FOXBORO -- If you were wondering whether or not Bill O'Brien has enjoyed his experience coaching up the Patriots quarterback room this summer, he answered those questions in a back-and-forth with reporters Friday that left zero gray area.
"It's one of the better quarterback rooms I've ever been a part of," O'Brien said. "They work very hard. They care about winning. And they're here very early in the morning and they stay late to get the job done. It's been a great group to be around."
And there's been a clear-cut leader in that group, O'Brien acknowledged. He knows media members can see that Mac Jones gets most of the reps with the starters. He knows it's clear Bailey Zappe gets the reps with the backups. But when asked if Jones would be the team's starter, O'Brien went the Bill Belichick route of not necessarily crowning anyone.
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"It's really about consistent, daily performance," O'Brien said. "Who is performing at a high level on a consistent basis every day? These guys are working hard to do that."
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Based on what has played out on the practice field, there is no reason to believe at this point that Jones won't be the starter when games matter. And that's not just based on which teammates he's sharing the huddle with. He's been the team's most consistent passer, whether in the middle of the field or in the red zone. He's been accurate. And he's rallied teammates to celebrate -- at times effervescently -- when they connect for a big play.
Jones is also often found connected to O'Brien's hip, whether it's walking to practice, between series, or in a post-practice on-the-field debrief.
"Mac's worked very, very hard since I got here," O'Brien said, "and it's been fun to coach him."
Part of what has made that working relationship an enjoyable one for Jones? The fact that he's once again been given a lot on his plate. There's loads of responsibility put on the quarterback now in Foxboro -- as was the case when Josh McDaniels was the coordinator -- and Jones has excelled in those moments when he clearly has the reins.
There have been multiple occasions when we've seen a bevy of hand-signals at the line and communication happening across position groups, with Jones as maestro, that have resulted in big plays. On Thursday, it was a deep out to Kendrick Bourne that put the offense on the goal line. Earlier this week, it was a touchdown pass to JuJu Smith-Schuster in the back of the end zone.
O'Brien said Friday that he trusts his top quarterback to thrive in those scenarios. And the trust Jones has in his coaches is what has made it a productive reciprocal relationship thus far.
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"We have a lot of trust in Mac," O'Brien said. "Mac puts a lot of time in. Mac's very prepared every day. We have a lot of trust in Bailey. We have a lot of trust in Trace (McSorley). When you watch these guys, if you were here on a daily basis, you'd see the time that they put in.
"And as players, they trust that we're putting that time in, too. When we approach a meeting and we go into a meeting, and we talk about, 'OK, it's this or that,' relative to a play choice or whatever it is, we're teaching it. Then we go out onto the field and they're trying to execute it to the highest level through their preparation. That's what builds the trust.
"And really trust is, you can apply that to every relationship that you have, right? They have to trust that you're doing the best for them and trying to put them in the right position, put our offense in the right position. And then we have to trust that they go out there with their preparation that they're able to do those things.
"I think in football, nowadays, it's very rare if you think you're going to just run one way and that's the play you're going to run, that's tough. Defenses are so multiple. They do so many different things. Not just our defense but all defenses. We have to take that approach. I think these guys have done a really good job with that approach every day."
It's early. But Jones seems happy. O'Brien seems happy with Jones. The Patriots are surely hoping things continue to trend in that direction, and that as their relationship grows, so do the numbers on the scoreboard.