Patriots quarterback Mac Jones has been enjoying his work with new offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien and one of Jones’ defensive teammates said he’s already seeing a big difference in the quarterback.
Jones and the entire New England offense struggled to find any positive footing in 2022, which led to questions about Jones’ development even as it became clear the team’s offensive coaching staff lacked the necessary tools to help him make strides in his second NFL season. After several months with O’Brien, Phillips said he feels Jones has taken a leap forward as a player.
“I just think overall, he’s a way better quarterback,” Phillips said, via Chris Mason of MassLive.com. “He took last year on the chin. He’ll be the first one to tell you that’s not how he wanted to play. And for all of us, that’s not how any of us wanted to play. But he’ll be the first to tell you that, and he’s coming out here every single day and he’s trying to light our defense up. Like, literally, light us up. I’m talking bombs, anything that he can do. You just love to see that. He’s always checking the play. He’s always ready to give you something that you have to think about. I just think his confidence is through the roof right now.”
Should that kind of improvement make itself clear when facing other defenses come September, the book on Jones and the Patriots will be much different than it was last year.