Patriots coaches reportedly instructed to take it easy on Mac Jones

There's more information about the struggles New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones endured during his sophomore pro season. 

"Eventually, Jones said he wanted to be coached harder," AFC East insider Henry McKenna reported for Fox Sports. "A team source told me that coaches were instructed not to be too hard on Jones in an effort to protect him from being too critical of himself. There was an issue in 2021 with Jones struggling after getting yelled at, per the source. That source also suggested, in hindsight, it might have been a mistake to go easy on the quarterback." 

Jones had Josh McDaniels as his offensive coordinator during the 2021 campaign before McDaniels became head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders last winter. New England head coach Bill Belichick hoped assistants Matt Patricia and Joe Judge would help Jones improve following a solid rookie year, but the results were shaky right from the preseason. 

Additionally, McKenna noted how Jones' camp and the Patriots seemingly disagreed on how to deal with the reported high-ankle sprain the 24-year-old suffered this past September. McKenna also referenced stories about Jones allegedly seeking "out-of-house coaching" to help with the team's offense during the 2022 season. 

McKenna's piece went public after veteran safety Devin McCourty became the latest person associated with the Patriots to defend Jones this winter during an appearance on NFL Network's "Good Morning Football." McCourty insisted he believes Jones is "the future of New England." 

Jones' numbers from 2022 certainly aren't pretty. Per ESPN, he finished the regular season 26th among qualified players with an 84.8 passer rating, 28th with a 36.2 adjusted QBR and tied for 24th with an average of 6.8 yards per pass attempt. He recorded 14 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions across 14 games. 

New offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien will be tasked with getting Jones right on the field. It appears O'Brien may have some work to do behind the scenes as it pertains to being a bit tougher on the 2021 first-round draft choice.