Bill Belichick confident in 'mentally tough' Mac Jones to get back on track

It got so bad against the Cowboys, Bill Belichick benched Mac Jones. But the Patriots head coach thinks his young quarterback will be just fine this Sunday.

Why? It’s simple, Belichick says. Because good players can mentally absorb the bad and move on.

“Anybody who plays or coaches in this league has not-so-good performances somewhere along the line,” Belichick told reporters this week. “So, part of the job, part of the situation, every week’s a new week. Mac’s pretty mentally tough. So is everybody else around here. I mean, you have to be in this league.

“If it just goes from bad to worse, then you’re not going to be around very long,” Belichick said. “We all get knocked down, got to get up and go back in the ring.”

Presumably, Belichick is counting himself amongst the mentally tough. After all, the 38-3 loss to the Cowboys was the most lopsided of his brilliant head coaching career.

Some key Mac Jones stats are currently at career lows

But this is a valid question from Patriots fans. As the NFL season rolls into October, is time running out on Mac Jones, the former Alabama standout as the Patriots starter? Belichick pulled him for Bailey Zappe late in the third quarter against Dallas. By then, Jones had committed three turnovers. The Cowboys turned two of the miscues into touchdowns. Jones fumbled after a sack, with Leighton Vander Esch scooping it up for the TD. Later in the game, DaRon Bland had a pick six after a Jones interception.

And through four games, some key individual stats for Jones are blinking red. He appears to be regressing. His completion percentage (63.7), yards per attempt (6.2), and passer rating (80.8) are all career lows.

Belichick said after the loss that Mac Jones still is his starter, shutting down talk about a quarterback controversy. However, reporters were asking him about replacements this week. Belichick even talked about whether the recently signed Will Grier is ready to see action.

The Patriots are 1-3. If they lose to the Saints, it’ll be the first time New England started a season 1-4 since 2000.

Although the stats suggest otherwise, offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien says Jones is on the improvement trach.

“I think he’ll get back to doing it the way he knows how to do it,” O’Brien said of Jones. “He’s just trying to make a play, he’s wanting to win, he’s very competitive. Maybe the plays weren’t great. So, I have to be involved in that, big-time, with him. I understand that. I think you’ll see a lot of improvement in Mac as we keep moving forward here.”