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Bill O’Brien said Mac Jones and other Patriots players will start with a ‘clean slate’
O'Brien spoke to the media for the first time since coming back to New England.
Bill O’Brien rejoined the Patriots earlier in the offseason in what will be his second tenure as offensive coordinator.
O’Brien, who was offensive coordinator at the University of Alabama over the past two seasons, spoke to reporters on Tuesday for the first time since he arrived back in New England.
“It’s been really good. Good staff, great guys. Just started with the players yesterday,” O’Brien explained, alluding to the team’s offseason program. “Great attendance so far. The whole thing leading up to this period [of time] is a dead period, so really this is the first time we’ve actually had a chance to really be with the players, and that’s really exciting because that’s what it’s all about.”
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O’Brien will face the challenge of how to reignite a Patriots offense that struggled to consistently move the ball. Second-year quarterback Mac Jones — and the quarterback position in general — will be an inevitable focus for the Patriots coaching staff.
Asked how good he thinks Jones can be, O’Brien took a wider view considering the team’s offseason activities have only just begun to get underway.
“The big thing for us right now is everybody starts with a clean slate,” O’Brien said in response to a question about Jones. “Every year is different.”
“What you did in the past, whether it’s a player or a coach or anybody in the organization, really has no bearing on what happens moving forward,” he added. “We just started yesterday. We’re looking forward to having a good phase one and a good phase two, then a good phase three and that’s kind of what it’s all about.”
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O’Brien repeated the term “clean slate” several times and offered that “moving forward” is a new team motto. Considering that the Patriots went 8-9 in 2022 and missed the playoffs for the second time in three seasons, the motto makes sense.
The last time O’Brien was calling plays for the Patriots — in the 2011 season — New England (then still playing under the quarterbacking of Tom Brady) finished third in the league in points scored and second in total yards. This contrasts with 2022, when the Patriots were 17th in points scored and 26th in yards.
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