Why Mac Jones Has Unique View On Demario Douglas Breakout

FOXBORO, Mass. — Mac Jones was aware of Demario Douglas’ football talent long before they became Patriots teammates this past spring.

Over the summer, Jones said Douglas was a “legend” in their shared hometown of Jacksonville, Fla., where the now-rookie receiver was a youth football phenom.

That history gave Jones a different perspective on Douglas’ rapid rise from undersized sixth-round draft pick to key playmaker in New England’s offense. It also made the quarterback feel more comfortable dishing out constructive criticism to his young pass-catcher when warranted.

“I’ve known of him since I was little,” Jones said Wednesday in his weekly news conference. “I know that he’s always fought an uphill battle. He always talks about his size, right? He’s always going to keep fighting, and I know that about him.

“I can be hard on him and try to raise that standard because I know where he comes from. I know how hard he works, and he’s going to bring it every week.”

There might have been one such instance during Sunday’s upset win over the Bills. On a third-and-2 late in the first half, Douglas broke toward the sideline on a short option route rather than sitting down in a soft spot in Buffalo’s zone coverage. The result:

But the missed read didn’t shake Jones’ trust in Douglas. He targeted the Liberty product three more times in the second half, connecting on red-zone completions that set up the Patriots’ final two touchdowns. Douglas finished the game with four catches on six targets for 54 yards, plus a 20-yard carry off a jet sweep, a 25-yard punt return and three drawn penalties.

Offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien often sent the speedy Douglas in motion and included him in a handful of run-pass options. Fellow wideout Kendrick Bourne also frequently was used as a motion man, with New England utilizing that pre-snap shifting to unsettle Buffalo’s defense and create favorable matchups.

“Pop has done a good job,” Jones said. “I definitely enjoyed (the motion) part of the game. Just focus on how can we do that to get guys open, create areas in the defense that become open because of that.

“You see that around the NFL, a lot of teams use motion. High school football, it’s big now. College football, it’s been big for a while. I definitely enjoy watching other teams use it, as well, and what you can learn from that information.”

It’s unclear how the Patriots plan to handle the slot receiver position once JuJu Smith-Schuster returns from the concussion that sidelined him for the last two games. But limiting Douglas’ looks would be hard to justify after last week’s performance.