Some confidence is shown in Jones
FOXBOROUGH — Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien said Tuesday that he anticipates quarterback Mac Jones will start Sunday against the Raiders.
Jones is coming off two of the worst performances of his career, in which he completed 55.8 percent of his passes, threw four interceptions with no touchdowns, and got benched twice. But the coaching staff is standing by him for at least one more week.
“It’s not about one guy,” O’Brien said. “He’d be the first to tell you that there’s things he has to do better — obviously, take care of the ball, maybe read the route better, or get us into a better play, whatever it is.
“But it’s a collective effort. That’s why it’s not a one-on-one sport. It’s an 11-man sport. You’re trying to get 11 guys on the same page to do the right thing on every play.”
O’Brien’s remarks echoed those of coach Bill Belichick, who also was quick to point out that New England’s offensive struggles do not all fall on the quarterback.
“I don’t think it’s about one person,” O’Brien reiterated. “As a quarterback, you’re the focal point. Everybody understands that, so you shoulder a lot of the blame. At the end of the day, it’s a team sport. We all have to do a better job.”
The options beyond Jones are backup Bailey Zappe, whom the team felt comfortable parting with in August, and third-stringer Will Grier, who arrived at the end of September after the Patriots had signed and waived a pair of young quarterbacks in Matt Corral and Ian Book.
Rookie Malik Cunningham, who played quarterback in college before switching to wide receiver in the NFL, is also available off the practice squad. O’Brien called Cunningham one of the most improved practice squad players, but his reps have come primarily as a receiver. Cunningham also mimicked Saints utilityman Taysom Hill in practice last week. Even given the dire circumstances, though, it seems unlikely that the Patriots will utilize him for specific packages.
Asked if Jones could have benefited from a mental break this week, O’Brien said no.
“There’s no time for mental breaks,” he said. “In order to be in this league, as a coach, as a player, as anybody in this league, you have to be mentally tough. There’s a grind that goes to the league. It’s a 17-week grind. We all have to be mentally tough.”
O’Brien stressed that the team still has time to turn the season around. He didn’t shy away from the fact that there is plenty to fix — listing turnovers as the No. 1 issue, while also mentioning pre-snap penalties and communication across the offensive line. But he also pointed to the passing attack’s few flashes as something the unit can build on.
“There’s times where we show glimpses of being — very few times, I get it, in the last two weeks — of showing glimpses of what we can be,” O’Brien said. “There’s a lot of season left. There’s always obituaries being written. But there’s a lot of football to be played.
“I think the NFL is always about who can improve the fastest. We have a long way to go, don’t get me wrong. But hopefully we can get there.”
Clock is ticking
Second-year wide receiver Tyquan Thornton returned to practice, starting his clock to return off of injured reserve.
Thornton suffered a shoulder injury in August during joint practices with the Packers. His return would be timely, as Demario Douglas and JuJu Smith-Schuster are in concussion protocol. Their status for Sunday’s game is uncertain.
The Patriots have 21 days to activate Thornton to the active roster. If they do not do so before the window closes, he will miss the remainder of the season.
Special teamer Cody Davis and defensive end Trey Flowers also remain eligible to be activated to the 53-man roster off the physically unable to perform list. Both returned to practice last week but were not activated ahead of Sunday’s game against New Orleans.
The other absence from Tuesday’s practice was right guard Michael Onwenu, who left Sunday’s game early with an ankle injury.
Still not ready
Cornerback Jack Jones (hamstring) still has yet to return to practice off IR.
“Jack is doing what he can every single day,” cornerbacks coach Mike Pellegrino said. “He’s knocking off a lot of milestones. But at the end of the day, I’m out there with guys I got. When Jack’s back, he’s back.
“I always tell guys, ‘You’re out until I can count you in.’ If you’re not 100 percent, I can’t count on you for the game. If you’re working your way back, then you’re out of the game plan until you’re back in.”