Hall of Fame quarterback expresses belief in Mac Jones and Patriots
It has been a tough summer up in New England, as the Patriots dealt with growing pains from adapting to several new key parts of the team. Throughout training camp and preseason, the team experienced the usual difficulties that come from transitioning to a new play-caller. But the post-Josh McDaniels era hasn’t exactly been easy, with the offense struggling during practices and preseason games.
On top of navigating the offense with a new coordinator, Bill Belichick decided to rework their playbook and infuse a new play style. Although the coach has expressed his confidence with the offense and the direction they’re headed, Mac Jones and his teammates have struggled in executing the new plays.
As fans and media watched the overall poor performance throughout several practices, much of their analysis became pessimistic and at times very harsh. However, with the scrutiny was concern with who Belichick chose to replace his former longtime offensive coordinator.
Both Matt Patricia and Joe Judge do not have successful resumes outside of New England, leading some to believe the offense’s struggles over the last month stem from their inexperience. Many people around the NFL have spoken about the current state of the Patriots, including Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman. He recently spoke with ESPN’s Mike Reiss about the team and gave his insight regarding what’s been seen this summer, including from Mac Jones.
"“I like Mac Jones; I really do. I think he possesses everything you need to win in the NFL. He’s a lot like Tom [Brady] that way, which has not been a surprise as to why he ended up in New England.”"
Aikman is quite familiar with the Patriots’ quarterback due to his longtime friendship with Jones’ throwing coach, and he believes Belichick made the right decision in drafting him. He mentioned the struggles and frustration seen by Jones but also recognized the work it takes in building a relationship with a new play-caller.
"“It seemed like him and Josh had a really great relationship. And that becomes hard because there’s so much that happens within a game, within a practice; there’s frustration, the quarterback’s taking the heat, they’re not doing this — to have a guy you can really confide in, there’s so much to that relationship that doesn’t show up on a stat sheet or even on game day. That’s going to be a hard position to fill, and a hard position for Mac to get comfortable.”"
Coupled with that, Aikman emphasized how difficult of a job it is to be the offensive coordinator in the NFL, and trying to replace a tenured and trusted OC is never an easy task.
"“I will say, and Bill knows this, I think offensive coordinator is the hardest job in football. I think it’s the most demanding job. They’re hard to find. There’s not a lot of great ones. There’s a lot of them that have titles, but there’s not a lot of great offensive minds.”"
He would go on to express his confidence in Belichick to overcome the difficulties they’re facing and may be dealing with already due to McDaniels‘ absence. That confidence isn’t far from what several players have said when speaking to the media the last few weeks, stating that with time and patience comes success.
With their first game of the regular season less than a week away, the team is determined to start better than they ended their preseason. They will be heading to Miami on Tuesday in preparation for the game and hope to carry the confidence needed to start the season off right with a big win.