Report: Patriots had "level of disconnectedness" with Mac Jones last season

BOSTON -- For the second time in the span of a week, a reporter has noted that the Patriots' coaching staff made an effort to not criticize Mac Jones too harshly for any of his mistakes.

Earlier this week, that nugget came from FOX Sports' Henry McKenna. On Friday, it was reiterated by The Athletic's Jeff Howe.

"[Bill] Belichick instructed the coaching staff not to be too hard on Jones last season, according to the same sources," Howe wrote. "If Jones made a mistake or needed to be corrected, instead of yelling at him, the coaching staff generally took a more constructive approach."

Howe also wrote this: "As for Jones, there's a level of disconnectedness that must be resolved."

That "disconnectedness" comes largely from Jones having endured hard coaching in the past, notably from the not-at-all delicate Nick Saban at Alabama before getting drafted by Belichick in the NFL.

"So it's noteworthy that something isn't adding up," Howe concluded. 

Of course, the complete overhaul of the offensive coaching staff -- that is to say the removal of Matt Patricia and Joe Judge and the hiring of Bill O'Brien and Adrian Klemm -- should bring about better results for everybody involved on that side of the ball in 2023.