After missing the playoffs in their first season without Tom Brady in 2020, the New England Patriots got back on track last year with Mac Jones at the helm. Even though it was his rookie season, Jones was up to the challenge and proved he has potential to be great.
The Alabama Crimson Tide product seems to fit perfectly into Bill Belichick's plans, as he looks willing to follow any order the veteran coach gives him. That coachable aspect will be tested again this year.
With former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels leaving Foxborough to coach the Las Vegas Raiders, Belichick is expected to pay more attention to the offense this year. As a matter of fact, he has already been working closely with Jones.
Mac Jones says Bill Belichick is more involved with the offense this year
“It was fun for me to get snaps from him,” Jones said, via ProFootballTalk. “But we were just talking through something with the running backs and, like you said, he’s very hands on. And last year, he was more with the defense and stuff. But now it’s like, ‘OK, let me show you this.’ And he’s kind of coaching us and coaching the running backs in that drill on the way that they need to get through the line of scrimmage. So he’s very hands on and I feel like we’ve made a lot of growth together as an offensive unit with him. And obviously personally with him as a quarterbacks group. So we’re all on the same page.
“He’s seen the most amount of football of any of our coaches. He’s seen defense, offense, and special teams so having his input is always going to be very beneficial to me because he knows what puts stress on the defense. And now with him being very hands on, he knows how we can stress the defense and how it’s going to play into our hand.”
Belichick's ability to give so much both to the defense and offense of his teams is what makes him one of the best coaches in football history. It is not like he has anything to prove, but making Jones the next franchise quarterback in New England could be another achievement in his fantastic career.
