Phil Perry

O'Brien provides refreshing normalcy for Mac Jones at OTAs

The Bill O'Brien Difference is already being felt in New England, Phil Perry reports.

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FOXBORO -- It's still only May. But Mac Jones seems to be enjoying the normalcy that's been injected into his professional life since the Patriots hired an experienced offensive coordinator in Bill O'Brien. 

After New England's first OTA practice open to reporters this spring -- a session during which it was very clear that the offense was completely under O'Brien's direction -- Jones lauded his new coach.

Patriots Talk: Easy to tell who’s running the offense at Patriots’ OTA | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube

"It's been really good," Jones said. "It's been normal. I think everything he's done so far has been really good. Communication is the most important part. And trust. I think it all starts with that with a new coach. He's done a great job controlling the room. I feel like everyone's on the same page. 

"Just gotta continue to do it. It's a marathon not a sprint, we know that. He's obviously had a lot of great experience in the NFL and at Alabama where I was at so there's a lot of good stuff that we talk about. Just looking forward to working with him."

The scene on the fields behind Gillette Stadium was different than this time last spring, when Bill Belichick worked to get Matt Patricia and Joe Judge up to speed as offensive coaches. Not only did both assistants at that point in time have limited offensive coaching experience, but the team also was in the midst of changing its offense and its terminology. As a result, there were moments when practices were choppy. Assignments were blown. And Belichick was often right alongside helping Patricia call plays in practice.

That wasn't the case on Wednesday. O'Brien was often by himself on the sideline while using a walkie talkie to communicate play-calls to quarterbacks. Belichick watched closely, but instead of taking a hands-on approach, his hands were frequently twirling his whistle.

Jones looked comfortable throughout the session, hitting Hunter Henry for a couple of chunk gains early in the practice and finding Tyquan Thornton running behind the defense on a busted coverage. He found Ty Montgomery on swing routes and hit JJ Taylor on a wheel route along the sideline. He did overthrow Henry at one point and was picked off by Myles Bryant -- one of five picks on the day for the Patriots defense -- but later found DeVante Parker on a screen that went for a touchdown.

The well-executed explosive gain encouraged Jones to raise his arms over his head triumphantly while others on the offense shouted their approval.

Though O'Brien is the third play-caller in Jones' ear during his first three pro seasons, this adjustment should be more smooth than when others have seen similar turnover at the offensive coordinator spot. O'Brien is coming from Jones' alma mater at Alabama, where he coached a version of the Nick Saban offense Jones ran in 2020. Additionally, O'Brien spent years in Foxboro coaching the same offense that Jones learned from Josh McDaniels as a rookie. 

"I can't get into specifics," Jones said when asked about the similarities between this scheme and the one he ran in 2021, "but, for me, it's terminology and things like that. Things I've seen before in the past. Obviously OB has been around. He's taken a lot of good things from each stop. 

"For me it's about being a sponge. Whatever quarterback he's coached, I can learn from, whether that's Bryce (Young) or Deshaun (Watson), or at Penn State. He has such great experience in this league and in the football world, it's like a walking dictionary. Just pick his brain, see the game how he sees it, how I see it, and come together and mesh and create a really good offense."

Having someone with encyclopedic knowledge of offensive football at the front of the quarterback room -- O'Brien also serves as the quarterbacks coach -- will be a new experience for Jones compared to his second season. And it appears to be an experience he's relishing.

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