Patriots OC discusses if QB Mac Jones has the 'yips'

New England Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien suggested Monday that quarterback Mac Jones isn't dealing with the dreaded "yips" during what's become a forgettable season for the organization.

"Everything is fixable," O'Brien said about Jones on Monday, per Mike Reiss of ESPN. "I think at times, Mac has played really well. I also think it's really important to point out there are 10 other guys on the field. Everybody has to play better. Then there's coaches on the sideline; we all have to coach better. That's the truth. I don't believe in yips or anything like that. Mac has played well. Mac will play well again."

Any hope that the offseason hiring of O'Brien would help Jones locate the form that made him a Pro Bowl selection as a rookie for the 2021 campaign has disappeared ahead of Thanksgiving. According to ESPN stats, Jones began Monday ranked 25th among qualified players with a 40.0 adjusted QBR and 26th with an 80.2 passer rating. He tossed 10 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions over New England's first 10 games, and he's been pulled from three contests since Week 1. 

Most recently, head coach Bill Belichick benched Jones after the 25-year-old threw a brutal interception in the fourth quarter of a 10-6 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Germany that dropped the Patriots to 2-8 on Nov. 12. Jones took first-team reps during the team's only bye-week practice ahead of primary backup Bailey Zappe and third-string option Will Grier, but it's unclear who will start when New England plays at the 3-8 New York Giants on Sunday. 

Patriots icon Julian Edelman said last week he feels Jones has "lost his confidence" amid rumors claiming the signal-caller has also lost some or most of the locker room. O'Brien hinted Monday that the QB1 gig for the Giants game will be won during midweek practices. 

"One of the reasons I really enjoy coaching here is you have to earn it on the practice field," O'Brien explained. "You have to strive for perfection on the practice field and then hopefully that leads to good execution in the games. Right now, we haven't had consistent enough execution in the games. So, we'll see what happens down the road here. We have to have good practices, and then we can all determine, at every position, who should play the most." 

As of Monday afternoon, oddschecker listed the Patriots as 3.5-point favorites against the Giants.