Mac Jones excelled last season under the tutelage of then-Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. But, some time after McDaniels bolted for the Las Vegas Raiders, Bill Belichick decided to revamp New England's offense and implement a Shanahan/McVay-like scheme.
To put it mildly, the transition has been rough. The Patriots' offense was awful during training camp and the preseason and doesn't look ready for the season opener with the Miami Dolphins. The struggles have caused some to wonder why New England doesn't just revert to a system Jones and his teammates feel comfortable running.
But how does Jones feel about all of this? Is he okay with Belichick making such an abrupt change despite how well Jones played in his rookie campaign? And would he be willing to push back against Belichick if he felt differently about something?
During a Monday afternoon appearance on WEEI's "Merloni, Fauria and Mego," co-host and former Patriot Christian Fauria asked Jones the following question:
"Have you ever told him that he's wrong? Have you ever been in a situation where you told him like, 'No no no, that's not the way it works?'"
"As long as there's a 'why' I'm good with whatever," Jones replied, as transcribed by Chris Mason of MassLive. "If (Belichick) says 'this is why we're doing it' then I'm like, 'Great. Sounds good. Let's do it. Let's try it out and make it work.'"
Jones also offered further insight into how he approaches being coached by one of the greatest minds in football history.
"I think he's been very hands-on," Jones said of Belichick. "Even last year he was hands-on just helping me through some of the defensive looks and stuff and kinda coming up with things we wanted to attack. This year he's done the same. He has that knowledge of 'Hey, this is what they're looking at when you do this. Or if your eyes are here they can see a different thing if you look them off.' It’s so many different examples of him as a defensive coach knowing what puts stress on a defense.
"Then obviously he has a great understanding of the fundamentals of a quarterback. So I respect everything he says to me because he's seen great quarterbacks play for a long time. He's played against great quarterbacks. Coached against them. And obviously, that's important because he has so much knowledge. I just try to be a sponge as best I can and learn from him and just let him teach me."
Jones and the Patriots now have less than two weeks to iron out their many kinks before facing the Dolphins in Week 1. More than anything, New England must restore the trust between Jones and the offensive line, which was a disaster during the summer.
The Patriots and Dolphins will kick off in Miami at 1 p.m. ET on Sept. 11.
