Unnamed Source’s Quote About Mac Jones Magnifies Patriots’ Ugly Reality

Mac Jones undoubtedly deserves a huge slice of the Patriots’ blame pie with New England sitting at 1-4 after another lopsided loss Sunday.

The third-year quarterback has regressed for the second straight season, despite New England bringing in offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien, and there’s little reason to believe better days are ahead. Not only are the Patriots not scoring points. They’re also giving points to their opponents.

But Jones’ lackluster performance through five weeks isn’t the only problem facing New England. His supporting cast stinks, as well. The Pats have no weapons. Their offensive line is a mess. And now, the defense isn’t holding up its end of the bargain, thanks in large to injuries to its two best players, Matthew Judon and Christian Gonzalez.

“No matter how good of cook you are, you cannot make garbage taste good,” a source close to Jones told FOX Sports on Sunday after New England’s 34-0 loss to the New Orleans Saints at Gillette Stadium. “Even if it was not Mac at QB, what QB would want to play here under these conditions?”

It’s a valid criticism. It’s hard to imagine many quarterbacks thriving alongside the talent, or lack thereof, Bill Belichick has assembled in New England. The roster is littered with question marks, on both sides of the ball, and the concerns are mounting with each passing week.

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A 38-3 road loss to the Cowboys in Week 4, while ugly, was somewhat defensible, seeing as Dallas had the look of a viable NFC contender (at least until Sunday night against the San Francisco 49ers). But getting pummeled at home in Week 5 by the Saints? There’s no way to sugarcoat that defeat.

The Patriots are a bad football team, which executives across the NFL evidently are beginning to realize. And their issues extend wide and far, with Belichick — arguably the best coach in NFL history — perhaps deserving the biggest piece of the aforementioned blame pie.

That said, good quarterbacks elevate those around him. At no point in his professional career has Jones shown an ability to do that. Acting like he’s not part of the problem — a big part of the problem — is both naive and foolish.

So, sure, someone close to Jones can drop a testy quote in the immediate aftermath of New England’s fourth loss in hopes of redirecting the fan base’s growing hostility. But really, it just speaks to the divide that exists in Foxboro.

The whole operation seemingly is teetering on the edge, with finger pointing replacing accountability as the new Patriot Way.