Patriots News: Rob Gronkowski, J.C. Jackson, Mac Jones and Dan Orlovsky
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Dan Orlovsky continues to defend Mac Jones amidst potential benching
Although some would argue that Mac Jones is one of the last players on the Patriots who deserves to be defended this season, it seems he can always rely on Dan Orlovsky to be the one to keep doing so, no matter the latest performance from the quarterback.
To a degree, it's difficult to argue against Jones having any sort of excuse to explain why he's regressed so much since his rookie season, as ignoring external factors would be unfair and biased. But at the same time, there may be an argument that someone can only be allowed so many excuses before it's too much, and more responsibility must be put on their shoulders instead.
No matter where you stand on the Jones debate, Orlovsky brings up solid points with stats to back it up when discussing the quarterback's performance this season. One of his latest arguments was posted on his Twitter/X page, sharing that the Patriots' offensive line has been so bad that they have the worst pass protection of the last four seasons in the NFL.
On top of that, Orlovsky also mentioned the offensive line hasn't been the only issue Jones has needed to try to overcome; the lack of separation by the receivers is also pretty terrible, ranking the worst of any team in the last three seasons.
He declared this offense "one of the worst QB situations over the last decade," which some may want to argue about, but facts are facts, right?
Maybe you think Jones is simply not a good quarterback, which is fair. But it's also fair to acknowledge that the roster he has been given in the last two years would make most young quarterbacks' jobs much more difficult, maybe even some seasoned veterans', too.
That's not to say that he would necessarily be miles better and magically become the future of the franchise, but to suggest other quarterbacks could step in his shoes and perform at a much higher level wouldn't be accurate either.
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