Albert Breer joins Zolak and Bertrand and gives his honest take on Mac Jones, and his performance last Sunday vs. the Cowboys.
To say Mac Jones' stock is low right now might be an understatement.
The New England Patriots quarterback had arguably his worst game as a pro Sunday in Dallas, completing just 12 of 21 passes for 150 yards while committing three turnovers -- two of which were returned for touchdowns -- before being benched for backup Bailey Zappe in a 38-3 blowout loss.
Jones' abysmal performance called his long-term future as New England's quarterback into doubt -- and apparently earned him an unflattering nickname from his opponent. During an appearance Thursday on 98.5 The Sports Hub's "Zolak & Bertrand," Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer relayed the opinion one member of the Cowboys had of Jones.
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"I talked to one of the Cowboys guys after and I asked him his opinion on Mac, and he called him 'Cooper Rush Deluxe,'" Breer said, as seen in the video player above.
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We'd imagine Jones wouldn't love being compared to Rush, a career backup who has appeared in just six games over six seasons behind starter Dak Prescott. Still, Rush managed to go 4-1 last season as Dallas' fill-in starter after an injury to Prescott, in part because of the strong supporting cast around him.
That same member of the Cowboys believed Jones could have similar success if the Patriots' roster was constructed like Dallas' in 2016 and 2017, with Ezekiel Elliott running behind one of the best offensive line in football.
"He said, 'What would be ideal for (Jones) is, if they set it up like we set it up for Dak in 16 and 17, where we had a great running game, a good offensive line, all this help. He'd be fine,'" Breer added. "You're asking him now to be something he's not because of your deficiencies on the line and because of your deficiencies at receiver."
This theory is in line with what an executive whose team faced the Patriots this season told Breer recently: that Jones can thrive in the right system with the right pieces around him, but doesn't have enough juice to carry a team without that support.
"He can't carry a team," Breer said. "... When things aren't perfect around him, things look really hard."
If you subscribe to that argument, there are two clear paths forward: either surround Jones with elite-level talent on offense (something the Patriots sorely lack at both offensive line and wide receiver), or find a more dynamic quarterback.
Either way, there seems to be growing sentiment that something needs to change in New England -- even among the Patriots' former players.
"You can't go out and do what he did. That was bad football," former Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman said Wednesday on The Ryen Russillo Podcast. " ... He's very out of sync right now, and it was bad.
"... This is a quarterback league," Edelman said. "You have to have a quarterback that fits your system to win games. Look at all the good teams. They all have good quarterbacks. And right now Mac hasn't been developing at the rate that they want."
Jones has a chance to redeem himself this Sunday against the New Orleans Saints, but if he struggles and the Patriots fall to 1-4, the calls to shake up the offense will only grow louder.
