Patriots Talk: Coaching plan of attack should be a concern for Mac Jones

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Perhaps the most encouraging development for the New England Patriots since the departure of Tom Brady was the play of Mac Jones as a rookie.

As he heads into his second year, however, the situation around Jones has changed dramatically. Gone is offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, now head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders; in are...quite a few new voices to work with Jones, including Joe Judge and Matt Patricia, in roles that remain murky at best.

On the latest episode of Patriots Talk, Tom E. Curran and Phil Perry discuss what that means for Jones as he heads into his second NFL season.

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While acknowledging that both Judge and Patricia have head coach experience, Curran pointed to the learning curve both coaches will face taking over for McDaniels, who'd served as offensive coordinator for the Patriots off and on for nearly two decades. Bill Belichick is yet to formally announce who will serve as the team's offensive coordinator -- or any position on the coaching staff, really -- and it's unknown who'll serve as the team's play caller on offense.

Patriots Talk: Patriots' coaching plan of attack should be a concern for Mac Jones | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube

"I think they luck out in that they have a quarterback who seems mature beyond his years and highly intelligent and has a great grasp of the offense," Perry said. "If they didn't have that, if they had one of these other rookie quarterbacks who did not have a great year last year, or didn't really play, then I really think you're asking for trouble."

Curran feared the Patriots are putting Jones at a risk of backsliding with their current plan.

"I don't know how it helps him," Curran said. "It's almost right there with winning games in the here and now in 2022, is making sure your quarterback gets better. Long term, it's going to mean you win more games if the quarterback can get to a certain level. To have any haziness in how things are going to work, I'm not sure how that puts your quarterback in a position to succeed."

Also discussed in the episode: Who will wind up calling plays for the Patriots on offense? Will Bill Belichick regret not giving out titles to the coaching staff?

Check out the latest episode of the Patriots Talk Podcast on the NBC Sports Boston Podcast Network, or watch on YouTube below.

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