Bill O’Brien: Mac Jones, New England Patriots Offense Will Fix Problems 'Together'
FOXBORO — As the New England Patriots attempt to shed the embarrassment of their 38-3 Week 4 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, they appear to be collectively focused on improving, rather than assigning blame.
In short, no scapegoats will be sacrificed this week in Foxboro.
Instead, the Pats coaching staff seems intent on making sure its players are better equipped to adapt to the skill set of their opponents — something for which offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien confessed his team was inadequately prepared against Dallas.
“The game wasn’t lost because of one guy," O'Brien told reporters via video conference. "The game was lost on our part, because of how poorly we played and coached in the game."
Yes, New England ... that includes quarterback Mac Jones.
"Mac is here today," O'Brien continued. "He’s working very hard to get back on track. And we have a lot of belief in Mac.”
Whether deservedly so or not, Jones is bearing much of the fanbase’s blame for a putrid offensive performance against the Cowboys. The 25-year-old was responsible for three calamitous turnovers, as well as a failed quarterback sneak which led to a turnover on downs early in the second quarter. Throughout the game, Jones exhibited both confusion and carelessness — two traits which unilaterally lead to disastrous results on a football field.
Still, O'Brien maintains that Jones' decisions were largely uncharacteristic -- choosing to cite his quarterback's competitive nature as the reason for his "attempting to do too much" as things unraveled on Sunday at AT&T Stadium.
"Mac’s a battler ... he’s a competitor," O'Brien said. "When you play 'quarterback' in this league, you have to limit the mistakes and you have to limit the bad games you have, obviously. We’ve got to do a better job of coaching things up for him. He has to do a better job of making decisions. We’re all in it together."
Though the first four games of the season, the narrative surrounding Jones' regression has unfortunately remained unduly familiar to its 2022 version.
Despite entering the year on the heels of an impressive rookie campaign, the former 2021 first-round pick (no. 15 overall) struggled to recapture his previous success last season. From a high ankle injury sidelining him for three games last October, to his palpable his discontent with the Pats offensive system under de factor coordinator Matt Patricia, Jones toiled through a campaign in which he ranked in the bottom 10 of NFL quarterbacks in completion percentage and positive plays when pressured. The pressure confused Jones, causing him to open at the top of his drop in the wrong direction, leading to suspect decision-making. With inadequate protection from the team’s offensive line, Jones had insufficient time to operate. As a result, he has had little-to-no choice but to take short-yardage check downs, especially with the Pats opponents’ perimeter corners taking away his preferred routes and targets.
In contrast, O’Brien’s hiring was expected to bring both Jones and the Pats offense back to the “basics” of football. In this case, New England would return to a timing-based scheme, predicated on vertical routes and completions from quick, accurate throws. During his time at Alabama, Jones was quite proficient at running this type of offense. It is also where O’Brien, shines as well.
New England Patriots Bill O'Brien (left), Bill Belichick and Mac Jones
Cred: Nancy Lane/Boston Herald
This season, however, the 'shine' has been visible on a sporadic basis, at best. On Sunday, it had almost completely disappeared from view. While some of the blame for the Patriots' offensive woes may be placed on an injury-riddled offensive line, as well as inconsistencies among their pass-catchers, Jones' ability to process in pressure situations must improve for the Patriots to salvage their season.
"He knows that. He takes a lot of ownership," O'Brien said of Jones accountability for his mistakes. "You guys saw that, I think, after the game. He blames himself. But the coaching around him needs to be better too."
Jones is at his best when leading his receivers under the defense, releasing the ball quickly and delivering it accurately — as well as using the run to facilitate play-action passes. Throughout training camp, preseason, and the Weeks 1 through 3 of the regular-season, Jones appeared to have turned the corner from his second-season woes. He demonstrated greater accuracy, command and added strength on nearly all of his throws, while being given greater responsibility to command the offense at the line of scrimmage. Accordingly, he ranked near the top of the NFL in attempts and completions heading into Week 4.
Still, New England's offense still remains stagnant, despite showing the occasional flash of promise. For a team largely dependent on their strong defense to keep them competitive, the Pats sustained struggles on offense may become even more problematic. Both linebacker Matthew Judon and cornerback Christian Gonzalez are expected to miss significant time due to injury. As such, the Patriots must increase their 13.8 points-per-game which they are averaging this year.
While O'Brien's responsibilities as both offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach make him the primary catalyst for sparking any resurgence, the ultimate onus remains on Jones. In fact, the Patriots' third-year starter recognized that very fact the moment he left the field in Arlington last Sunday.
"Definitely disappointed in myself. I feel like I can play a lot better," Jones said just minutes after New England's loss. "I put a lot into it, and I feel really bad. I let my team down, let the coaches down, the whole organization, everybody — the fans. I have to put a better product out there to beat good teams."
Unsurprisingly, Patriots coach Bill Belichick corroborated Jones' sentiments when speaking with the media on Monday morning. Though he was not ready to declare the quarterback's miscues as fireable offenses, he made it clear that a total team effort is needed to correct the Pats problems on offense, while offering a pseudo 'vote of confidence' for Jones' job as the team's starter.
“In general, I think he makes pretty good decisions,” Belichick said of his quarterback. “Mac sees things well. But as a team, we can’t win while turning the ball over three times … two of them for touchdowns. We’ve got to do a better job of that. That’s everybody’s responsibility. The quarterback’s part of it, so is everybody else.“
The triumvirate of Jones, O'Brien and Belichick will officially turn the page to Week 5 when they join the rest of the Patriots on the practice fields in preparation for their matchup against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday at Gillette Stadium.
