Mac Jones talks about his poor performance in the Patriots’ Week 4 loss to the Cowboys
The national media has not been kind to the New England Patriots or quarterback Mac Jones on Monday.
Jones gave arguably the worst performance of his NFL career in Sunday's 38-3 loss to the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. The 25-year-old QB completed 12 of 21 pass attempts for 150 yards with zero touchdowns and two interceptions.
Two of his three turnovers -- a pick-6 and a fumble -- were returned for touchdowns by the Cowboys defense in the second quarter.
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Perhaps no one has been more critical of Jones in the aftermath of New England's Week 4 defeat than Rex Ryan. The former New York Jets and Buffalo Bills head coach, who's currently an analyst for ESPN, didn't pass on an opportunity to rip Jones.
"The guy doesn't have a whole lot of arm talent. I've said it from the jump," Ryan said on ESPN's Get Up. "Maybe the weakest arm of all starting quarterbacks in the league. I don't hate. I'm telling you based on all the years I've (coached) against everybody, I would have loved to defend against this guy. To think this guy is gonna take you to where you want to go, you're absolutely crazy.
"This guy can't pitch it outside the numbers. I'm sorry, that's an NFL throw, and what I saw was -- he's supposed to be accurate, and the ball is on the inside of an out route. Are you kidding? Where's the power? It has nothing to do with my receivers if I can't step into a throw and fire it. That ball needs to be thrown to the outside."
Ryan added: "I just base it on what I see. I've defended against everybody. I've had to face them all. Drew Brees was a guy who never had great arm talent and he threw with anticipation and accuracy. That's what (Jones) has to do."
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick confirmed after Sunday's loss that Jones will remain the starter for Week 5 against the New Orleans Saints.
That wasn't a surprise because as bad as Jones played versus the Cowboys, the other options the Patriots have at quarterback -- backup Bailey Zappe and third string Will Grier -- aren't any better, and it's not even close.
Jones is a much better player than what we saw Sunday in Dallas, and it's largely up to the coaching staff -- most notably offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien -- to fix what's wrong.
