NFL
By: Steve Atkinson
New England Patriots starting quarterback Mac Jones met with Tom Brady and Devin McCourty from McCourty’s Instagram. I didn’t see the backup in the photo that people were cheering for last season. Doesn’t hold well either for the Felger and Mazz show which hopes for a quarterback competition come training camp. That doesn’t exist and never did. Bill Belichick doesn’t own the team Kraft does. I’ve been saying for months Kraft brought Bill O’Brien here to help Mac Jones not for the backup.
Two retired guys and Mac Jones.
(Via @devinmccourty IG) pic.twitter.com/afTmyiNoTt
— Andrew Callahan (@_AndrewCallahan) July 6, 2023
We all remember how Tom Brady went out having won Six Super Bowls Bill Belichick still treated him like shit on his way out the door. Belichick wouldn’t pay him the Drew Brees contract of 2 years and $25 million. The Buccaneers did and he took them to their second Super Bowl win in franchise history.
After Belichick went 7-9 with Cam Newton the year Brady won his seventh Super Bowl Robert Kraft made sure Bill drafted Mac Jones in the 2021 draft. Jones had an impressive rookie season with Josh McDaniels as an OC then it completely went backward in 2022.
Tom Brady saw the clown show Belichick put together on offense with Matt Patricia and Joe Judge. Jones regressed last season to the point he now has been motivated more than ever before. Jones knows what he’s up against this upcoming season and so does McCourty and Brady. It’s a prove-it year not only for himself and the fans but to Belichick.
Mac Jones is and will not ever be Brady but this is probably the advice Brady gave to Mac. Don’t listen to what people say because it doesn’t matter when Belichick brought up Brady’s age and contract situation in the 2014 draft after drafting Garoppolo it motivated Brady. Brady would on to win another Super Bowl in 2014 and 2016. He also won in 2018.
Mac Jones has to ignore the noise and just do his job. Don’t worry about last year, what fans say, the media says, or Belichick says. Just go out there sling the football and make plays.
Tom Brady Knows With Bill O’Brien Mac Jones and the Offense Is In Good Hands
Bill O’Brien makes a huge difference as Brady worked with him also back in 2010. Brady can give Mac pointers when O’Brien was here and they ran the two tight end set with Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. It could be similar to that with Hunter Henry and Mike Gesicki. Henry isn’t even close to the size of Gronkowski but O’Brien’s offense could empathize the tight ends like it did back in 2010.
Who Is Mac Jones’s Go-To Receiver?
Really right down the line, Brady has his go-to receiver. Whether it was Troy Brown, Wes Welker, or Julian Edelman. Someone that always came in clutch when it mattered. Brady is probably wondering who Mac’s going to be? Kendrick Bourne. He was shut out of the offense because of Matt Patricia last year. But this year he could make a difference in the O’Brien offense. Be Mac’s go-to like he was in 2021.
I think Tyquan Thornton was trying to be that receiver for Mac but really couldn’t get going and is already battling an injury. We’ll see once training camp starts if he can become that. For right now it’s Bourne, Giseki, and Hunter Henry as his favorite targets with Parker, and JuJu Smith-Schuster following.
Then there’s the leadership side both Brady and McCourty can help Mac with. Brady was the voice of the locker room for 20 years with championships to back it up so does McCourty. Now you can say what does Mac have he just got here. But the answer to that is to throw away last year and get everyone on the same page as the quarterback of the team. Make sure you are doing you’re job but also that your teammates are buying into Bill O’Brien’s program.
