Rob Ninkovich, a former star of the New England Patriots, is not a buddy of Mac Jones’. Ninkovich launched into an expletives-filled tirade at the now-Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback during the August 30 episode of “The Dan and Ninko Show.” The two-time Super Bowl champion brought up Jones’s success in the preseason with the Jaguars when talking about the mental element of quarterbacks who play during the preseason. Then things became intimate.

At approximately 1:01:00 in the show, Ninkovich added, “He doesn’t like us either.” “I could care less. I’ll give f****** the shitbag. Mac Jones. It doesn’t concern me. Does it bother you if someone dislikes you? That’s right. F*** off with them. I hope he makes a ton of money and has a fantastic career (pause) as a backup.” “It didn’t work out,” Ninkovich continued, going on to make fun of Jones’ demeanor in the media throughout his three-year stay in New England in 2021–2023.

He went on, “They required some adjustment. The attitude! Just the differences in temperament between Mac Jones and Drake Maye are astounding. I would much rather hear Drake Maye speak. I’m also a really lovely man. All I needed was a few more nuts.”

In three games during the preseason, Jones—who turns 26 on September 5—completed 38 of 52 pass attempts for 421 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions.

Head coach Doug Pederson poked fun at the New England culture under the late Bill Belichick, whom many blame for Jones’ lack of progress since his 10-7 rookie season, after the Jaguars’ 31-0 victory in their preseason finale.

“Every now and then, he tends to fall back into his old Patriot habits, and we have to remind him he’s in Jacksonville, but overall, he’s been doing well,” Pederson said to the media.

Jones could become a trade candidate later in the 2024 season, but for now, he’ll be backing up former No. 1 pick Trevor Lawrence.

Questions about the offensive line still exist when the Patriots resume practice on Monday.

The New England Patriots resumed practice on Monday in anticipation of their impending season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals, following three days of downtime mandated by the CBA. Although the team’s overall attendance was good, there was still one major area of worry.

The offensive line was once again in the spotlight going into Week 1, with two nominal starters having an uncertain future.

Sidy Sow was unable to be seen on Monday throughout the early portions of the session’s brief media window. When fit, the second-year player is New England’s best option at left guard. He is still recovering from an ankle injury he suffered on August 25 against Washington in the Patriots’ preseason game.

Happy game week.

Sidy Sow remains absent while Vederian Lowe was limited. pic.twitter.com/ElxWNM6cou

— Brian Hines (@iambrianhines) September 2, 2024

Moreover, Vederian Lowe seemed restricted. On August 21, the left tackle had a “minor” oblique injury during practice, and he has not yet resumed full participation.

Before Monday’s practice, head coach Jerod Mayo was questioned about the condition of his offensive line, but he gave no information.

“Our training camp was quite demanding. Undoubtedly, certain things have surfaced, according to Mayo. “Those guys might be ready to play, we’ll see. But for now, we simply need to keep going. We discussed the idea of the “next man up.” It is unknown if he will attend the game. He might wake up tomorrow feeling fantastic and chatting about Lowe. I simply don’t know, you know.

The Patriots used Chukwuma Okorafor as their starting left tackle and Michael Jordan and Nick Leverett as their left guards because Lowe and Sow were unable to start. Michael Onwenu, the right tackle, Layden Robinson, the right guard, and center David Andrews made up the remaining line.

This reorganization of the Patriots’ offensive line is nothing new. The squad moved bodies up front during training camp in an attempt to create an appropriate arrangement.

“We were trying to find our best five while also building depth through the guys that we have on the team,” Mayo said, summarizing what the team had done during the training camp in terms of personnel movement. “That’s the challenging aspect of it.”

On Wednesday afternoon, the Patriots will make public their first injury report of the week—and of the whole season. On Sunday, September 8, the game versus the Bengals will begin at 1 p.m. ET at Cincinnati’s Paycor Stadium.