Connect with us

Alabama in the Pros

Bill O’Brien is giving Mac Jones a ‘clean slate’ for 2023

Mac Jones in warmups during NFL preseason game for Patriots

New England Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien spoke Tuesday about the turning over of a new leaf for New England Patriot’s quarterback Mac Jones.

“I think the big thing for us right now is everyone starts with a clean slate,” said O’Brien. What you did in the past, whether it’s a player or a coach or anybody in the organization really has no bearing on what happens moving forward. We just started yesterday and we’re looking forward to having a good phase one, and then a good phase two, and a good phase three, that’s kinda what it’s all about”.

Rumors have been swirling all offseason about what the Patriots plan on doing with Jones, some believe that they’d like to trade him away and roll with Bailey Zappe as their starter. Zappe stepped up when Jones was unable to play with a high ankle sprain, going 2-2 and creating a quarterback controversy for the team in just four games.

Jones had an impressive rookie season throwing for 3,801 yards, and 22 touchdowns, with a quarterback rating of 92.5, but after his offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels left for the Las Vegas Raiders he struggled in 2022. The struggles could be largely due to the fact that the Patriots had Matt Patricia and Joe Judge splitting play-calling duties last season. Unlike Judge and Patricia, O’Brien has had a lot of experience and success with the Patriots. In 2011 as the team’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, the offense had a New England record number of yards in the regular season with 6,848 yards.

In addition to bringing in O’Brien to call the offense, look for the Patriots to add a weapon for Jones in the draft, such as Boston College wide receiver Zay Flowers who has visited with the team.

GET THE BEST ALABAMA FOOTBALL INSIDER INFORMATION, MESSAGE BOARD ACCESS, AND RECRUITING COVERAGE TODAY! SIGN UP HERE TO UNLOCK OUR SUBSCRIBER-ONLY CONTENT!*

Joe Will is a graduate of the University of Alabama, where he spent a year interning at Tide 100.9 learning the ins and outs of sports broadcast journalism.

More in Alabama in the Pros