One of the biggest frustrations with coach Bill Belichick has been the lack of a ringing endorsement for Mac Jones as the New England Patriots’ starting quarterback.
Up until now, it has been a game of mental gymnastics to get the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach to admit that Jones was the guy in New England. Well, that might have finally changed after Belichick’s comments on “The Greg Hill Show” on Monday.
Buy Patriots TicketsWhen offering up an explanation on how Jones won the starting quarterback job, Belichick opened up in a rare way to sing the third-year signal-caller’s praises after what he deemed a “really solid spring and camp”.
“Well, Mac’s had a really solid spring and camp, very similar to what we talked about with [receiver Kendrick] Bourne,” said Belichick. “Out there every day, ready to go, in excellent physical condition and, I would say, made a lot of improvement over the course of the spring and training camp in reads, decision-making and timing, getting more work timing with the guys he’s throwing to.
“He seems like, again, similar to what we talked about with KB, had a good camp, works hard, ready to go. I’m looking forward to the season here with Mac.”
This is the type of interview that Jones might want to transcribe for himself and tape to his refrigerator, particularly after the way the 2022 season went down. It was a tumultuous run that left some wondering if Jones would even be in a Patriots uniform in 2023.
But the Patriots went out and hired an experienced offensive play-caller in Bill O’Brien, added some new weapons on offense and demoted backup quarterback Bailey Zappe to the practice squad.
Throw Belichick’s shocking praise into the mix and it’s clearer than ever before that the Patriots are Jones’ team.
