Road back to the top
A lot riding on McDaniels’ ability to make Jones a star
What does Josh McDaniels see in Mac Jones that makes him believe he’ll lead an effective Patriots offense during the 2021 season? Plenty.
And that’s just from the small sample at hand.
McDaniels probably sees a quarterback who is more suited to run his offense than Cam Newton. He sees a quarterback with all the tools to make that offense come to life and evolve as it’s intended.
And if Jones can get that Patriots offense up off the mat, and looks good in the process, one more feather in McDaniels’ cap.
Let’s just say fair or not, Bill Belichick isn’t the only one who is under the gun to prove he can succeed without Tom Brady.
This is go-time for McDaniels, who’s trying to rebuild his resume and reputation after spurning the Colts in 2018 after initially agreeing to lead that team.
He’s been up for head coaching jobs since that time, but no longer seems like a top candidate.
Making the Patriots offense relevant, especially with a rookie quarterback at the helm, should garner attention and get McDaniels back in the ring for a top job, if that’s what he desires.
It was hard enough for McDaniels to revamp the offense last year, and put in more plays to suit the mobile Newton both as a runner, as well as a passer.
But this is different. While Newton was established, Jones is someone McDaniels can mold and build. And with Jones, he has a quarterback who can accentuate all of the nuances of the system, as well as all of the wrinkles McDaniels has added over time.
So all the better if Jones truly rocks in that system. It’s good for the Patriots and good for McDaniels.
And right now, the Patriots offensive coordinator, who spoke with the media on a Zoom call Wednesday, acknowledged the offense was coming together with Jones, and sounded confident the kid will be able to get the job done.
“He’s learned how to operate what we’ve asked him to operate so far fairly well. And he’s improved. And he continues to make progress,” said McDaniels. “He’s generally taken care of the football. And he’s given the other 10 guys on the field an opportunity to do their job effectively and produce positive plays.
“He still has a lot to learn and a long way to go in terms of where hopefully we end up going,” McDaniels went on. “But I really feel confident about his approach, his ability to learn, his ability to process information and really his ability to make a mistake and learn from those, too.”
Troy Brown, who also addressed the media on a virtual call, believes Jones has already earned the clout with his receivers to make corrections, or point out mistakes. Watching Jones take Gunner Olszewski aside after a botched route led to a sack at the end of the half against the Giants is evidence of how the rookie has already gained a measure of respect.
At this stage, though, McDaniels is making sure Jones is confident in what he’s doing, and everyone around Jones is comfortable with the new quarterback.
“I think the best thing that we can do as an offensive staff and as a coaching staff, is to try to put the players, put every player that’s out there on the field in the position to impact our team in a positive way that they’re ready to do,” said McDaniels. “And so I would expect we feel like there’s a certain amount of things that he’s comfortable with, and then we continue to try to build and grow as we go.”
Trust has to be earned, of course, and Jones has already made believers out of his teammates, as well as McDaniels, who bragged about Jones’ work ethic, which appears to be off the charts.
If that’s the case, it makes it much easier for McDaniels to coach Jones, and have him live up to the hype of being a first-round pick.
“He is very well prepared each day. He deserves the credit for that. He continues to put the game and the team first,” McDaniels said of the rookie. “He studies hard at the game. He tries to make the corrections that we coach him on and he goes out there and he tries to do it the right way. Never makes excuses and just continues to try and improve and make progress. That’s the best way for any of us to approach our jobs and he’s done that so far.”
When you’re a coach, it’s hard to beat having a supercompetitive, highly driven rookie whose top priority is football and the team.
But McDaniels isn’t going to push, especially when it comes to the playbook. He said in general, most offensive coordinators start with a gradual build-up in terms of installing the offense. They don’t use the “full bucket” of plays in the playbook. Eventually, Jones & Co. will get to that point.
“You know you want to start at the things that fundamentally you do well, to give your players an opportunity to go out there and play fast and be aggressive. And that would apply to the quarterback position, left guard, tight end, whatever the position is,” he said. “You just want to give them an opportunity to go out there and do things that they know well and feel comfortable doing.
“But you ultimately know that over the course of a long season, going up against really good players and good coaches, you know as the year progresses, you’re going to have to build. You’re going to have to change. You’re going to have to grow. You’re going to have to do different things and add things to your bucket that maybe you aren’t doing at the beginning of the season in September. Our focus will be just trying to make sure that our group as a whole is comfortable doing the things that we’re asking them to do.”
Judging by the interactions between McDaniels and Jones, and there have been many with the Pats offensive coordinator constantly in the rookie’s ear, they’re both enjoying the process.
To that end, former Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weis was asked if it might be fun for McDaniels having to break in a rookie, especially one with so much potential. Or was there more pressure, and a test in patience?
Obviously, Weis had the pleasure of that experience with Tom Brady in 2000.
“Yes, it’s fun,” Weis responded via text. “(Jones) will still be buying donuts on Saturday mornings. Great situation for coaching while busting his chops!”
Bottom line: It’s a great situation for the Patriots, and for McDaniels with Jones now having the baton.