On Bill Belichick, Mac Jones and “dramatic improvement”

Bill Belichick stated that Mac Jones has shown “dramatic improvement” as training camp opened. What could that look like on the field?

When Bill Belichick is effusive with praise, it is worth noting.

Of course, there are moments when the head coach is “sending flowers” to an opponent, a phrase Belichick likes to use and a strategy he likes to employ to keep his team focused on the upcoming game. But when the coach is over-the-top with praise for one of his own players, and a younger player at that, your ears should perk up.

At the start of New England Patriots’ training camp, Belichick was asked about Mac Jones, the second-year starting quarterback for the organization. Belichick did not hold back:

The comments spread like wildfire on corners of social media, as Patriots fans were waiting all spring and summer to hear just that from Belichick.

Naturally, Jones will now have to back that praise up on the field. But the idea of a “second-year leap,” something that kept New England fans engaged after the team’s early exit in the playoffs last season, could be the next critical step in Jones’ development.

So what could that look like?

Before diving into that question, it is worth revisiting Jones’ draft evaluation. In a crop of talented passers, including Justin Fields, Trey Lance, Trevor Lawrence, and Zach Wilson, Jones was perhaps viewed as the “floor” prospect. The safer, more “pro-ready” quarterback, particularly when contrasted with the other quarterbacks who came off the board in the first round.

For many, the question on Jones was not what his floor looked like, but rather his ceiling.

Yet last season, from winning the job in camp through leading the Patriots to the playoffs, Jones perhaps altered the expectations around what he could become in the NFL. He showed a bit more athleticism than people expected given his time at Alabama, exemplified by this escape to move the chains on 3rd and long early in the playoff loss to the Bills:

There was also this escape against the Indianapolis Colts, where Jones evaded the early pressure in the pocket with his footwork, and then accelerated away from a defender to pick up the first down with his legs:

Jones also showed a bit more arm talent than expected, and while we will touch on that further in a moment, throws like this one against the Cleveland Browns certainly drew attention:

With the free safety lurking and reading his eyes, Jones targets Kendrick Bourne out of the slot. To complete this throw, Jones needs to put the ball in the right spot, and get enough on the throw to beat John Johnson III.

He does that perfectly, and the Patriots are in the end zone.

Then there was this throw against the Los Angeles Chargers, as Jones targets Nelson Agholor working from the left side of the field towards the right sideline:

Once more, you see the footwork from Jones, followed by an impressive throw to a target working downfield. The quarterback steps around pressure coming from the left edge, climbing the pocket before targeting Agholor downfield.

Now are there areas for improvement? Certainly. Velocity is an area many Patriots fans are going to be watching with keen interest, as there were moments last season where Jones perhaps missed on opportunities in the downfield passing game when the ball hung in the air a bit. Take this interception against the Atlanta Falcons:

Now in a vacuum, Jones does a few smart things on this play. The Patriots run four verticals out of a condensed formation using 22 personnel. They are trying to get the Falcons in a base coverage with base heavier personnel, and that is successful, as Atlanta has a 3-4 defense on the field and they play Cover 3 in the secondary.

On this concept, Jones wants to work the two inside vertical routes, one from Hunter Henry on the left and the other from Jonnu Smith on the right. He will try and influence the post safety in the middle of the field to one vertical, and then throw the other. He does that well, opening to his left to pick up Henry’s route and even throwing in a pump fake, before resetting his vision to target Smith.

He even tries to put this on Smith’s frame, to throttle him down so he can protect himself from the lurking free safety.

The problem? The ball hangs in the air a bit, and another defender is lurking: A.J. Terrell. The cornerback peels off N’Keal Harry and undercuts the throw, leading to the interception.

Then there was this interception from the playoffs:

Now, this is also a great play by Micah Hyde, one of the league’s best safeties. But if Jones can get this throw to Agholor with just a bit more velocity, we might be talking about a tie game early in this Wild-Card matchup. It might not have mattered, given the fact that the Steel Curtain might have struggled to stop the Bills’ offense that night, but these are the kinds of throws Patriots fans would like to see a big more zip on this season.

Belichick also referenced the mental side of the position in his comments, and there are some areas where Jones can improve. Pre-snap pressure identification — and the ability to adjust when necessary —  is one of those areas. This sack against Atlanta is a good example:

Right before the snap, two things happen on the right side of the offense. The safety slides over to that side, and the slot defender takes a few steps towards the football. This is an indication before the play that a blitz could be coming from the slot. The blitz indeed comes, and Jones is dead in the water. Spotting that pre-snap — which comes with experience — will put him in a better position to make the defense pay when they bring pressure.

Then there is decision-making after the snap. Take this interception against the Miami Dolphins:

New England runs one of their core concepts to the right side, with a go route along the boundary and an option route from the slot receiver. Jakobi Meyers runs the option route, and when he spots the Dolphins in zone coverage, he looks to throttle down between the cornerback and the hook linebacker.

Jones, however, plays right into the trap coverage from Miami. He leads Meyers towards the outside with his throw, allowing Xavien Howard, the trapping defender, to jump the route and take it the other way for six.

With his play last year, Jones showed that the ceiling might be a good deal higher than expected pre-draft. His coach seems to feel the same way. With improvement in these areas, he will live up to his coach’s praise at the start of training camp.