Patriots: Mac Jones takes ownership of practice mistake that led to Bill Belichick earful

At practice this week, New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick wanted to make sure he and quarterback Mac Jones were on the same page.

After reaching the playoffs in 2021, the team took a step backwards this past season – especially on the offensive side of the ball. Some are questioning a six-time Super Bowl winning head coach. Tensions have been running high this offseason when it come to a club that had its way with the NFL for nearly two decades.

The New England Patriots won two fewer games in 2022 than when they finished 10-7 the previous year and earned a wild card berth.

Many fingers were pointed at head coach Bill Belichick and his decision to put the offense in the hands of assistants Matt Patricia and Joe Judge. The former, known for his defensive pedigree, would wind up being the play-caller.

Quarterback Mac Jones had a rough second year after a promising debut in 2021. The club’s offensive unit scored only 31 touchdowns in 17 games, 17 fewer than in 2021 (48). Jones played and started in 14 games and had nearly as many turnovers (12) as touchdown passes (14).

Patriots: Mac Jones takes ownership of practice mistake

This summer brings new hope. The organization brought back Bill O’Brien to be the team’s offensive coordinator. The Patriots just added former Cowboys’ running back Ezekiel Elliott to bolster last season’s 24th-ranked running game.

The team will face the Green Bay Packers Saturday night in the second preseason game for both teams this year. At a joint practice between the teams on Wednesday, Belichick wasn’t pleased with the offense handled a two-minute drill and he let his young quarterback know it.

Jones had this to say about the situation, one that simply came down to “miscommunication.”

It’s certainly understandable that the Patriots need to be a far better offensive team than they were in 2022. That unit only scored more than two touchdowns in only four of their 17 games a year ago. It’s going to be a very interesting year in Foxborough, one way or another.