Mac On Track: Jones Confident In Patriots’ Offensive Identity
FOXBORO — With only one preseason game remaining until preparations begin in earnest for their 2022 regular season opener, the New England Patriots continue to be cloaked in questions on the offensive side of the ball.
Over the course of two days of joint practices with the Las Vegas Raiders, the Pats have struggled at the outset of 11-on-11 drills. The team had limited success in the passing game, with notable struggles while attempting to run the football.
However, quarterback Mac Jones is not among the legion of fans and media masses in a rush to push the panic button.
To the contrary, he believes the Patriots are sailing the proper course when it comes to finding its offensive identity.
“I think we’ve done it in multiple ways,” Jones told reporters following Wednesday’s practice. “It’s just finding it in the game, and finding our rhythm, and that’s going to just happen over time. It’s a long season, and we’re not really worried about the future. I think Coach [Bill] Belichick’s laid it out for us that we’re going to focus on how we can just play better, how we can just fundamentally be better.”
While the early stages of Tuesday’s practice featured would-be sacks and drops from his receivers, Jones and the Pats offense showed some signs of life during two minute drills. Jones went 5 of 6 with completions to tight ends Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith, receiver Jakobi Meyers, and ultimately to wideout Kendrick Bourne for a touchdown.
The Patriots once again found success during such drills on Wednesday. Jones found receiver DeVante Parker, Smith, and hybrid runner/rusher Ty Montgomery before kicker Nick Folk connected on a 46-yard field goal. The Pats concluded the day with a scoring strike from Jones to Henry.
With the loss of former offensive coordinator [and current Raiders’ head coach] Josh McDaniels, much has been made about the Pats efforts to implement a completely foreign offense. Despite the introduction of additional zone run concepts, the Patriots’ aerial attack remains timing-based, predicated on vertical routes and completions from quick, accurate throws. New England also continues to spread the ball to multiple pass catchers, much to the agreement of their starting quarterback.
“For me, [it’s] just ‘throw to the open guy’ wherever that may be,” Jones said. “It could be deep, short, in the middle, it doesn’t really matter. For the offensive line, pad level, things like that. It’s a lot of fundamental stuff. If you just fix those, it really doesn’t matter what you do x’s and o’s-wise, you should be able to compete with the players that we have and all of the talent that we have.”
During his time at Alabama, Jones was quite proficient at running this type of offense. With a strong supporting cast of playmakers around him, Jones was able to create plays by leading his receivers under the defense, releasing the ball quickly and delivering it accurately. This gave his playmakers the space they needed to catch and run with the football.
Last season, Jones effectively navigated the Patriots offense. He led all rookies with a 67.6 completion percentage and a 92.5 passer rating, while compiling 3,801 yards and 22 touchdowns. He completed at least 70 percent of his attempts in nine of New England’s games and twice threw for 300-plus yards through the air. He earned a selection to the Pro Bowl, as well as a spot on the PFWA's All-Rookie team.
However, Jones clearly had his struggles down the stretch. He was less accurate, made more rookie mistakes and had difficulty when defenses were able to adjust to take away his preferred routes and targets. Knowing that marked improvement would be needed heading into 2022, Jones and his offensive line have been working on ways to control the problematic strategic blitzes coming from the second and third levels of opposing defenses. In addition to sharpening their fundamentals, the Pats line and their signal caller have improved their communication. Jones has particularly become more confident, and thus more vocal, in the huddle. As such, the two sides have developed a greater understanding of each other.
“I can always give that message, like ‘hey, I need some time here,’ and they always respond really well,” Jones said of his direction in the huddle. “It could [also] be a short message, like ‘hey, make sure you catch it and get down, we’re going to call a timeout.’ It’s all sorts of things. So, it’s a constant game within the game that we have to keep working on.’
With their season set to start on Sept. 11 against the Miami Dolphins, the Pats offense has yet to round into a finished product. In fact, it can probably be more accurately likened to a ‘work in progress.’ However, Jones is confident that he is prepared for any situation … and credits that confidence to the strength of New England’s team identity.
“That’s what I love about being here,” Jones said with a grin. “I feel so prepared when they come up in the game based on my experiences. I’m always prepared for what’s coming.”
New England will close its preseason slate on Friday night against the Raiders at Allegiant Stadium, with kickoff set for 8:15 p.m. ET.
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