Troy Aikman on what New England Patriots QB Mac Jones and Tom Brady have in common, and the ‘hardest job in football’ – New England Patriots Blog

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Quick thoughts and notes about the New England Patriots and the NFL:

1. Aikman’s take: In his first year as an analyst for ESPN’s Monday Night Football, Troy Aikman will get a close look at quarterback Mac Jones and the Patriots twice – Oct. 24 vs. the Chicago Bears and Dec. 12 at the Arizona Cardinals.

Aikman has spent time with Jones, as they have a relationship with Jones’ longtime coach, Joe Dickinson. He believes the Patriots have a gem. He’s also not surprised to hear that Jones and the New England offense have suffered some “growing pains” as they transition from offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels to a three-headed leadership structure including running back Matt Patricia, head coach Bill Belichick and coach of quarterbacks Joe. The judge.

“I like Mac Jones; I really do. I think he has everything you need to win in the NFL. He’s a lot like Tom [Brady] in that way, which was no surprise as to why he ended up in New England,” Aikman said.

“I will say, and Bill knows this, I think offensive coordinator is the hardest job in football. I think it is the most demanded job. They are hard to find. There aren’t many great ones. There are a lot of them who have titles, but not many great attacking minds.

“I’ve had the opportunity to play for some of the best that have ever done it [Ernie Zampese, Norv Turner]. Man, when you get that player, and they’re in sync with the quarterback, it’s like being in step with a dance partner. It’s the greatest feeling in the world. So I think Josh will be missed. Maybe they already do. But if anyone can pull this off, it’s obviously Bill. He’s the best to ever do it.”

Belichick’s unconventional decision with the offensive coaching staff — not naming an official coordinator and relying mostly on two coaches whose primary backgrounds are defense (Patricia) and special teams (Judge) — faces its first test on the 11th. Sept. when the Patriots visit the Miami Dolphins (1 p.m. ET, CBS).

Along with the coaching change, it’s a “new offense” that has significantly changed its terminology, which has further deepened the learning curve for Jones and Co. year.

The players have been preaching patience, and Aikman basically is, too.

“It has an impact. I think if Mac was honest, he’d say, ‘Yes.’ That doesn’t mean he can’t go on and have more success this year. “Maybe he can,” Aikman said.

“It seemed like he and Josh had a really great relationship. And it becomes difficult because there are so many things that happen within a game, within a practice; there’s frustration, the quarterback is getting fired up, they’re not doing it — having a guy you can really trust, there’s so much to that relationship that doesn’t show up on a stat sheet or even on game day. This will be a difficult position to fill and a difficult position for Mac to be comfortable with.”

2. Mac interpretation: When Jones said Wednesday that the offense has “ironed out a lot of things and it’s good that it’s happening nowMy initial thought was that he was aiming for the general preseason. But after talking to multiple offensive linemen in the locker room last week, I wouldn’t be surprised if his words were even more specific and meant after the Aug. 26 preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders. I felt some were embarrassed by their performance against their former coordinator (McDaniels) and the result has been a sharper focus and better execution in practices since then.

3. Early travel: In a break from the norm, the Patriots are traveling to South Florida on Tuesday this week and will hold three practices in the heat and humidity leading up to the game against the Dolphins. They usually leave on Saturday for road games. Longtime captain Devin McCourty previously said the weather is “always a little bit of a shock in the pregame” in Miami, so this gives the players time to adjust. The trip was planned months in advance. Of course, if Belichick had known the team would have an extremely hot and humid training camp in New England, he might have planned differently.

4. Wynn Status: With running back Ty Montgomery (right ankle) not expected to be fit to start the season, the main injury question for the Patriots is starting right tackle Isaiah Wynn. He was not at Thursday’s practice, but was present at the facility that day. Wynn missed several weeks of training camp with an undisclosed injury, and despite initially returning during the Aug. 23-24 joint practice in Las Vegas, still appears to be working on something. Not ideal for a unit that needs to work together.

5. BB v. McDaniel: Is Belichick vs. Mike McDaniel a coaching mismatch in favor of the Patriots in their opener? Not necessarily. For Elias, Belichick is 55-24 (69.6%) for his career against first-year coaches, which is slightly better than his career winning percentage (321-156, 67.3%). But Belichick makes the list, having posted a 5-0 record against first-year coaches last season.

6. Slater’s Sermon: “Comparison is the thief of all joy.” That’s something longtime Patriots captain Matthew Slater said on WEEI sports radio last week when asked to compare the Patriots to past teams. Later, in a one-on-one interview in the dressing room, Slater was asked to explain this thought.

“When you think about the environment we live in, not just in the NFL, but with social media, Twitter, Instagram — what does this person have? What is this person doing in the league? This person set these numbers. This team signed that guy. It’s all about comparison,” Slater explained.

“As long as you look outside, on the outside, at what others are going through, you can never experience true joy within. This is really a gem that started in a spiritual context, but I think it applies to all areas of life. And I think that’s important for us as a young football team. We can’t look around and compare what other people are going through. Check out what we have here, rate it, maximize it and enjoy it. That’s a message I try to live by and it certainly applies in this dressing room.”

7. Hightower Locker: The Patriots are leaving longtime cornerback Dont’a Hightower’s locker open for now. It’s not necessarily that they’re planning on bringing back the free agent, which seems unlikely, so much as it’s a show of respect between the players. File it under the category of regular snippets reporters are getting now that they have access to locker rooms again for the first time since COVID-19.

8. White’s career: Former Patriots running back James White will be keeping a close eye on his former team this season, though that won’t be the case for the team’s Week 2 matchup at the Pittsburgh Steelers. That’s because White has already been tapped to provide analysis for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints game — which starts at the same time — on Sports USA Radio’s national broadcast. Brady, the Bucs quarterback, will surely appreciate seeing his former teammate.

9. Did you know, Part I: The Patriots have lost their last three games against the Dolphins entering their Week 1 matchup in Miami, and since becoming the Patriots’ coach in 2000, Belichick has never lost four straight games against the same opponent, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

10. Did you know, Part II: Jones vs. Tua Tagovailoa is one of nine NFL-wide Week 1 picks among rookie quarterbacks who entered the NFL as first-round draft picks. According to ESPN Stats & Info, that would be the most of any week since 1967. The previous mark was eight (Week 1 of 2012).