Julian Edelman Questions Patriots’ Plan As Mac Jones ‘Regresses’

Longtime Patriots receiver Julian Edelman feels like all other New England fans who are confused about the team’s offense.

“It doesn’t look right,” Edelman told 98.5 The Sports Hub over the weekend, as transcribed by NBC Sports Boston’s Phil Perry. “It’s definitely — it’s shocking with the situation they’ve got going over there. Lotta screens. Lotta draws. Tells me they don’t trust their offensive line … They don’t trust their receivers to get open, and that’s what they have to do to get yards and score points.”

Edelman’s critiques are like so many others before him.

NFL analysts and reporters initially questioned why head coach Bill Belichick would put Matt Patricia and Joe Judge in charge of the Patriots offense given the fact the former was a defensive coordinator and the latter a special teams coach. And Belichick sticking with those two rather than making what he referred to as “dramatic” changes continue to raise those same concerns. The Patriots offense is dead last in red zone efficiency and third-worst in passing touchdowns.

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Edelman can’t help but notice the regression in second-year Patriots quarterback Mac Jones, too.

“I don’t think it’s necessarily his fault why he’s regressed, but yes, he’s regressed,” Edelman said of Jones. “You bring in Matt Patricia and Joe Judge, they’re learning just as much as he is, and that’s tough.

“I don’t know what Bill (Belichick) was thinking,” Edelman added. “He keeps his cards close … My speculation is they didn’t want to go and hire someone from the outside (who would leave after a year). Bill doesn’t like that. It’s a trust thing, probably … Josh (McDaniels) leaves and they didn’t really have a plan going forward. I don’t know.”

The Patriots will have a chance to overwrite some of those troubles Sunday when they face the Las Vegas Raiders.