Look away, Patriots fans: training camp isn’t starting out so hot.
It is early, but Mac Jones and the offense have struggled to gain momentum without departed offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, according to beat reporters. After two disappointing practices with full pads, second-year quarterback Mac Jones is frustrated with the Patriots’ progress.
“We have a lot of room to grow here,” Jones said on Tuesday to Boston.com. “Our offensive line is doing a great job, we just have to get on the same page.”
The Patriots are attempting to integrate a new offensive scheme this season developed by senior football advisor and offensive line coach Matt Patricia. Patricia previously spent six years as the Patriots’ defensive coordinator before briefly coaching the Detroit Lions.
Patriots senior football advisor Matt Patricia.USA TODAY SportsThus far, his new scheme has not had a positive impact on the team.
“I care a lot about football and… when we lose the day, to me that’s like a shot in the heart, it’s like we lost a game,” Jones said. “The goal is to have more good plays than the other team and that’s the defense right now. I feel like we can compete even more and even better, but a lot of it is just execution and the Xs and Os and figuring out how to communicate with each other.”
Jones is looking to improve upon his excellent rookie season going into his second year. He threw for 3,801 yards with 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 2021.
Jones says the offense’s current struggles can be chalked up to “growing pains” from the new scheme and for now they’re just “trying to run our base plays,” and not complicate things further.
Patriots quarterback Mac Jones gets ready to throw during training camp.USA TODAY SportsDespite the rocky start, Jones isn’t worried about the long term outlook of the offense.
“Every problem has a solution,” Jones said to MassLive.com. “Some of the plays that we’re running, we’re going out there and seeing what it looks like first, and then trying to figure it out. So that’s the biggest thing, is just getting the plays on the screen and watching them, ‘Alright here’s the problem, this guy’s unblocked, how do we block him?’ It’s really not rocket science but our job is to execute what they tell us.
“It’s just every play is a different play whether it’s a run or pass and the communication on each play is different. So it takes reps, it takes watching film and doing all that.”
