Scott Zolak on Mac Jones’ camp speaking out: Nobody likes a rat
After Mac Jones’ camp seemed to put the blame for the Patriots’ struggles on the roster, Scott Zolak made it clear that nobody likes a rat.
He doesn’t need to say it…
Marc Bertrand: Here we are. We are at the point where the fingers start getting pointed at each other, and it’s every man for himself. This is what happens with really bad teams. This is what happens with a crumbling situation, and this is someone in Mac Jones’ camp. A source close to Mac Jones might as well be Mac himself.
Scott Zolak: Not good.
Marc Bertrand: You say not good. Why do you say not good?
Scott Zolak: Because there’s a guy that, you know, was here for 20 years that I don’t want to say ‘earned the right’ to maybe say something or drop a nugget here or there or his camp says something, but when you win six of them and it’s coming down to the end and, you know, sort of shots are being fired and you know, the convictions, ‘What do I do this for?’ Or, you know, the wife saying this or that or the “Tom vs. Time”… you know what I’m talking about.
Marc Bertrand: I don’t blame Mac Jones and his people one bit for saying this. Not even a tiny bit and I’ll tell you why. Bill’s not going to last. He’s not going to be here for a long time. He’s not. That should start to become apparent. I don’t think Mac Jones is the guy for the Patriots. I don’t think Mac Jones is the franchise quarterback for anybody.
Scott Zolak: I think you’re finding that out.
Marc Bertrand: But he needs to do his best with his people to try and control the narrative on him for where he lands next and don’t think for a second that narratives don’t actually do things for players in the NFL when it comes to GMs and scouts and executives who make decisions about players. They are impacted, they are human, they are impacted by what people say about certain players.
Scott Zolak: I’d be careful.
Marc Bertrand: It is going to be Mac Jones trying to make the case that, hey, rewind that tape a few more times. Look at the mess that I’ve been dealing with in New England. This is not who I am. I can be a better quarterback for somebody else. That’s what he’s trying to do. He’s trying to protect his future as an NFL starter. That’s what he’s going to try and do because the truth is, as bad as Mac Jones has been and he’s been plenty bad, and I think the Patriots should try to move on from him. He’s going to want to continue playing in this league.
Scott Zolak: I’d say be careful because I think, you know, we sit here every day for four hours. Joe, I know you do at night. We see that. Careful. Anybody that understands the game of football understands what he’s dealing with. He doesn’t need to say it. I’m just saying nobody likes a rat. Nobody likes a rat in this league.
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 08: Mac Jones #10 of the New England Patriots looks on during the second quarter against the New Orleans Saints at Gillette Stadium on October 08, 2023 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
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Bill Belichick needs to take a good, hard look in the mirror after this
When you look this bad in consecutive weeks, there’s a festering problem that goes beyond just the players. There’s also something wrong on the New England Patriots’ coaching staff.
And it begins and ends with the man at the helm of the football operation.
Bill Belichick suffered the worst loss of his career last week against the Dallas Cowboys, based on the 35-point margin of victory. But this was worse. A 34-0 shutout at the hands of the decent-at-best New Orleans Saints, in which Derek Carr and the offense connected for big plays and finished touchdown drives in the red zone, and the Patriots offense bottomed out.
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 08: Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots looks on during the second quarter against the New Orleans Saints at Gillette Stadium on October 08, 2023 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
This game was always going to be sneaky-challenging. Carr isn’t terrible, and the Saints have a handful of legitimate playmakers on both sides of the ball. But for the Patriots to not even be competitive in this game, on their home turf, against a team that’s less than a top contender (like the Cowboys or Eagles), was inexcusable. And it’s impossible to excuse Belichick.
“Plain and simply, we’ve got to find a way to play and coach better than that,” Belichick said after the game. “So that’s what we are going to do, start all over and get back on a better track than we’re on right now.”
The Patriots’ players are certainly not playing well, especially on offense. But at what point do we stop wringing our hands over them and look at the guy tasked with putting them in position to succeed? Because Belichick and his staff aren’t doing that right now.
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 08: Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots looks on during the first quarter against the New Orleans Saints at Gillette Stadium on October 08, 2023 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
Historically, that was Belichick’s calling card. He was ahead of the competition. His guys were going to be the more prepared and disciplined group. It was a big reason for those first three Super Bowl wins. It was key to Malcolm Butler’s championship-saving interception. And it was the main reason Belichick was able to drag one of the worst rosters in the NFL with terrible quarterback play to seven wins in 2020, and to grind out eight wins with a defensive coach running the offense in 2022.
It’s been a while since the Patriots inspired any confidence that they could beat a good team. But they at least had Belichick’s coaching ready to outclass inferior operations, and to keep it closer than expected against good ones.
He just got his ass handed to him by Dennis Allen. At home. Allen is in just his fifth season as a head coach in the NFL. He just went into Foxboro and had the significantly better, more prepared team. And this was a group that had issues of their own going into Sunday. Not against Belichick, apparently.
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 08: Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots looks on during the first quarter against the New Orleans Saints at Gillette Stadium on October 08, 2023 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Getty Images)
The Patriots’ players aren’t THIS bad. They’re objectively more talented on paper now than they were in 2020, and you can make that case against the 2021 team in certain key areas. Their pass-catchers aren’t good, but are they worse than N’Keal Harry, Damiere Byrd, Ryan Izzo? Is Jakobi Meyers really that much better than Kendrick Bourne, DeVante Parker, or JuJu Smith-Schuster? (Well, JuJu, yes.)
There’s a reason this version of the Patriots offense, despite getting an established coordinator in the off-season and building a better collective group of talent, just keeps going backward. There’s a reason they’re plagued by slow starts. Mac Jones was asked what he thinks is behind those.
“Really, just not being ready to go, I guess,” Jones said. “I mean, as an offense, you want to go out there, you’ve practiced all week and you feel confident so definitely want to get improvement on that. And not any of these games are not starting off very hot, so we’ve just got to improve.”
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 08: Cameron Jordan #94 of the New Orleans Saints and Tanoh Kpassagnon #92 of the New Orleans Saints sack Mac Jones #10 of the New England Patriots during the first half at Gillette Stadium on October 08, 2023 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Getty Images)
Players play. It’s not their job to “be ready to go.” That’s on the coaches. That’s on Belichick.
And with him, it’s extra-complicated because he also picks the players. Belichick can’t pull a Bill Parcells and bemoan his inability to shop for the groceries. And he can’t even make chicken salad out of chicken shit anymore.
Belichick is responsible for the players. He’s responsible for what they ultimately do (or not do) on the field. So when it gets this bad, he’s responsible for that too.
Oct 8, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick during the first half against the New Orleans Saints at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Considering the clear improvements the Patriots have made on their roster since 2020, it stands to reason that it’s possible Belichick’s grip on the players is slipping. It’s possible the message isn’t getting through. And if it is, it smells.
“We’ll keep working on it,” Belichick said, when asked about that.
Belichick has to be running out of time to work on messaging. It would still be a seismic shock if we wake up Monday morning and Belichick has been let go. It’s more likely that Robert Kraft at least lets the 2023 season plays out.
But what’s that going to accomplish? Even if Belichick and his staff step up their game, and this Patriots roster suddenly looks prepared, disciplined, a step ahead of the competition? They’re still not overly talented. Jones isn’t good enough to make up for those deficiencies.
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 08: Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots walks off the field after his team’s 34-0 loss against the New Orleans Saints at Gillette Stadium on October 08, 2023 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
Even if Belichick reaches deep down in whatever he’s got left and goes on one last run, and gets the most out of his players … can the Patriots possibly get to nine wins? That seems so far away, that even grinding out 6-7 victories would be a meaningless exercise. Fans across the region are probably already looking at the top draft prospects.
If anything, Belichick would get in the way of that. But it’s a best-case scenario. Realistically, he’s here to stay for the rest of 2023. But the way it’s going, he won’t be able to eke out many more victories, anyway.
And if he’s wondering why, he should look in the mirror.
