New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones raised eyebrows at organized team activities last week when he told the media he wanted to “earn the respect of everybody in this building again.”
Well, a former Patriots coach took note of Jones’ comment and blasted the 24-year-old signal-caller for being in that position in the first place.
Eric Mangini, who spent six seasons with the Patriots from 2000-05, liked the accountability from Jones after a saga-filled second season with the Patriots but still managed to call out Jones for his “arrogance.”
“I like what he said. I like it a lot because I’ve always felt that Mac didn’t appreciate how good a situation he came into,” Mangini told Trey Wingo on the 33rd Team. “He had Josh McDaniels, he had Mick Lombardi, a great offensive staff, he had as stable an organization as you could get. He had a team that played complementary football. He came from a program that was similar. It was a perfect situation for who he was. And then Josh McDaniels leaves, he talks about, ‘Oh, I’ve had multiple coordinators. It’s not that big a deal.’
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“There was a little arrogance to the way he approached things. And then he found out how hard it is to win consistently in this league, and how tenuous your position is and that you probably shouldn’t go outside the New England Patriots organization if you don’t like what’s going on.”
Jones certainly regressed last season after a promising rookie campaign in which he received a Pro Bowl nod following a couple of quarterbacks dropping out of the exhibition event. Jones went 6-8 as a starter last season, passing for 2,997 yards with 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
New England’s offense looked in disarray a season ago, and while a lot of that can be attributed to having Matt Patricia and Joe Judge run the offense, Jones deserves some of the blame, too. Jones compounded his underwhelming play with on-field antics that weren’t well-received by everyone and reportedly angered Bill Belichick by seeking help outside the Patriots organization.
And due to that turmoil, Mangini believes Jones has an uphill climb as he looks to lead the Patriots back to the playoffs this season.
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“When you come in and there’s high expectations and you’ve been given a lot of respect and you lose it, it’s a longer road to get that back,” Mangini said. “Positive, really upbeat that this is the approach he’s taking, but this is going to be a longer road than him just making an offseason statement or tweeting out how he wants to get the respect back.”
Featured image via Eric Canha/USA TODAY Sports Images
