Dan Orlovsky isn’t buying the idea that second-year quarterback Mac Jones is the reason for all of the offensive problems right now for the New England Patriots.
Quite the contrary, the former NFL quarterback and ESPN analyst believes it’s the other way around. He sees the structure of the offense itself as the culprit that has led to the regression of the player.
Something has clearly happened considering Jones was a Pro Bowl quarterback in his rookie year. Now, people are debating whether or not he’s worthy of starting over rookie fourth-round draft pick Bailey Zappe.
The last two seasons are like a night and day comparison for Jones.
“If anyone tells you it’s Mac Jones’ issue in New England they’re out the freaking minds,” Orlovsky posted on Twitter. “This offense has completely regressed this player, and it’s awful.”
If anyone tells you it’s Mac Jones’ issue in New England they’re out the freaking minds
This offense has completely regressed this player, and it’s awful.
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) November 7, 2022
It’s hard to ignore the fact that the Patriots wrote the book on a 100 different ways to ruin a young quarterback this season.
Jones lost his offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels, in the middle of his formative years as a quarterback, and instead of hiring a viable replacement, coach Bill Belichick leaned on familiarity and handed the play-calling duties over to former defensive coordinator Matt Patricia.
It doesn’t help matters that the offensive line has been a mess to go along with the shaky play-calling. Jones also missed a significant chunk of the season with a high ankle sprain.
There are a lot of reasons to explain why the offense hasn’t taken off yet. The Patriots can only hope to continue to put the pieces together when heading into the bye week and emerge an even better team ahead of their big Week 11 rematch with the New York Jets.
