no idea which quarterback will start this Sunday afternoon when New England visits the New York Jets.
Ultimately, the Patriots must turn the page and prepare to get a victory in a must-win game against a divisional rival. But before that can happen, Belichick and the rest of the locker room need to get on the same page, because right now they seem miles apart.
