How Bill O’Brien Explained Screaming At Mac Jones On Patriots Bench

Bill O’Brien downplayed the earful he gave Mac Jones during the Patriots’ loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Germany.

Speaking with reporters after New England’s bye week, the offensive coordinator said his sideline blowup, which came after Jones appeared to miss a third-down read, was just an example of good, old-fashioned hard coaching.

“I think that was just coaching in the moment,” O’Brien said Monday in a video conference. “That’s kind of the way I coach. Sometimes, the way to get a point across is to be very demanding and very intense about it. That’s just the way I coach. That’s who I am. That’s how I’ve always coached.

“Sometimes, that rubs certain players the wrong way. Sometimes, players want that. I don’t want to speak for Mac, but I think Mac wants to be coached. He wants to be told, ‘Hey, look, this can be better.’ And I look for the same thing from the players. ‘Hey, Coach, you need to explain that better,’ whatever it might be. That’s just the way I coach. That’s coaching, in my opinion.”

Based on Jones’ previous comments, O’Brien was correct in that assessment. The third-year quarterback raised eyebrows late last season when he said he wanted to be “coached harder” — a clear shot at then-coaches Matt Patricia and Joe Judge.

Jones said last Tuesday that he and O’Brien have a “good relationship.”

“I’ve always had coaches who expect a lot of their players, and I love that,” Jones said on WEEI.

The Frankfurt freak-out was the first time O’Brien was seen berating a player during a game since his return to New England. But his fiery temper was a hallmark of his coaching style across his first stint as Patriots OC. Fans will remember his heated shouting match with Tom Brady during a 2011 win over Washington. O’Brien’s nickname back then was “Teapot,” a nod to his tendency to lose his cool.

O’Brien was less decisive Monday when asked whether Jones, who was benched for a third time in the Colts game, will keep his starting job this Sunday against the New York Giants. The Patriots OC said head coach Bill Belichick will make the final decision and that players earn their jobs through their performance in practice.

“For me, I basically get everybody ready to play,” O’Brien said. “… At the end of the day, Bill will make that decision at some point.”

Jones took first-team reps in the Patriots’ lone bye-week practice, O’Brien confirmed, with backups Bailey Zappe and Will Grier both rotating in.

The Patriots’ first post-bye practice is scheduled for Tuesday.