All is supposed to be right in Patriots quarterback Mac Jones’ world these days.
All the troubles of a Matt Patricia-torpedoed, career-threatening 2022 second NFL season are supposed to be rough water under a rickety bridge for the former No. 15 overall pick.
The “experiment” gone wrong of Patricia and Joe Judge has been rectified by the arrival of respected, competent New England offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien.
Jones said this spring during OTAs and minicamp that things feel “normal” again on the football field thanks to the “trust” he’s building with O’Brien whose experienced impact has been visibly and audibly evident on the practice fields of Foxborough.
Robert Kraft reminded the world that he’s a “fan” of his young franchise QB.
Bill Belichick, even if begrudgingly, declared that he still “absolutely” feels the same way about Jones as he did a year ago, when the former Alabama star was coming off a Pro Bowl rookie season in which he led the Patriots to the playoffs.
Heck, outside analysts like Kirk Herbstreit, are voicing their “1,000-percent” support for Jones as he enters his critical third professional campaign.
Sure 2022 may have been a nightmare, but Jones has awoken to a revelatory reality focused on getting his once-promising career back on track.
But there is a bit of a problem with this fairy tale turn to positivity for Jones and the Patriots. The facts don’t really fall in line with the narrative.
O’Brien’s arrival is indeed a boon for Jones and his offensive teammates.
But the reality is the New England offense around Jones is anything but a sure thing heading into what surely could be a make-or-break season for the cerebral passer.
Coaching is just one key supportive factor for a quarterback, one part of a recipe for on-field success.
Once a quarterback has the game plan, the preparatory practice reps and play call he must actually take the field and execute. When that happens much of his personal and team success is directly tied two things: his offensive line and his support cast of skill players.
And that’s the problem. That’s the issue. That’s the still-concerning reality that Jones faces in a year when he’s supposedly set to validate his supporters and silence his oh-so-vocal critics.
Let’s start with Jones’ offensive line, and more specifically his left and right tackle spots. Sure Trent Brown has potential – potential to be the underachieving problem he’s been most of his career with the 49ers, Raiders and at times with the Patriots as much as the potential to be the stud that New England got under Dante Scarnecchia’s leadership in 2018.
If we’re being honest, Brown’s career track record makes him far more likely to be an unfulfilling disappointment than a reliable figure.
And Brown, who missed the first day of minicamp earlier this month and barely participated when he did arrive, is the supposed best of the tackle options. Calvin Anderson is a former practice squader with limited experience and dubious upside. Conor McDermott was a savior at the right tackle spot a year ago, but isn’t exactly a sure thing. Riley Reiff is a journeyman at this point who’s winding down a respectable NFL career.
Yikes! Lesser tackle problems have derailed the seasons of far more proven NFL passers in the past.
Oh, and how about Jones’ weapons? You know, the group that ESPN recently ranked as the 26th-best supporting cast in the NFL. A crop of wide receivers and tight ends that doesn’t have a No. 1 option or defense-beater or Pro Bowl-caliber contributor in its ranks unless and until free agent DeAndre Hopkins walks through that Gillette Stadium players’ entrance.
No tackles. No go-to options. No problem?
No excuses, right? Or as Jones may more brand-mindedly put it, No Bull?
That’s an admirable mentality to have in June. But the harsh reality of September through December with an XFL-caliber offensive line and bottom-tier group of targets may change things.
Remember, Jones didn’t lose his cool and show his frustration with the absolute coaching feces fest around him until late last season.
Here’s hoping a year after being excused from his poor play by that coaching Jones isn’t once again left searching for excuses after another subpar season.
But if things don’t go as hoped and planned for Jones and the New England offense in 2023, the excuses – aka the reasons for that failure to live up to rekindled expectations – seem pretty obvious before even a single training camp practice has been held.