Mac Jones apologists keep making excuses for why Patriots QB is a bust

In 2000, a movie came out called Battlefield Earth. It was based on a novel by L. Ron Hubbard and starred John Travolta, Forrest Whitaker, and Barry Pepper. Fans of the novel couldn’t wait to see the movie, despite the atrocious trailer that preceded it.

Even after grossing just $29.7 million on a $73 million budget, and scoring a three percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, those same fans will defend the film, and attack any criticism of it. In a way, I admire their loyalty.

Mac Jones apologists have taken to shielding the Patriots quarterback from any criticism with the same vigor as Battlefield Earth fans. They point fingers at everyone but him, blaming everyone from the coaches to his teammates, to ownership for his lousy play over the last two seasons. Thankfully for Jones and his faithful followers, there isn’t a Rotten Tomatoes ranking for NFL players and their careers. Three percent for him would be a huge win.

Mac Jones only has himself to blame for regressing with Patriots

At first, the blame was cast on Matt Patricia and the Patriots offensive line. Then Bailey Zappe completed 70 percent of his passes under Patricia and behind that offensive line while Mac was hurt. When Jones returned to the Patriots and looked terrible, it was Bill Belichick's fault. His lack of confidence made Jones forget basic quarterback footwork that was taught to him in Pop Warner.

The newest report is a report by Andrew Callahan and Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald, detailing dysfunction in the Patriots organization for the Jones’ regression. Citing a number of “anonymous sources” within the organization (don’t get me started), they allude to an out-of-shape tackle’s displeasure (Trent Brown), a cornerback unhappy with his punishment for violating team rules and breaking the law (Jack Jones), and offensive line coach Adrian Klemm complaining about the talent he had to work with, as some of the reasons Mac Jones is now a “broken quarterback”.

The report even goes as far as saying that Will Grier was told he would compete for the starting job, despite there not being a real shot, as another prime example of why Mac Jones started throwing the ball to wide-open defenders, waving their arms and yelling, “I’m open Mac!”

How many times will writers and reporters from all mediums in town partner with the Mac Jones PR team to keep their client from losing face? Even Tom Curran has joined their payroll, trying to grab headlines with a “Kraft has already made up his mind” story that was picked up by every news outlet from here to Timbuktu. That story has since been refuted by more reputable journalists from ESPN and the NFL Network, but it doesn’t stop the truth deniers from believing it.

The reality is that only one person in the Patriots organization is to blame for Mac’s regression. It’s the guy blowing him kisses in the mirror every morning, while the yes-men he surrounds himself with pat him on the back and tell him he didn’t do anything wrong. Nobody has said, “It’s not your fault" in Boston this much since Goodwill Hunting.

I don’t care what anyone’s fake sources tell them. Mac Jones stinks, it’s his fault he stinks, and the Patriots will be better next year with a new quarterback.