Patriots QB Mac Jones reportedly taking big step in second offseason

There has been a lot of talk this offseason about the New England Patriots losing their offensive identity now that Josh McDaniels is gone, but it sounds like Mac Jones is doing everything he can to make sure that does not happen.

Jeff Howe of The Athletic shared a few notes out of New England in his latest notebook on Friday. One of them is that the Patriots “sound ecstatic” with the dedication Jones has shown heading into his second NFL season. As Howe describes it, Jones has been taking ownership of the offense and is “willing to vouch for plays and concepts that he likes and pump the brakes on the stuff that hasn’t worked.”

Bill Belichick has not publicly named a new offensive coordinator with McDaniels now the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. It is also unclear who will call plays for the Patriots. Belichick has brought back two former assistants — Joe Judge and Matt Patricia — following their failed stints as head coaches elsewhere. Those decisions have been met with a great deal of skepticism, especially since Judge said this week that he will be working closely with Jones.

A lack of development from Daniel Jones was one of the reasons the New York Giants fired Judge. Will the coach have more success working with New England's Jones? Time will tell, but it is a good sign that Jones is taking the initiative with months to go until the start of the 2022 season.