Mac Jones has been a major disappointment since the New England Patriots drafted him nearly three years ago, but many feel he has never been put in a position to succeed. Julian Edelman is tired of hearing that excuse.
Edelman discussed Jones’ struggles during a Thursday appearance on FS1’s “The Herd with Colin Cowherd.” The Patriots legend agreed that his former team’s offense has been a mess, but he is not buying the talk that Jones has been negatively impacted by having three different offensive coordinators in three years.
“This is a production business, OK? And everyone keeps on wanting to say, ‘Oh, he’s had three offensive coordinators.’ He’s really only had two offensive coordinators,” Edelman said, as transcribed by Mike Kadlick of WEEI.com. “I had Billy O’Brien and Josh McDaniels. That’s the same scheme. There’s a couple of wrinkles here and there, but you’re fundamentally doing the same things.”
You could argue that Jones lost a season last year when Belichick put together a makeshift offensive staff with former defensive coordinator Matt Patricia essentially serving as OC. However, it was no secret that Jones wanted to work with O’Brien. The Patriots went out and hired Mac’s guy, and the results have been even worse.
Edelman thinks Jones’ biggest issue at this point is the quarterback’s lack of confidence.
“It’s just been tough for Mac to execute in the high-pressure situations, and it comes down to his confidence,” Edelman said. “He’s lost his confidence, and once you lose your confidence in this league, it’s tough.”
There is no question the Patriots have one of the worst rosters in the NFL. They also lack a true playmaker on the offensive side of the ball. Unfortunately, Jones has made a bad situation even worse with horrible mistakes like this one. It is hard to blame coaching or a supporting cast when you are single-handedly costing your team a chance to win in certain situations.
