Patriots-Ex Josh McDaniels Weighs In On Bill O’Brien Coaching Mac Jones

Former New England Patriots offensive coordinator and current Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels believes Bill O’Brien and Mac Jones are a great fit.

As the old saying goes … ‘It takes one to know one.”

Las Vegas Raiders head coach, and former New England Patriots offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels knows exactly what it is like to the top dog in Bill Belichick’s offensive coaching staff. 

Therefore, when McDaniels provides a glowing endorsement of new Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien, one can place a great deal of stock in his opinion. 

“I think he’s a great coach,” McDaniels said of O’Brien while speaking with reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday. “Billy’s worked with a lot of quarterbacks before, and they’ve all had success, and he’s impacted all of those guys in a positive way. He knows the position really well, understands the league, understands how to get the most out of players at this level. He’ll do a great job.”

For 13 non-consecutive seasons, McDaniels helped to craft one of the NFL’s most diverse offensive units as its coordinator. Of course, it should be noted that for the vast majority of that time, the Pats scoring phase was led by future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady. 

Still, McDaniels’ success at New England’s offensive helm allowed him the chance to take the reins as an NFL head coach — as it also did for O’Brien. In fact, McDaniels remembered O'Brien’s first days on the Patriots staff in 2007. From the outset, O'Brien embraced New England’s philosophies. He even inherited  McDaniels' play-calling duties after his acceptance of the Denver Broncos’ head coaching job in 2009. 

"You could give him a lot of responsibility and he could handle it,” McDaniels remarked. “All the things that Billy has accomplished and achieved since then haven’t surprised me at all. 

“Being successful as a coordinator in New England, winning at Penn State, winning in Houston, going down to Alabama and being part of their success there — none of that has surprised me."

While O’Brien’s return to New England has been met with overwhelming praise, his presence alone will not be enough to cure the team’s offensive ailments — especially that of current Patriots signal-caller Mac Jones, whom McDaniels coached during his rookie season of 2021. 

It is clearly no secret that Jones was frustrated with New England’s offensive coaching structure last season under ousted play caller Matt Patricia and quarterbacks coach Joe Judge. At times, the disconnect between Jones and the staff was so overt that he was observed hurling expletive-laden frustrations, believed to be in their direction.

Unsurprisingly, Jones experienced a significant statistical regression in 2022, finishing with 2,997 yards, 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

Following the dismal finish, Jones expressed his desire for a bit more persistence in the way he is coached.

“It’s accountability. It starts with me. I think I want to be coached harder,” Jones said at the conclusion of his second year as the team’s starting quarterback.

This season, he will get his wish … as few, if any, coaches in football are as willing to coach harder than O’Brien.

As reports continue to circulate regarding the ‘kid gloves-approach’ with which Pats coaches allegedly handled Jones in 2022, O’Brien will not sugar coat his style for the sake of hurt feelings. 

In fact, his ‘tough love’ method will be quite the contrary. 

Patriots legend Julian Edelman, who played for both O’Brien and McDaniels during his tenure in New England, recently recalled the vocal, yet effective manner which the former may take with Jones this season.  

“Billy ‘O’ is the kind of guy that if he shows you affection, if he’s yelling at you, that means he loves you,” Edelman told reporters shortly after O’Brien’s hiring last month. “The times that he’s not talking to you, or if he’s not yelling at you, that’s when you’ve got to be worried. He’s a very emotional guy.”

Though emotion and strategy will ultimately be the measures by which O’Brien is judged in New England, his earning the stamp of approval from his predecessor should Patriots fans with a greater sense of comfort regarding the team’s fate (along with that of Mac Jones) on offense.  

He’s a great football coach, extremely hard worker,” McDaniels said in conclusion. “I have a lot of confidence that Billy’s going to do well wherever he’s at, and obviously now that’s in New England.”

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