Bill Belichick calls Mac Jones' improvement from Year 1 "dramatic"

FOXBORO --  Mac Jones was pretty good during his rookie year, exceeding expectations and helping the Patriots earn a playoff spot. The quarterback is poised to be even better in his second NFL season, thanks in large part to the work he put in during the offseason.

Jones is a long ways away from going all TB12 with his diet, but the quarterback worked on his body during the offseason and it showed. He got in incredible shape by spending a boatload of time in the weight room, and showed off his new look at OTAs in June.

The mini-transformation was apparent then, and should help the quarterback through he rigors of the season. That all starts on Wednesday, when the Patriots will kick off training camp in Foxboro.

But lifting weights wasn't the only work that Jones put in during the offseason. He was also hard at work studying the playbook and expanded his relationship with his receivers with some workout sessions away from the team. Jones put in a lot of hours in the offseason, and that has not been lost on the New England coaching staff.

He displayed the kind of work ethic that Bill Belichick absolutely loves in his players, and the head coach took time to praise Jones' offseason work on Tuesday. 

"I think Mac has done a great job. He's worked extremely hard and he's got a tremendous work ethic. In all areas, I think there's a dramatic improvement," Belichick said on his Tuesday morning Zoom call. "His physical work and conditioning, working on his mechanics, working on his footwork, working on his understanding of our offense, of opponent defenses, of situations. All of those things.

"He has worked hard and made tremendous strides," Belichick continued. "He did a great job last year, but he's starting it from a much, much higher point this year than he started last year. His offseason work has been significant and I think everyone recognizes how well he prepares and how much further along he was than he was a year ago."

Patriots special teams captain Matthew Slater, who is heading into his 15th season with the team, also had some incredibly high praise for Jones on Tuesday.

"I think the young man is fantastic and I think he's demonstrated great leadership from the day that he walked in this building. And I think he'll continue to do so," said Slater. "We're all excited about what he's going to be and what he's going to provide, not just as a player but as a leader of this organization. He continues to grow in that role.

"Ultimately, this is going to be his team and in a lot of ways we're going to take on the personality of our quarterback," continued Slater. "But he's just got to be himself because that's good enough. He doesn't need to try to be anybody from the past, the present, or the future. He's just got to be the best version of Mac Jones and we'll certainly respond to it and rally around him."

Jones was pretty solid throughout his rookie campaign in 2021, and the Patriots sound confident that the quarterback will make some big strides in his second NFL season.