Rex Ryan — perhaps begrudgingly — issued praise to Mac Jones after the Patriots’ season opener.
But after New England’s quarterback played arguably the worst game of his career Sunday, Ryan reverted back to his original stance on the 2021 first-rounder.
Jones was awful against the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium, where he completed 12 of 21 pass attempts for 150 yards with two interceptions and no touchdowns. That body of work was compiled across three quarters, as Jones was replaced by Bailey Zappe shortly before the start of the fourth.
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A dreadful showing from Jones and a lopsided Patriots loss gave Ryan the perfect opportunity to tee off on the 25-year-old.
“The guy doesn’t have a whole lot of arm talent,” Ryan said Monday on ESPN’s “Get Up.” “I’ve said it from jump. Maybe the worst arm for all starting quarterbacks in the league. It’s the truth. Give me a guy that has a worse arm than this cat. It doesn’t happen. He doesn’t have the power to throw it outside the numbers or vertically. Why do they throw all those screens? I love his completion percentage. Yeah, he’s throwing screens and hitches and things like that.
“When he has to make plays, he can’t make them and that’s a simple fact. I don’t hate. I’ve have to defend against everybody. I would love to defend against this guy. Are you kidding me? Like, this guy can’t throw.”
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Despite the blunt criticism, Ryan did note how Jones is the Patriots’ best option behind center. But the former NFL head coach believes this has more to do with the limitations of Zappe, who was released by New England on roster-cutdown day before rejoining the team.
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Jones will try to bounce back Sunday when the Patriots host the 2-2 New Orleans Saints.
Featured image via Tim Heitman/USA TODAY Sports Images
