Albert Breer: Why can’t Bill Belichick take blame for Mac Jones?
On Wednesday’s edition of Zolak & Bertrand, Albert Breer of SI and MMQB questioned why Bill Belichick can’t take accountability for picking Mac Jones.
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – NOVEMBER 26: Mac Jones #10 of the New England Patriots walks off the field during the first half against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on November 26, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Going back to the J.C. Jackson drama…
Albert Breer: At some point the benchings have to mean something, right? At some point,when you sit a guy down, it has to has to mean more than just like, okay, we’re going to give you a restart. I don’t know how well you have confidence in the guy anymore. Like, I don’t know if the guy has confidence in himself, because you put him in a position now where and if in fairness to Mac, it’s like, how can he not go out there and think the first thing that goes wrong, I’m going to get yanked the hell out of here?
Scott Zolak: Well, he should right now.
Albert Breer: Right? How is a quarterback going to go out there and play at his best if he’s thinking that the whole time.
Scott Zolak: And that’s my point from last week like there was really no competition here where you’re splitting reps evenly and one guy gets the ones and the other guy gets the twos, flip days. That was all farce last week.If you’re the starting quarterback, name him. Give him the reps, let him prepare. Let the guys know on the team. This is our guy right now.
Albert Breer: So you guys know I went off a couple of weeks ago, right? Like about Bill basically doing the J.C. Jackson thing. Remember the J.C. Jackson thing, right? Bill leaked it out there right after his press conference. So everybody except for him had to answer for it.
Marc Bertrand: All of his players were left to talk about it and he was already done for the day/
Albert Breer: I thought that was a chicken bleep move to do that. Especially when the heat is turned up on your team. It’s your job to stand in there and take the bullets, right? Again, like with Mac Jones, like when he’s asked straight out like, was this your pick? He can’t say it. Why? The buck has stopped with him for 25 years.
Scott Zolak: Things started to change there Bert.
Albert Breer: This kid, you’re not giving the kid a chance, right? Because now, A. you’ve benched him four times, B. you’re basically like shirking responsibility for the pick. You know you could say Zo, what you could say if you’re Bill is even if it wasn’t your pick, you could say, I have final say on all football matters. It was my pick. But he’s throwing the word collaborative in there to open up and he knows exactly what he’s doing.
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – NOVEMBER 26: Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots looks on prior to a game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on November 26, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Listen to the full segment!
2 Patriots Super Bowl champions named Pro Football Hall of Fame Semifinalists
NT Vince Wilfork
FOXBORO, MA – JANUARY 14: Vince Wilfork #75 of the New England Patriots reacts after he sacked Tim Tebow #15 of the Denver Broncos in the second half during their AFC Divisional Playoff Game at Gillette Stadium on January 14, 2012 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
Wilfork is in his third year on the ballot, and has now reached the semifinalist round all three times. This is as far as he made it the previous two years.
As was the case with another Patriots defensive tackle in Richard Seymour, Wilfork’s Hall of Fame case goes beyond his numbers. Given how defensive tackles are used in the Patriots’ defensive system, Wilfork impacted the game well beyond the box score.
During Wilfork’s tenure the Patriots were regularly one of the toughest teams to run on in the NFL. When he missed 12 games in 2013 their rank against the run dropped all the way to 30th from ninth the year before. He was also one of the best pass-rushing nose tackles of his era, and played with great athleticism for his size. On top of that his durability was impressive given his position – 2013 was the only time Wilfork failed to play at least 13 games, and he played a full 16 in nine of his 13 seasons.
Still, will Wilfork’s lack of raw stats force him to wait like Seymour did? It took five years of eligibility before ‘Big Sey’ got the nod.
S Rodney Harrison
CHARLOTTE, NC – SEPTEMBER 18: Rodney Harrison #37 of the New England Patriots helps make a call during their game against the Carolina Panthers on September 18, 2005 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
If you’ve read any of my Pro Football Hall of Fame posts in the past, you know I feel strongly about this one. Rodney Harrison isn’t just one of the biggest Hall of Fame snubs in the NFL, but across all sports.
Arguably the best strong safety of his era, Harrison is a two-time Super Bowl Champion and three-time All-Pro. He’s also the inaugural member of the NFL’s 30-30 Club, as the first player in league history to record both 30 career sacks and 30 career interceptions. Only Ray Lewis – a first ballot Hall of Famer – has joined him since, and no active player is particularly close.
Despite all of that, Harrison has never been a finalist in almost a decade of eligibility. This is his third time as a semifinalist, after 2021 and 2023. His induction is long overdue, but we’ll have to see if this year is any different.
Other former Patriots
FOXBORO, MA – DECEMBER 31: James Harrison #92 of the New England Patriots looks on during the first half against the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium on December 31, 2017 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
There are four other players who reached the semifinalist round who spent short stints with the Patriots. None of the four won a Super Bowl with the team, but one did play in one.
That one is James Harrison, who is in his second year of eligibility and is a second-time semifinalist. The long-time Steelers pass rusher recorded 84.5 sacks in his career, with the final two of those coming when he was a member of the Patriots.
Running back Fred Taylor also finished his career with the Patriots, after a dominant 11 seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He’s been a semifinalist each of the last four years.
Wide receivers Reggie Wayne and Torry Holt never played a snap for the Patriots, but both spent part of a training camp in New England before retiring. Holt in particular stands out as a worthy candidate for induction – no NFL player in the 2000s had more catches (868) or receiving yards (12,594) than Holt. His 68 touchdowns in the decade rank fifth.
Other semifinalists
Aug 4, 2022; Canton, Ohio, USA; The Pro Football Hall of Fame logo at midfield at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Here’s the full list of 2024 semifinalists, from the Pro Football Hall of Fame…
- Eric Allen, CB – 1988-1994 Philadelphia Eagles, 1995-97 New Orleans Saints, 1998-2001 Oakland Raiders | (Times as a Semifinalist: 4 – 2021-24)
- Jared Allen, DE – 2004-07 Kansas City Chiefs, 2008-2013 Minnesota Vikings, 2014-15 Chicago Bears, 2015 Carolina Panthers | (Times as a Semifinalist: 4 – 2021-24)
- Willie Anderson, T – 1996-2007 Cincinnati Bengals, 2008 Baltimore Ravens | (Times as a Semifinalist: 4 – 2021-24)
- Tiki Barber, RB – 1997-2006 New York Giants | (Times as a Semifinalist: 1 – 2024)
- Anquan Boldin, WR – 2003-09 Arizona Cardinals, 2010-12 Baltimore Ravens, 2013-15 San Francisco 49ers, 2016 Detroit Lions | (Times as a Semifinalist: 3 – 2022-24)
- Jahri Evans, G – 2006-2016 New Orleans Saints, 2017 Green Bay Packers | (Times as a Semifinalist: 2 – 2023-24)
- London Fletcher, LB – 1998-2001 St. Louis Rams, 2002-06 Buffalo Bills, 2007-2013 Washington Redskins | (Times as a Semifinalist: 2 – 2023-24)
- Dwight Freeney, DE – 2002-2012 Indianapolis Colts, 2013-14 San Diego Chargers, 2015 Arizona Cardinals, 2016 Atlanta Falcons, 2017 Seattle Seahawks, 2017 Detroit Lions | (Times as a Semifinalist: 2 – 2023-24)
- Antonio Gates, TE – 2003-2018 San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers (Times as a Semifinalist: 1 – 2024)
- Eddie George, RB – 1996-2003 Houston/Tennessee Oilers/Titans, 2004 Dallas Cowboys (Times as a Semifinalist: 2 – 2022, 2024)
- James Harrison, LB – 2002-2012, 2014-17 Pittsburgh Steelers, 2013 Cincinnati Bengals, 2017 New England Patriots | (Times as a Semifinalist: 2 – 2023-24)
- Rodney Harrison, S – 1994-2002 San Diego Chargers, 2003-08 New England Patriots | (Times as a Semifinalist: 3 – 2021, 2023-24)
- Devin Hester, PR/KR/WR – 2006-2013 Chicago Bears, 2014-15 Atlanta Falcons, 2016 Baltimore Ravens | (Times as a Semifinalist: 3 – 2022-24)
- Torry Holt, WR – 1999-2008 St. Louis Rams, 2009 Jacksonville Jaguars | (Times as a Semifinalist: 10 – 2015-2024)
- Andre Johnson, WR – 2003-2014 Houston Texans, 2015 Indianapolis Colts, 2016 Tennessee Titans | (Times as a Semifinalist: 3 – 2022-24)
- Robert Mathis, DE/LB – 2003-2016 Indianapolis Colts | (Times as a Semifinalist: 3 – 2022-24)
- Julius Peppers, DE – 2002-09, 2017-18 Carolina Panthers, 2010-13 Chicago Bears, 2014-15 Green Bay Packers (Times as a Semifinalist: 1 – 2024)
- Steve Smith Sr., WR – 2001-2013 Carolina Panthers, 2014-16 Baltimore Ravens | (Times as a Semifinalist: 3 – 2022-24)
- Fred Taylor, RB – 1998-2008 Jacksonville Jaguars, 2009-2010 New England Patriots | (Times as a Semifinalist: 5 – 2020-24)
- Hines Ward, WR – 1998-2011 Pittsburgh Steelers | (Times as a Semifinalist: 8 – 2017-2024)
- Ricky Watters, RB – 1992-94 San Francisco 49ers, 1995-97 Philadelphia Eagles, 1998-2001 Seattle Seahawks | (Times as a Semifinalist: 4 – 2020, 2022-24)
- Reggie Wayne, WR – 2001-2014 Indianapolis Colts | (Times as a Semifinalist: 5 – 2020-24)
- Vince Wilfork, DT – 2004-2014 New England Patriots, 2015-16 Houston Texans | (Times as a Semifinalist: 3 – 2022-24)
- Patrick Willis, LB – 2007-2014 San Francisco 49ers | (Times as a Semifinalist: 5 – 2020-24)
- Darren Woodson, S – 1992-2003 Dallas Cowboys | (Times as a Semifinalist: 8 – 2015, 2017, 2019-2024)
