Former Patriots Coach’s Harsh Criticism Of Mac Jones Wasn’t Fair

Mac Jones has been a frequent target of criticism this season, and the bulk of it was warranted.

Jones’ poor decision-making has been arguably his greatest flaw thus far in his third NFL campaign. The 25-year-old has turned into a turnover machine, one who appears to be playing with zero confidence behind center. These struggles have many questioning whether Jones has a future in New England beyond this season.

Legendary offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia believes Jones “can play,” but when the newly inducted Patriots Hall of Famer joined the criticism parade Saturday, he didn’t hone in on the product on the football field. Instead, Scarnecchia opted for a harpoon that Jones didn’t deserve.

“I wish that he would do less interviews and shut the hell up, because all the stuff he continually puts out there … just shut up,” Scarnecchia told MassLive’s Karen Guregian. “Go in the film room. Get ready. Enough (talking).”

We’re not really sure how Scarnecchia developed this gripe with Jones.

For starters, Jones seemingly speaks to the media as little as possible each week. The Alabama product jumps on for a WEEI radio interview the day after Patriots games and fulfills his obligation of holding a media availability in the lead-up to New England contests. Outside of that, you basically never hear from the 2021 first-round pick. Jones isn’t appearing on podcasts, he basically never posts on any social media channels and he’s not welcoming a crowd of reporters in the locker room after practices.

And when Jones does talk, you’d be hard-pressed to find anything less interesting. The third-year signal-caller clearly graduated from Patriots media training with flying colors, as virtually all of his sound bites are nothing more than cookie-cutter media speak. With Jones, all you’re going to hear are “focused on getting better,” “it comes down to execution,” and the other soundbite staples at Gillette Stadium.

To be clear, this isn’t a defense of Jones as the Patriots’ starting quarterback. He probably shouldn’t still be getting the nod at this juncture, but New England doesn’t have a better option in house. That could change next spring when the Patriots absolutely should select a quarterback if they end up with a top-five pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

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But the haymaker Jones received from Scarnecchia wasn’t warranted. The young QB hasn’t flapped his gums since the moment he arrived in New England and he never draws attention to himself when he’s forced to speak. Jones is abiding by an important principle of the “Patriot Way,” which you would think Scarnecchia would appreciate after decades with the organization.

Again, you don’t have to search far and wide to find a way to shade Jones. He’s a flawed quarterback who might not end up having a substantial career as an NFL starter. As such, Scarnecchia should have targeted any of Jones’ abundantly evident shortcomings rather than launch a baseless shot.