Former Patriots coach Eric Mangini “appreciates” how Mac Jones is approaching his third season in New England following a heavily scrutinized sophomore campaign.
But it’s taking a bit of an attitude adjustment to get there.
During a conversation with Trey Wingo of the 33rd Team, Mangini tipped his hat to Jones, who said last week that he wants to “earn the respect of everybody in this building again.”
However, the ex-Patriots coordinator — and former Jets head coach — found there was “a “little arrogance to the way” the University of Alabama product “approached things” in his second year in the league.
“I like what he said. I like it a lot because I’ve always felt that Mac didn’t appreciate how good a situation he came into,” Mangini said, according to NESN. “He had Josh McDaniels, he had Mick Lombardi, a great offensive staff, he had as stable an organization as you could get. He had a team that played complementary football. He came from a program that was similar. It was a perfect situation for who he was. And then Josh McDaniels leaves, he talks about, ‘Oh, I’ve had multiple coordinators. It’s not that big a deal.’
“There was a little arrogance to the way he approached things. And then he found out how hard it is to win consistently in this league, and how tenuous your position is and that you probably shouldn’t go outside the New England Patriots organization if you don’t like what’s going on.”
Jones, the 15th overall pick in 2021, ruffled feathers last season by reaching out for help outside the organization due to his frustration with the offense led by Matt Patricia and Joe Judge.
The quarterback — at the center of on-field outbursts — threw for 2,997 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions.
That was a stark contrast to his Pro Bowl rookie year, which included 22 touchdowns and 3,801 yards, along with a trip to the postseason.
Jones was also sacked 34 times last year, six more times than he was during his first season in the NFL.
Much like Jones, the Patriots are also turning a page, as they’ve brought back Bill O’Brien into the fold to serve as the team’s offensive coordinator this season.
O’Brien, formerly a head coach of Penn State and the Houston Texans, had previously worked in New England as an assistant under Bill Belichick.
Mangini said, however, that the road to regaining the trust of everyone in the locker room will take some time, especially after all the drama of last year’s mediocre efforts.
“Positive, really upbeat that this is the approach he’s taking, but this is going to be a longer road than him just making an offseason statement or tweeting out how he wants to get the respect back,” the former Patriots coach said.
Jones’ attitude this offseason is something his teammates have already noticed.
Star running back Rhamondre Stevenson said Jones has “always been a mature guy.”
“He came into the league pretty mature,” Stevenson said earlier this week during team activities, according to NESN. “So, I see all the same things. He’s just on it this year. Just trying to get better like the rest of us.”
The Patriots will need all the offense they can get as they gear up for what likely will be an intense division fight with Aaron Rodgers, Josh Allen and Tua Tagovailoa.
