'I’m going to figure it out:' Despite frustration, Mac Jones still confident in Patriots offense
FOXBORO — Brian Hoyer knows Mac Jones well enough to realize when the young quarterback is upset.
Maybe there’s a play or two during a training camp drill when he sees a hint of frustration. Other times, such as at Monday’s practice, Jones might show his anger. It sometimes can be seen from afar: Jones throws up his arms when he’s not on the same page with a receiver or maybe it’s just him standing with slumped shoulders on the sideline following another defensive stop.
The 36-year-old Hoyer, the veteran backup quarterback, knows when to keep his distance. He also knows when to step in and encourage Jones, who he’s mentored since last season. Sometimes, the message is a simple two words, “body language” or a small bit of encouragement, such as “hey, get it started right here.”
Throughout this training camp, it’s become very apparent that the Patriots offense is laboring through the new installation of this new offense. With Matt Patricia, Joe Judge and Bill Belichick calling the shots, life is different for Jones without Josh McDaniels — both in the way plays are being relayed and the actual playbook.
Photos: Patriots training camp at Foxboro
Frustration has been apparent this summer, but Hoyer has been impressed with how the second-year quarterback has handled the tough times this summer.
“He’s a very even-keeled guy,” said Hoyer. “Obviously, there are times where I can see he’s [upset] and things are irking him a little bit, but for the most part, he stays [the same]. Obviously, that’s a good attribute to have in football.
“He’s done a great job. His level of commitment and work ethic and determination to be ‘the guy’ out there for the offense have been huge steps. I always joke with him, I say, ‘Think about last year at this time. You were still trying to figure things out and you were still number 50. At this point, you have a whole year under your belt. The guys know what you do, they respect you, you’ve earned their respect. It’s your show.’ ”
Mac Jones knows he'll master this new offense
Despite the frustration, Jones remains optimistic. He explained on Tuesday that the problems his group are having revolve around communication and learning. For example, on the offensive line, players need to make sure they’re matching up with a member of the defense on every play.
That sounds obvious, but when you’re running a new system, it’s about communicating who blocks who. It’s about the players also knowing who to block on every single play. That was a clear issue on Tuesday when the pass blocking and run blocking weren’t efficient in the slightest.
Jones explained he wants to see more consistency. The Patriots had that on Tuesday, but Day 11 of training camp seemed like the outlier right now. The defense clearly has been better than the offense in most practices this summer. Jones, however, says now isn’t the time to panic because practice is the perfect time to get on the same page.
“The buy-in has to be the buy-in. You have to trust it,” Jones said. “At the end of the day, we’re going to figure it out and make this thing work. We have good coaches who are laying the path for us and we just have to see it how they see it, come together and dominate together.”
As Hoyer explained, this is Jones’ team. There’s no doubt that he’s the Patriots' present and future. Players believe in him and he’s saying all the right things.
“I’m going to figure it out. I always have and I always will. At the end of the day, you’re going to have your ups and downs with anything new,” Jones said. “I’ve learned a lot of different systems and the guys around me have, too. We know what football looks like. We know what a good play looks like and the schematics behind it.
“It just needs to be more consistent. We all trust in each other. At the end of the day, when I walk on the field and there are 10 people that look into my eyes, I know they’re going to trust me to do the right thing on game day.”
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Hoyer’s confidence in Jones isn’t surprising. He’s seen the progress up close and he’s been through his fair share of struggles. In many ways, he’s the perfect backup quarterback for Jones. Hoyer has played for nine teams, including three different stints with the Patriots.
As one of the oldest players on the Patriots, Hoyer brings a level head when things go south. For example, Monday’s practice was a disaster for the offense. Jones was sacked four times in his first 16 pass attempts. The run game stalled due to poor blocking. Hoyer called it embarrassing and Jones agreed it was frustrating.
On Tuesday, however, the offense came out and made adjustments. Jones had more time to throw. Running backs had bigger holes to run through.
“When you have a day like you did [on Monday], you go in, look your teammates in the eyes and say, ‘tomorrow has to be better,’ ” Hoyer said. “You don’t want to go out there and be embarrassed at any level at any time. … If anything, you go in there, watch the film, learn from mistakes and use that as extra motivation to come out the next day and be a little more consistent, a little tougher, a little more cohesive, better communication. … Today was a better day and just build on that.”
At this point, we know the reasons for the Patriots lack of success offensively. The Patriots are installing offensive plays they haven’t run — or barely run — in the past. On top of that, play calls are brand new. The offensive line is also being asked to run more zone plays, which is different from years past.
“Unfortunately, sometimes there are some ugly growing pains when it comes to that,” Hoyer said. “Sometimes, the best way to learn is [mess] it up, go in, watch the film, make the adjustments and then come back out. Today, obviously was a much better day than it was yesterday.”
Added Jones: “We’re going to figure it out. That takes time and patience. I think we’re making a lot of progress.”
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Quarterback Mac Jones remains confident in Patriots offense
