Positively Patriots: Belichick Reaffirms Confidence in Mac Jones

FOXBORO — With their 2022 preseason behind them, the New England Patriots will now turn the page to the Miami Dolphins and their regular season opener on Sunday, Sept. 11.

Still, there are plenty of areas of improvement which the team must address before being considered among the AFC’s playoff contenders.

Despite the prognostications of doom coming from much of the Patriots beat, the team’s struggles are not insurmountable hurdles. Fortunately for the Pats, no one is more aware of that fact than head coach Bill Belichick.

Following a subpar performance on both sides of the ball in their 23-6 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Friday, Belichick remains confident in his team’s ability to right the course of the ship, especially on offense.

For starters, he continues to place his faith in starting quarterback Mac Jones.

“Mac’s had a great attitude every day,” Belichick said of Jones on WEEI’s The Greg Hill Show on Monday morning. “He comes in early. He’s ready to work. … He’s one of our most consistent workers and prepares very well. I haven’t seen anything other than that.”

While the Pats starter has demonstrated notable improvement in his conditioning, arm strength and leadership throughout the offseason, he has periodically looked out-of-sync while navigating the Patriots offense. Jones’ most glaring difficulties have been related to timing and comfort within the pocket.

In the Pats’ loss to the Raiders in their preseason finale, the Alabama product was sacked twice, while absorbing an additional hit in his four drives. While these statistics may not inherently be alarming, Jones made uncharacteristic and costly mistakes. Jones had moments of skittishness in the pocket, looking to escape at the first sign of pressure — even turning his back on the defense as he ran to evade his defense.

His most glaring miscue came midway through the first quarter when he attempted to find receiver Kendrick Bourne over the short middle. His pass was intercepted by linebacker Luke Masterson at the Las Vegas 38-yard line. Despite Jones’ best effort to create time in the pocket, he seemingly did not see Masterson in his throwing window, who returned the pick 30 yards to the Pats’ 32-yard line. For the better part of the evening, Jones could be spotted on the sideline looking frustrated with his performance.

Jones’ displeasure with his output has been visible throughout training camp, as well as the preseason. The soon-to-be 24-year old (who is set to celebrate his birthday on Sept. 5) has often demonstrated his anger by slamming his helmet and yelling in frustration as he paced the sidelines.

Belichick, however, recognizes that there are benefits to Jones being his harshest critic. On Monday, he chalked them up to being a ‘daily” part of the growth process prior to the start of the season.

“When you come off the field, there’s always things you need to talk about or straighten out or fix,” Belichick said. “There are things you’re going to feel good about. Just grind through it.”

Whether it be due to the change in offensive scheme, poor protection from his offensive line, or questionable decision-making, Jones and the Patriots have plenty of work to do heading into their regular season opener against the Dolphins. Knowing his recent problems within the pocket, Miami is almost certain to dial-up some strategically placed blitzes from the second and third level of the defense in hopes of confusing him. Should the Pats offensive line fail to provide Jones with adequate security, it could be a long day in Miami Gardens on Sept. 11.

However, Belichick remains convinced that Jones’ desire to maintain his poise, along with his drive to constantly improve, makes him the ideal steward of New England’s timing-based passing game, predicated on vertical routes and completions from quick, accurate throws. Due to his driven approach to his preparation, Belichick knows that the time remaining until opening day is sufficient to achieve their goals.

“We still have another week to go,” Belichick said. “It’s a time for us to work and improve and get better.”

With both coach and starting quarterback on the same page, New England may be in prime position to make the necessary improvements to prove the doubters wrong. They share both the faith and the positive attitude necessary to do it. The Pats just have to put it into practice.

After all, if Bill Belichick isn’t worried … perhaps we need not be, either?

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