Do the New England Patriots have a Mac Jones problem or a Bill Belichick problem? Or maybe both?
Clearly, the recipe in Foxboro isn't working. The Patriots have gone four seasons without a playoff victory, a surprising stretch of mediocrity after New England won six Super Bowl titles in the previous 18 seasons. There's plenty of blame to go around, but Max Kellerman on Wednesday pointed to Belichick's antiquated way of doing business, which includes trying to win with a quarterback whose skill set isn't necessarily conducive to success in today's NFL.
"In today's NFL, the only dinosaur in terms of style -- the statue, the guy who can't move at all, who's not from a previous generation ... is Mac Jones, is the guy who's playing for Belichick, is the guy Belichick drafted. Fell to (No.) 15 to him in the (2021) draft, right? Nick Saban's guy, the whole thing," Kellerman said on ESPN's "Keyshawn, JWill and Max" while evaluating the reported tension that exists between Belichick and Jones. "And it strikes me that Belichick had all this success in a previous era of football, with a certain kind of quarterback, and he now has that same style -- although not nearly at the same level -- in a league where you can't do it anymore. Certainly not without a guy who's lights out. And that is not Mac Jones. That's Belichick the GM and Belichick the coach, all rolled up into one."
Maybe Jones simply isn't good enough, as Kellerman suggests by labeling the third-year quarterback a "dinosaur." But the Patriots' issues -- including a report Tuesday that Belichick shopped Jones in trade talks this offseason -- go beyond one player not performing between the lines. There seemingly are mixed messages being delivered.
Belichick long has taken a "what have you done for me lately" approach. Which is all fine and good, except he recently pointed to New England's past success when asked why Patriots fans should be optimistic ahead of the 2023 NFL season. It sure feels like a double standard that only highlights the authoritarian nature of Belichick's operation.
"This is the issue with the corrupting nature of power. It's the reason you need checks on power," Kellerman said Wednesday. "Because power itself is a corrupting influence. ... Bill Belichick has too much power in New England."
Kellerman basically fired shots at both Jones and Belichick in assessing the predicament New England faces three years removed from Tom Brady's departure. The results (or lack thereof) speak for themselves, though.
The Patriots have seen better days.
