Sep. 18, 2022; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Mac Jones (10) of the New England Patriots warms up before the Pittsburgh Steelers game at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY Sports Charles LeClaire
In his two starts with the New England Patriots this season, Bailey Zappe has performed admirably, which has sparked some talk that the rookie could unseat Mac Jones even after Jones has fully recovered from his ankle ailment. That intriguing story seems to be coming to life on its own.
The so-called quarterback controversy in New England was explored by Boston Globe reporter Ben Volin on Wednesday morning’s episode of “The Greg Hill Show” on WEEI. The seasoned journalist revealed a delectable tidbit of information that he was confident would make headlines. Jones has a “attitude problem,” according to Volin, who claimed to have heard this from “someone who would know.” Additionally, he said that Joe Judge, the offensive assistant with the Patriots, has stated that he favours Zappe above Jones.
“Mac, sure, his attitude problem is visible in the building and everyone knows it,” someone wrote in Volin’s direct messages. Take it for what it’s worth, I said.
Volin said that a Patriots reporter did not divulge the information. He added that we would not categorise it as a report, but he didn’t seem overly certain about the source. Below are some more of his remarks:
Here’s a bit more from our conversation with @BenVolin and sharing that “someone that would know” messaged him directly about the Patriots unhappiness with Mac Jones attitude. #Patriots #ForeverNE pic.twitter.com/3rQzZbgTqj
— The Greg Hill Show (@TheGregHillShow) October 19, 2022
From there, the story becomes more captivating. The Patriots reporter may have been deceived by one of their devoted fans, according to a Barstool Sports article that was published shortly after Volin dropped his bomb on the air. This person admitted to Barstool that he manufactured a story about Jones and sent it to Volin in a direct message on Wednesday morning. He posted what he claims to be a snapshot of the conversation. The information seems to support what Volin told WEEI.
Yeah I did. I made it up to see if he was really this stupid and I cannot believe he ran with it. pic.twitter.com/uMK8UjCCkH
— Nolan (@nolanc79) October 19, 2022
That might have been a coincidence. Perhaps Volin was aware of the rumours of tension between Jones and the Patriots. For what it’s worth, Pro Football Comments’s Mike Florio joined “The Greg Hill Show” and claimed to have heard the same talk about Jones. Within the camp of the former Alabama star, he claimed, there is “genuine discontent.”
Mike Florio joined the show this morning and gave some insight into why we’re hearing the rumors regarding Mac Jones bad attitude, but aren’t receiving a concrete story. #Patriots #ForeverNE pic.twitter.com/hj8MYmCVqd
— The Greg Hill Show (@TheGregHillShow) October 19, 2022
Without stating it with absolute surety to set it in stone that something is up, Florio remarked, “I’m trying to let you all know something’s up, but something is up.” There must be fire in that smoke because something is wrong.
Jones had a poor game before hurting his ankle in Week 3. Some had already concluded that he had regressed in his second season and was struggling without Josh McDaniels as his coach. One school of thought holds that the Patriots might want to take their time with Jones’ recovery since that the offence in New England has performed better without him, albeit against lesser opponents.
Belichick has been questioned multiple times regarding the likelihood of a quarterback battle. You probably have a good idea of his response.
Patriots reporter claims there is discord within the squad and with Mac Jones, according to Larry Brown Sports.
