For the first time all season last Sunday, the Patriots put Marcus Jones in on the offensive side of the football.
It all started before the Patriots Week 10 showdown in Chicago when Jones sent Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt a text saying he’d be open to playing on offense. Well, surprisingly, the text confused Van Pelt.
“I got a text from Marcus Jones, and I’m going back in my mind like, ‘Marcus would just come and talk to me in the building, I would think.’ So I was googling Marcus Joneses, and a guy came through Green Bay for coffee. I was like, ‘Why would he be texting me?’ Then one of our coaches said Marcus is trying to reach you.
Van Pelt then admitted he didn’t realize Jones played on the offensive side of the football, and went back to watch the film. Although it was already too late to install package plays for Jones against the Bears, Van Pelt put Jones in the game the following week versus the Rams.
The former third-round pick entered the game lining up in the slot in the third quarter. Shortly after his first appearance on offense, he ran for five yards on a handoff that was set up by his Jet motion. Then, on the following drive, the Patriots lined up similarly, but he was simply used to distract the defense, and Drake Maye dumped the ball off to Stevenson on a screen pass.
After the game, Jones talked to the media about his appearance on the offense.
“It was great. I want to say it started at the beginning of the week and went on from there,” Jones said after Sunday’s game. “It was great. It was great to hear they wanted to do that, and being able to do it was a blessing.”
2022 Jones finished his rookie season with four receptions for 78 yards and a touchdown. So, that begs the question: where has he been all season on the offense?
Although it’s a bit concerning that neither head coach Jerod Mayo nor receivers coach Tyler Hughs thought to say anything to Van Pelt, at least the offensive coordinator knows he has some talent in Jones.
“But I always want guys that are self-starters and want to be a part of it, so I was appreciative of him offering his duties up to us on the offensive side, Van Pelt said.”
The New England Patriots will travel to Miami to face off with the Dolphins this Sunday at 1 pm.
My name is Ben Belford-Peltzman and I am the creator and writer of The Patriots Beat. I am a 17-year kid who is an optimistic pessimist about the City of Champions. I started The Patriots Beat in August of 2022 and never expected to grow so much but here we are. Feel free to email Thepatriotsbeat@gmail.com with any inquires.
