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In interviews with Chris Ryan, New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick discusses the preparation and development of Mac Jones, the team’s rookie quarterback; tries to reflect on the twentieth anniversary of the September 11 attacks; and talks about the problems of preparing for all of the unknowns in the first game of the season; Patriots dual tight ends Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry describe the development of QB Mac Jones and how they enjoy working together; wide receiver, Nelson Agholar shares his excitement about the start of the new season; running back and team captain, James White, also gives Mac Jones high marks and previews what to expect from the Dolphin defense on Sunday; and offensive lineman, Isaiah Wynn, shares his excitement about the new season and the potential that the Patriot offense has.
Coach Belichick outlined how he and the other coaches will deal with eliminating mistakes in execution by any player, with emphasis on those of a rookie quarterback. Repetition, improved technique, or confidence building will be applied to rectify the problem.
When he was asked about his team’s role in raising the spirits of the country after the 9/11 attacks, Bill Belichick said, “I’m not sure that I have a global perspective on that. What it meant outside of the region and for the country and all that, I don’t know if I could give you a good answer about that. Sorry.”
The Patriot coaching staff are well known for their ability to prepare for an opponent. Despite facing a familiar team from their division, the Miami Dolphins, Coach Belichick describes the multitude of unknowns that are contained in the first game of the regular season. The preseason games don’t show too much about what a team plans to do once the games start to count. Your own team has lots of unknowns as far as what they can do.
Tight ends, Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry, are NFL veterans who are playing their first years with the Patriots. Both men share a high opinion of rookie quarterback Mac Jones for his skills, work ethic, and leadership abilities.
Both Smith and Henry, who are similar in age and experience, enjoy competing against each other in practice and working together to improve as players.
Nelson Agholar is another new offensive player on the Patriots who is impressed with rookie quarterback, Mack Jones. Agholar is excited about the new season and is optimistic about how good this new Patriots offense will be.
Running back, James White, who has been with the Patriots for eight years, is also impressed with Mack Jones’ ability and work ethic. White, who is a newly elected team captain, says that the Miami Dolphins are expected to be a very aggressive defense which led the league in forcing turnovers.
After months of training camp and practicing, offensive tackle, Isaiah Wynn isn’t anxious or worried about the new season. Wynn is excited to get it started and wants to show what the team can do.