Report Says Coaches Were Told 'Not to Be Too Hard' on Mac Jones, and We Deserve to Know Who's Conducting This Smear Campaign Against Him

It started out innocently enough. Devin McCourty, who may or may not be Patriots captain again this season as he's still deciding, speaking words that are sweet music to my ears. Mac Jones is the future of this team. McCourty is excited about this year because Jones gets to work with Bill O'Brien again. He thinks the team will add another wide receiver and hopefully re-sign Jakobi Meyers. Jones is a captain and a leader in his own right, is in the building right now putting the work in, and "The sky's the limit" and there should be no doubt. All good. 

Then McCourty addresses a question about Jones "rubbing people wrong" this past year. No doubt alluding to these rumors:

And D-Mac answers with this:

"I think that some of the rumblings that come out, we used to talk about, ‘Sources say Mac Jones rubbing people the wrong way.’ Who? Did he rub somebody the wrong way in a meeting? Probably. Have people left a meeting and said, ‘Man, Dev's an a-hole today?’ … Mac came into a leadership role as a quarterback, and he speaks to what he thinks. He speaks about, ‘Hey man, I don't like this play. I want to do this.’

"What people don't always understand, in our locker room, Bill pushes that. If you don't want something, we're in the captain's meeting every week. 'If you don't like something, tell us. We'll throw it out.' …I think Mac has all the intangibles and things that you want in a quarterback."

So I said it started out good? This is even better. A young quarterback taking coaching, but also giving his coaches the feedback they want, same as the quarterback of the defense who's been around forever. Two men who have been entrusted with the green dot, embracing the responsibility that comes with it. Both to their coaches and the other 10 men in their huddle. Just want we want. 

But it's the part about "Sources say" that McCourty references that is the concern here. Because Henry McKenna's own report about this exchange goes on to be extremely telling:

Fox Sports - In early December 2022, Jones said publicly that he wanted to be coached harder. A team source told me that ahead of the 2022 season, coaches were instructed not to be too hard on Jones in an effort to protect him from being too critical of himself. There had been an issue in 2021 with Jones struggling after getting yelled at, per the source. That source also suggested, in hindsight, it might have been a mistake to go easy on the quarterback.

Fascinating …

So 'a team source' decided to throw this particular log on the fire that's already been set for Jones going back to that stuff about needing to be "humbled" and stuff going "sideways." 

In other words, we're expected to believe that a guy who was coached by legendary, world class hardos like Corky Rogers in high school and Nick Saban in college, running the toughest programs in all the land, came to New England to suddenly develop an attitude problem. Have I got that right? Is that the narrative being promoted by this "team source"? The kid was a fourth alternate selection to the Pro Bowl as a rookie, and that was enough to turn him into an emotionally delicate prima ballerina who had to be given the white glove treatment? 

Even though his head coach perfected the art of treating everyone around him like they have no emotions of any kind. The guy who famously would stand in the meeting room showing film and telling the greatest player in league history to his face what a garbage quarterback he was in front of the entire team. Somebody on that staff expects us to believe that Belichick suddenly grew a soul and wanted to spare the feelings of this guy he just drafted. 

Riiiight.  

To be clear, I don't doubt this reporter was told what he reported. I just believe 0.0% of it. And demand to know who is the anonymous source who has been anonymously sourcing these reports. And in a situation like this, the question that needs to be asked is the old Latin phrase, Cui bono? Who benefits? 

It certainly wouldn't be Belichick himself. Or ownership. Undermining their "future" in this way is of no benefit to them at whatsoever. But it would benefit the coaches who had a disastrous season. And a grudge against Jones for pushing back against their incompetence. Meaning either QB coach Joe Judge or the guy who was on the pointy end of the pitchfork in this exchange:

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I can't positively ID Judge or Patricia as the suspects. Not with enough probable cause to get a judge to issue a warrant, at least. But I can certainly name them Persons of Interest in this assault on Jones' reputation. Especially now that they've both been replaced in their previous roles. In fact, Patricia might be gone for good:

Whoever has been conducting this smear campaign against McCorkle for the last six months or so may never be formally charged. But if one of these offensive failures leaves the organization altogether, that makes them as good as guilty in my book. Fleeing the scene of a crime is always an admission of guilt. And what really counts is we consider the "source," watch Jones respond positively to O'Brien coaching his ass off at him, and fulfill McCourty's dreams of becoming the future of this franchise. Can't happen soon enough.