Mac Jones had a tough sophomore season, but the New England Patriots remain confident in the young quarterback.
New England brought back Bill O’Brien as offensive coordinator, and more changes are expected after the Patriots failed to make the postseason.
There will need to be a lot of work done in free agency and the NFL Draft, but all questions have been on Jones. Matt Patricia and Joe Judge didn’t get the best out of the 24-year-old, which reportedly led to a lot of internal tension, some of which was created by the QB himself. And Bailey Zappe’s flashes caused a stir in the fan base.
But players like Jakobi Meyers have fully been in Jones’ corner, and Matthew Judon was the latest Patriot to back the QB.
“I think we’ve got a great deal of confidence in Mac,” Judon told Grant Gordon of NFL.com on Saturday at Pro Bowl Games practices. “And we’re gonna see, because we know what type of player he can be. We saw it at the collegiate level, high school level and we saw it at a pro level. And so that’s what we need. He knows that. And we’re going to be backin’ him just as long as he’s our quarterback, as long as he’s on the team, we’re gonna be backin’ him. And I don’t plan that he’s going anywhere anytime soon.”
The Pro Bowler added: “Yeah we wanted to win a Super Bowl, but also we improved. We hit some strides and we made some strides, but we took a step back in some other things. And once we can improve on those and the finer details, everybody can see we’re gonna be a damn good team.”
The defense was the lone bright spot on the team, and Judon led the way with a career-high 15.5 sacks — luckily New England doesn’t rely on the pass rusher on the golf course. Fans hope O’Brien can help bring Jones back on an upward career trajectory, which ideally will take the Patriots back to the postseason.
Whether or not New England can win a playoff game, like owner Robert Kraft wishes, will depend on how the team improves in the offseason.
