Carolina Panthers lambast Mac Jones for dirty hit on Brian Burns

The Carolina Panthers lambasted rookie quarterback Mac Jones for his dirty hit on defensive end Brian Burns during their loss to the New England Patriots.

Although the Carolina Panthers can have absolutely no complaints about the eventual result of Sunday’s loss to the New England Patriots, one play has left staff and players seething. Rookie quarterback Mac Jones‘ cowardly move to hold onto and twist the ankle of Brian Burns following a sack has come in for severe criticism after the contest, which could see a large fine or even a suspension coming the Alabama product’s way.

Burns blasted Jones for a strip-sack that turned out to be costly for the player, who was forced out of the game and will undergo an MRI to determine the extent of his ankle problem, according to head coach Matt Rhule.

Looking back on the play, there’s probably only one fanbase that doesn’t think it was underhanded.

And no prize for guessing which one that is.

Carolina Panthers want action taken on Mac Jones.

The excuse given after the game by New England’s head coach Bill Belichick and Jones himself was laughable. And Rhule did not hold back when asked about the signal-caller’s pathetic display of sportsmanship.

"“I don’t know what was in Mac’s head. My job on game day on the sidelines is to defend our players. What I don’t want to be is I don’t want to be the Carolina Panthers who everybody gets to hit out of bounds and horse-collar and turn their ankles late and nothing ever gets called. I look like a madman on the sidelines, but if that’s what it takes, I’m going to sit there and defend our players to the officials the entire game.”"

This sentiment was echoed by Haason Reddick, who called for the league to investigate the matter further in what was a clear breach of the rules whichever way one looks at it.

"“Definitely thought it was a dirty play. I actually saw and witnessed the play while it was happening.”I understand everybody is out there competing. I understand everybody wants to win. I don’t think there is no room for that inside of the game. Everybody needs to be respectful, right? Nobody wants to see anybody get hurt. For no penalty, nothing to be thrown, it’s egregious, I think it’s unfair. I really do hope the league addresses it.”"

Bending the rules is something that has followed the Patriots over their two-decade spell with Belichick at the helm. Whether it’s SpyGate, DeflateGate, or pushing the limits on the field, New England is renowned for taking things one step too far and the NFL does little – if anything – to reprimand them.

Also Read: 3 big observations from Christian McCaffrey’s return in Week 9.

Whether this is a trend that continues in this instance remains to be seen. Jones is a first-time offender with something like this, so it would be a surprise if anything more than a fine was dished out.

Even if the play perhaps warrants a suspension.

The Panthers can ill afford to have Burns missing on top of everything else. Sam Darnold and Cam Erving will both undergo tests on injuries picked up in Week 9, with center Matt Paradis already ruled out for the season after tearing his ACL on the second snap of the game.

This is still extremely raw and the players are upset.

Want further proof? Then check out Shaq Thompson’s comments during his media availability this afternoon.

We’ll have to wait and see what repercussions come from Jones’ ankle tackle on Burns. But something needs to be done.

Hopefully, this won’t result in a spell on the sidelines for Burns, who had one of his better games against the Patriots before this unfortunate incident. The former first-round pick out of Florida State now has 5.5 sacks, 33 tackles, nine tackles for loss, nine quarterback hits, and 18 pressures this season, so not having him on the field would be a major blow at the Arizona Cardinals.

Jones has to learn from this and be better. It’s not a good look, even though this is obviously something that Belichick doesn’t mind if history is any indication.