Bill Belichick isn't usually one to wax poetic about his current players. The New England Patriots head coach is known for his terse answers in press conferences whether he's discussing the starting quarterback or the last player on the roster.
So when Belichick shared high praise for Mac Jones on Tuesday, it left some scratching their heads. Belichick raved about the young quarterback's "dramatic improvements," including his conditioning and mechanics. But was there an ulterior motive for his comments?
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Tom E. Curran and Phil Perry attempted to get inside the mind of Belichick in a brand new episode of the Patriots Talk Podcast.
Patriots Talk: Belichick gushes about Mac Jones' dramatic improvement. Why? | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
"I don't know, it was odd," Perry said. "You and I have covered enough of this team and this coach, especially this time of year, to know that he generally doesn't like going that deeply into praise of any player. It's usually, 'Yeah, you know, Mac's done a great job. I think we have a lot of players who are doing great work.' ... That might be Bill even on a good day.
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"So today was ratcheted up several levels. That's what was surprising to me. I don't know why really because I think there is a reason for why he usually doesn't tell us much. I think it may be as simple as it would be nice for the team to start getting a little bit better press. I really don't know."
Curran named a couple of theories for why Belichick would go out of his way to heap praise onto his second-year QB.
"Number one just being he felt like it and he likes the kid," Curran said. "Number two perhaps being he knows an awful lot is going to be on Mac this year and he knows the kid has worked his ass off. He's reshaped his body, he studies his ass off, they don't have to put any clauses in his contract so he doesn't play Halo all night.
"So, as a result, we appreciate that from you, kid. And I'm going to veer off my normal talking points and say you're really good, we appreciate you. Maybe that's a metamorphosis in Belichick dealing with the modern-day athlete."
Also discussed in the episode: How much should we expect Jones to improve in his second year? Is Belichick trying to protect Matt Patricia and Joe Judge? What to expect to see in the first few days of Patriots training camp. And Curran and Perry share their favorite Danny Amendola moments following his retirement from the NFL.
Check out the latest episode of the Patriots Talk Podcast on the NBC Sports Boston Podcast Network, or watch on YouTube.