Mac Jones wore his emotions on his sleeve during the frustrating 2022 Patriots season. The second-year quarterback was criticized not only for his subpar play, but also for his poor body language and sideline tirades.
Former Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman was among those bothered by how Jones carried himself on the field. During an episode of "Inside the NFL," Edelman ripped Jones for making "pissy faces" and "waving off coaches." The harsh criticism came after the team's devastating loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, in which Jones failed to tackle Raiders edge rusher Chandler Jones on the game-winning touchdown return.
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Year 3 is set up to be a bounce-back year for Jones with Bill O'Brien replacing Matt Patricia on the sideline as offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach. Edelman hopes that as a result, Jones' outbursts will be a thing of the past.
“He’s a young guy and his situation that he was in — I’m not saying it was an easy situation, especially having Matty P calling plays," Edelman said on a recent episode of Barstool Sports’ “Pardon My Take” podcast. "But everyone is watching you when you’re the quarterback. There’s something to be said about that, and there’s a standard. There’s rules.
“Don’t come at me saying, ‘Oh, well (Tom) Brady,’ Brady had like three Super Bowls when (expletive) showed up a coach for one — for the first time. Not showed up a coach, but he got into an argument with someone and showed emotion. You can’t do that, especially when you’re still trying to learn who you are.”
As Edelman alludes to, Tom Brady famously had fiery sideline disputes with assistants Bill O'Brien and Josh McDaniels during his illustrious Patriots career. But by that point, the legendary quarterback had already earned the right to voice his frustrations.
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The hope for Jones is that with the overhaul on the coaching staff, the offense will look more like it did during his impressive rookie season. But even if it doesn't, don't expect him to get away with those outbursts as long as O'Brien is in the fold.