There are those who see Mac Jones as New England’s franchise quarterback, others who think of him as a short-term solution until more capable passer emerges, and then there’s 1988 NFL MVP Boomer Esiason, who thinks ‘there’s a douchiness’ to the Patriots signal caller.
‘Here’s the thing that I really dislike about Mac Jones if you want to get to the root of it,’ the former Cincinnati Bengals and New York Jets quarterback told Boston’s WEEI on Monday. ‘His body language, his facial expressions, his gyrations on the field — piss me off. There’s a douchiness to them. I don’t know how else to explain it.’
Jones, the 24-year-old former Alabama star, is known for his colorful reactions. Often times he’s seen smiling or joking with teammates, but there are other moments where he’s seen grimacing in frustration or hollering at his fellow Patriots.
There are those who see Mac Jones (left) as New England’s franchise quarterback, others who think of him as a short-term solution until more capable passer emerges, and then there’s 1988 NFL MVP Boomer Esiason (right), who thinks ‘there’s a douchiness’ to the Patriots signal caller
The facial expressions and gestures are nothing new for Patriots fans, who saw similar behavior from Tom Brady for two decades, but Esiason was quick to excuse the seven-time Super Bowl winner.
‘And here’s the deal, you know, Tom Brady could be douchey too at times,’ Esiason said. ‘And he can be yelling at his players and everything else. But Tom Brady then goes out and backs it up. He goes and plays his ass off and gets his team to the playoffs again (Sunday).’
The 8-8 Patriots beat the Miami Dolphins in Foxborough on Sunday to stay alive in the AFC Playoff picture. Jones tossed for two touchdowns and 203 yards.
Jones celebrates after scoring a touchdown during at Gillette Stadium on September 25
Mac Jones was howling in pain as he was helped off the field and into the locker room after being injured late in the fourth quarter. The Patriots lost to the Baltimore Ravens, 37-26
Mac Jones isn’t the only quarterback to get emotional on the field, as seen by this photograph of Boomer Esiason from Super Bowl XXIII, which the Bengals lost to the 49ers
Last week, he defended himself against allegations of a dirty hit against Bengals cornerback Eli Apple.
The incident took place midway through the fourth quarter of New England’s Week 16 loss, when Jones attempted a doomed underhanded forward pass while being wrapped up by Cincinnati’s Vonn Bell.
Although the pass was whistled incomplete, Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt recovered the loose ball and sprinted towards the end zone with Patriots receiver Tyquan Thornton in pursuit.
Hoping to block Thornton’s path to Pratt, Apple also sprinted downfield, only his progress was halted when he was outflanked by Jones, who dove into his legs to trip up the defensive back.
The play has been reviewed by the NFL, but no fine was issued to Jones.
Regardless, Apple considered the play to be dirty on Jones’ part.
‘He tripped me,’ Apple told WEEI. ‘I thought it was a dirty play. He’s done that before, I’ve seen it.’
Mac Jones is seen lower his shoulder before swooping in to take out Eli Apple’s legs
The incident took place midway through the fourth quarter, when Jones attempted a doomed underhanded forward pass while being wrapped up by Cincinnati’s Vonn Bell
Jones has since defended his actions.
‘I think obviously that’s a big part of it, is everybody has an opinion and the biggest thing for me is focusing on being the best teammate I can be and earning the respect of the people in this building and the people I care about,’ Jones told reporters.
‘Obviously, I have respect for everybody around the league,’ Jones continued. ‘It takes a lot to get to this league. There’s really good players out there, and we’re all playing hard and trying to win. At the end of the day, you have to keep that in mind. It’s a game and you want to just have fun, enjoy it and compete against each other. That’s something that I’ve always done and I know my teammates appreciate that about me.’
Earlier this season, cameras caught Jones sounding off on his team’s play-calling by appearing to say: ‘Throw the f****** ball. The f****** quick game sucks.’
Postgame Jones insisted it was not directed at offensive play-caller Matt Patricia, or anyone particularly, but was merely an expression of his desire to launch the ball downfield.
The Patriots wrap up their season on the road against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. They can still qualify for the postseason, but almost certainly need to upset the Bills to make that happen.
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