It's been reported that 'tension' was caused within the New England Patriots camp when head coach Bill Belichick benched Mac Jones earlier this season.
An injury to Jones saw Bailey Zappe take over as quarterback earlier in the season. But when Jones returned, he was benched mid game against the Chicago Bears, as Zappe once again took over.
During the second half of the season it was Jones all the way, and Belichick has regularly spoke in support of the 24-year-old. But that may not have always been the case, as rumours suggest Belichick wasn't happy with Jones, who reportedly went in search of outside help to improve his game.
According to Pro Football Talk, Jones saw outside help to assist with their offensive struggles earlier in the season. And Belichick reportedly let Jones know he wasn't happy after finding out, which may have led to the harsh benching.
At the time, Belichick defended his decision as he said: "I told the quarterbacks that we were going to play both of them, and that's what we did. That's not what it was [performance], but you can write whatever you want to write. That's not what it was."
And Belichick's reasoning is justified as Jones had a nightmare start to the game against the Bears earlier in the season. He threw an interception at the end of his second unsuccessful drive, and threw for just 13 yards with a 50 per-cent completion rate.
Jones was removed early into the second quarter and replaced by Zappe. To make matters worse for Jones, Zappe quickly helped inspire two touchdowns for the Patriots, although they still lost the game 33-14.
Belichick soon made Jones No 1 again, and that would continue for the rest of the season. This supposed ticking off seems to have been a disciplinary issue, and nothing more.
The Patriots coach clearly doesn't like asking for outside help, as an extremely experienced coach. But Jones' heart was in the right place, and he clearly just wants to be better for the team.
However, Belichick could still ask for outside help, as the coach is still heavily linked with a move for Tom Brady, who's out of contract at the end of the season. Brady has been the topic of speculation, but Las Vegas Raiders have made the first move after announcing Derek Carr would move on.
