FOXBORO — Since Saturday, Mac Jones and the Patriots offense has been properly behind on the coaching camp scoreboard.
It’s been a string of losses, with the protection outplaying the offense day after day.
Jones & Co. simply can’t cobble collectively many constructive performs throughout 11-on-11s, and that’s in opposition to a protection that didn’t pressure Josh Allen and the Bills to punt the final two occasions they met.
The rising pains of putting in a brand new offense, streamlined or not, has been on full show. And that has left Jones greater than somewhat annoyed on the finish of the day, because the Patriots quarterback fled in a rush following Saturday’s forgettable ending sequence that included a pick-six.
With pads on the final two days, it hasn’t gotten significantly better. It nonetheless seems out of kinds, because the unit searches for consistency.
In some methods, the each day outcomes are killing the second-year quarterback, metaphorically, after all, as Jones defined what he was feeling on Saturday.
“I care a lot about football. We all do. It’s very competitive, and when we lose ‘the day’, to me, that’s like a shot in the heart. It’s like we lost the game,” Jones stated following Tuesday’s observe. “So, there’s much more than that as a result of it’s observe and also you need to study. But, on the finish of the day, we’re out right here competing.
“The goal is to have more good plays than the other team, and in this case, that’s the defense right now,” he went on. “I feel we can compete even more and even better. But a lot of it is just execution and the X’s and O’s and figuring out how to communicate with each other. So, better days ahead.”
Some progress has been made, nevertheless it’s been child steps at greatest. The rookies have been speaking about getting 1% higher day-after-day.
That’s a reasonably apt description of the offensive enchancment, as Jones & Co. try to interrupt in a brand new outdoors zone scheme, crammed with heavy doses of jet movement, together with working play-action that makes use of extra bootlegs.
On one play, Jones was compelled to run for his life – and never by design – as Ja’Whaun Bentley broke in from the blind facet, with out being touched. Henry Anderson additionally got here in unscathed on one other play.
Jones says all of it boils all the way down to bettering their communication, together with fixing the issues they’re having up entrance.
“We have a lot of room to grow here. I think our offensive line is doing a good job. We just have to get on the same page,” Jones stated. “A lot of it is talking through it and finding ways to attack better. But we have great coaches that will get us there.”
Do they?
Neither Matt Patricia or Joe Judge has ever coached a quarterback or referred to as offensive performs. Bill Belichick has, and definitely qualifies as being nice, nevertheless it stays to be seen what Patricia and Judge can do.
Ever for the reason that pads got here on, Patricia’s offensive line has watched their counterparts on protection management the road of scrimmage.
Christian Barmore has been a relentless disruptor, Matthew Judon has made his presence felt, and others have gotten clear pictures at Jones as properly.
Yes, it’s a piece in progress, one which continues lengthy after observe ends.
“The biggest thing is just getting the plays on the screen and watching them,” stated Jones. “‘Alright, here’s the problem. This guy’s unblocked. How do we block him?’ It’s really not rocket science but our job is to execute what they tell us and go through my reads and go through my run looks and we’re going to continue to grow in that area.”
Currently, they’re working base performs, and having hassle. So they haven’t been capable of get previous the primary stage.
To be truthful, it hasn’t all been unhealthy. Receivers have taken turns shining. Monday was DeVante Parker’s day. On Tuesday, it was Nelson Agholor who emerged from the fray. He made a pair good catches in the course of the workforce durations.
But for probably the most half, particularly with the run performs, it looks like a scorching mess.
While it’s a bit early to begin pushing any panic buttons, if that is the way it seems come September and October, it’ll be a catastrophe.
Jones says he’s partly experimenting with performs, however that doesn’t reply for all the problems they’re having transitioning into extra of a zone-based working recreation. Clearly, they want extra observe and extra repetitions to get snug and discover some type of rhythm.
Because proper now, nobody is in sync. Jones desperately needs the offense to work, he needs to be ok with what they’re doing, it’s simply not taking place proper now.
“I’m just trying to just get us in the best play with the tools I’ve been given,” stated Jones. “Right now we’re just trying to run our base plays I think and just kind of see it on film. That’s the biggest part, like I said, every offense has a system where they can change the play and we have that too. So when we get there, we’ll get there but right now, it’s more about the fundamentals”
It’s about rising pains. It’s additionally about having endurance. But given what’s at stake, it’s onerous to be ok with the offense shifting at what looks like a snail’s tempo whereas getting all of the kinks out with the brand new system.
Source: www.bostonherald.com