With the report of Patriots head coach Bill Belichick "delegating all things offense" to Bill O'Brien heading into the 2023 season, some have begun to wonder about the relationship between him and Mac Jones.
In Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer's reporting on the new offensive system, he noted that "it was far harder to ascertain whether the needle’s moved much on [Jones and Belichick's] relationship at all. There was no come-to-Jesus meeting at the end of the last season on how everything came undone."
Mac Jones was asked on Monday if he and Belichick are working together behind the scenes:
"Yeah, I think we have a great coaching staff," the third-year quarterback said. "Been really blessed to work with some great coaches. I always talk about high school, and college, and here."
Jones continued: "I always try to learn stuff from everybody and ask questions. OB (Bill O'Brien) has done a great job with that, coach Belichick has done a great job. Definitely just want to learn and be a sponge, that's all I can do, right? And just pick his brain about defense because he's really good with the defensive side of the ball... that's what he really does really, really well."
The defensive side of the ball you say? Nothing about offense? Whether this is a slight at Belichick is hard to say - but it's important to note that Jones spoke to the "normalcy" of the new Patriots offense last week:
“It's been really good. It's been normal,” said Jones during his availability at OTAs. “I think everything [Bill O'Brien's] done so far has been really good. I think the communication is the most important part, and trust. I think it all starts with that when you're with a new coach.”
Jones' confidence within the new system is the larger story here. Even after a down day on Monday, the signal caller seems confident in his own, his offensive coordinator, and his teammates' ability to field a competent offense in 2023. The relationship between him and Bill Belichick? That'll work itself out over time with quality play on the field and a continued leadership role from Jones.
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