Patriots captain expresses distaste for fans booing Mac Jones

Many headlines were created from the Patriots’ performance on Monday Night Football this week, but the leading discussion amongst it all surrounded Mac Jones.

In his first game back after missing three weeks due to injury, the fans in attendance were not pleased with his lack of immediate success. During his third series with the offense, the fans chose to express their disappointment by nearly booing the quarterback off the field and following it up with chants for Bailey Zappe.

Fortunately for the fans, they got their wish. Zappe was put into the game after Jones threw an interception, ending his third drive. Unfortunately for Jones, however, he appeared to be benched and then had to hear the crowd seemingly turn on him in the process.

Bill Belichick’s decision to take out his starting quarterback created a lot of controversy within the fanbase and the team itself. When asked about the treatment of Jones in his post-game media availability, Jakobi Meyers expressed he wasn’t fond of what he saw or heard.

More players shared their thoughts as well, including Devin McCourty during his recent appearance on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show.”

McCourty shared his honest take when asked about his reaction to hearing the boos thwarted towards the Patriots quarterback.

"“I’ve been here a long time. I’ve been booed. We’ve been booed. Tom’s been booed. I understand, as a veteran, we play in an area that’s very spoiled in what it expects from the team.”"

Although his comments may not go ever well with some people, referring to the Patriots fans as “spoiled” is reasonably accurate.

During the Tom Brady and Belichick-led years, the team accomplished insurmountable success. Between 2001 and 2020, the Patriots reached nine Super Bowls and won six, setting and breaking several records in the process. Winning became expected and almost required over the years, creating a spoiled-like mentality among the fans.

McCourty made a point to remind those fans that winning in the NFL is not as easy as it may have previously looked.

"“When I got here, everything was about, ‘How do you win three Super Bowls?’ When you’re in the NFL for a while, you realize, we got that down, but that’s not a normal task at hand to say, ‘You’ve got to win three Super Bowls to be considered a good football team.’ I think it kind of is what it is, and overall, we’ve been really focused this week on trying to get a win.”"

As the Patriots continue working through creating an identity that doesn’t include Brady, they have dealt with their fair share of struggles. While those growing pains are standard for any NFL team to deal with, the media and fans have become increasingly impatient.

The frustrations are not surprising because the team is still being coached by the greatest ever to do it while also working with a first-round quarterback. But booing, although technically allowed, is not the best way to show your fanship.