New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels seems to say every week that Mac Jones is comfortable with everything the team is throwing at the rookie quarterback.
McDaniels is devising a weekly game plan that highlights the rookie’s strengths and keeps him in a position where he’s comfortable. That often requires open and constant communication. They work together to ensure the Patriots install the right plays that set up Jones for success.
“Josh [McDaniels], obviously, is one of the best offensive minds in football, and I always like to learn how he wants to do it, and we’ve had really good conversations even before, like in OTAs. ‘Hey, what do you like about this play or not like?’ He does a great job of, obviously, attacking defenses, and my job is to see it how he sees it, and the good thing is that, I think, even from the start, we see it very similar, and, obviously, we have room to grow there,” Jones said during a press conference on Wednesday.
The Patriots seemed interested in testing Jones’ capabilities in Week 3, when the game plan looked a little different than in other weeks. He attempted a career-high 12 passes beyond 20 yards from the line of scrimmage. He completed just one, however. He also finished the game with three interceptions. That’s likely why Jones only attempted one pass of 20 yards or more in the Week 4 matchup against the Buccaneers. The Patriots are working through his strengths and weaknesses to ensure he can play efficient football. It wouldn’t hurt to start winning games, with the Patriots falling to 1-3 last week.
“That’s just an every week thing because every defense changes every week,” Jones said Wednesday. “You’re not going to face the same scheme, players, coaches, etc. So, whatever the scheme on our end is for that week, by the end of the week, I feel really comfortable where I’m at. That’s why we practice. We make errors and fix things and talk through it and by Sunday, I feel really prepared, and all of us do because the coaching staff does a good job of holding us to that standard. We’re trying to hold each other to that standard now, too. So, that’s just part of it, and like I said, as the week goes on, more conversations are had and things go in, things go out. That’s just how the quarterback-offensive coordinator relationship works; probably for a lot of people too.”
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