New England Patriots captain Devin McCourty is among those excited by the return of Bill O’Brien as offensive coordinator.
McCourty and O’Brien have history together, as the latter was a Patriots assistant from 2007-2011. He also spent time at Alabama and was able to work a bit with Mac Jones in 2021, when Jones sought assistance in learning the Patriots’ playbook. Now, they will have the opportunity to work together in what is a crucial year for the offense as a unit.
McCourty sees O’Brien’s return as a positive for Jones in Year 3, as transcribed by Zack Cox of NESN.com.
“I think it’ll be great,” said McCourty. “I think a lot of times, we assume how relationships will go, but I think relationships are built, and I think obviously, they’re going to have a connection with all of the Alabama stuff, Billy O just coming from there and obviously Mac being two years removed. But I think they’ll have an opportunity to build a relationship, and that’ll form into whatever is best for them and the team. …
“To play quarterback in this league, you have to be that ultra-competitive guy that wants to win every rep, that wants to be meticulous about the details and everything that goes into it, so I don’t think that’ll be anything new for either one of those guys working together.”
The working relationship between O’Brien and Jones will be a welcome addition, as the Patriots offense looks to rebound from the struggles of last season.
It will be intriguing to see the different nuances O’Brien puts into the offense, as his familiarity with Jones could lead to a more balanced unit.
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