Gronk Says Mac Jones 'is Not Respected in NE' and Should Ask for His Release

The thing with Rob Gronkowski as he's transitioned into his new life as a go-to interview subject is I've not yet quite figured out where Serious Football Analyst Gronk ends and Fun Loving Bro Who Says Crazy Stuff to Get a Rise Out of Everyone begins. Where that line is between the Ego and the Id when he's talking into a mic. This is, after all, a guy with an unquestionably high football IQ. But one who also turned a sophisticated, erudite lady like Padma Lakshmi into a water slide with nothing more than a couple of middle school-quality double entendres about big sausages:

So when in the same interview he says Stefon Diggs needs to quit being so miserable in Buffalo and "just suck it up" and asserts that Mac Jones is living a Rodney Dangerfield bit in Foxboro, I'm not sure what the mix is of serious analysis versus entertainment. Though my guess is, it's about a 40/60 split, with higher percentage going toward saying interesting stuff. And not letting the truth get in the way of a good hot take. 

I think this because if anyone has any information that the Patriots lack all respect for Mac Jones, if there's an insider within the walls of Gillette who knows the coaching staff has lost all faith in their quarterback and is back-channeling this to friendly media types like Gronk, we'd all know about it. It wouldn't just come out as a throwaway line in a podcast Zoom call. It would be incendiary news, splashed across the top of the page on every NFL site. 

Besides, the idea of asking to be released because you're butting heads with the coaches is the least Gronk idea ever. How many years was there palpable bad blood between him and Bill Belichick over a host of issues. "Sources" (presumably the Gronkowski family) were constantly putting it out there that they didn't much care for his contracts, which were heavy on incentives and non-guarantees. And there was no hiding their dissatisfaction with the medical staff operating on him so much they were one procedure away from putting in a zipper:

Even when Belichick famously insult-comic'ed him for ignoring the Patriots trainers and working out at TB12 Fitness instead, Gronk pushed through it. He even threatened to retire in order to 86 a trade to Detroit. It wasn't until his body was breaking down and he needed a year off that he official dipped out of New England. 

But to get back to the idea the Patriots organization has no use for Mac Jones any more, which has been out there all week:

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… it would appear the people making the decisions weren't on that text chain. Because they're treating Jones like the QB1:

I'm as frustrated with Jones as anyone, believe me. I sailed to Mac Island about 3/4 of the way through the 2020 season, as the losses mounted and he became within reach of the Pats draft position. I was ecstatic when they selected him. Delirious when he led them to 10 wins and the playoffs and was the best rookie of a draft class dominated by quarterbacks. 

I was also as disgusted by some of his throws Sunday as everybody else. And support the idea of giving him some time off to get his bearings. I think the toxic cocktail of no pass protection and precious few open receivers has taken its toll. It's broken him down. But it's a gigantic leap to go from sitting him down for a while to accepting his resignation. The first is a prudent move, meant to rebuild an important asset. The second would be an irrational, emotional decision made out of frustration. The kind of thing that placates angry fans but doesn't pass the cost/benefit analysis. 

Credit to this account for offering some ancient historical perspective:

Honestly, I've tried to poke holes in the logic here and I can't. Drew Bledsoe got injured midway through his rookie season and then remained a healthy scratch behind Scott Secules for a game. A few weeks later, he threw five interceptions at Pittsburgh as the team fell to 1-11. But they won four straight from there. The next season, they went 10-6 and made the playoffs, as Bledsoe led the league in Attempts, Completions, Yards and yes, Interceptions. A couple of years after that he led his team to the Super Bowl. 

So while thoughtful, nuanced opinions will never generate the heat of "the coaches hate Jones and should demand to be released and then lead the Browns to the playoffs," I'm calling for patience here. Which obviously he's getting from Belichick and Bill O'Brien. If Bailey Zappe and Will Grier (zero snaps since his rookie year of 2019) were battling it out for Jones' job, they'd be battling it out for Jones' job. And not practicing with the depth guys on an already absurdly thin group of skill players. 

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So until we hear further, the Mac Jones Era will continue in New York a week from Sunday. As Gronk said of Stefon Diggs, suck it up.