Patriots defender revealed he was asked to play offense
Given the New England Patriots ' issues with offensive production, the coaching staff must be looking for a new spark to help out rookie quarterback Drake Maye. Cornerback Marcus Jones was approached by coaches earlier in the week about playing on offense, per Evan Lazar of Patriots.com.
"Jones said he'd be open to playing on offense going forward, but added defense remains his primary focus."
The 26-year-old corner is in his third year with New England. In his 2022 rookie season, he was the Patriots primary kick and punt returner. That year, Jones was a first-team All-Pro as a punt returner. He returned 29 punts for a league-leading 362 yards and a touchdown. He also returned 27 kicks for 645 yards.
This season, Jones has returned 20 punts for 311 yards. His 15.6 yards per return lead the NFL. In 2021, his redshirt senior season in college, Jones was the AAC Special Teams Player of the Year, a consensus All-American, winner of the Jet Award (top return specialist) and Paul Hornung Award winner (top two-way player).
Patriots testing Drake Maye for better or worse
The rookie signal-caller had great and forgettable moments during the Patriots' 28-22 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 11. Maye finished with 30-of-40 passing for 282 yards, two touchdowns and a game-sealing interception that abruptly ended New England's comeback chances. He also rushed for 27 yards on three carries.
Head coach Jerod Mayo keeps his head down and stays mostly positive in his remarks about the team. After the loss, he praised the team's effort , per the Associated Press.
"We have enough talent in our locker room to be a very good football team, we've just got to be able to put it together," Mayo said. "We'll grow into being able to finish and close out these games."
Mayo also shoulders most of the blame , as he should with a young football team.
"Do we need to get better? Absolutely, and that's my job as the head coach of this football team," Mayo told reporters. "It starts with me. I have to do better. We have to demand more from our assistant coaches. We're going to demand more from our players."
The game was within striking distance after halftime, 14-10. Matthew Stafford connected with Cooper Kupp for a huge 69-yard touchdown on the Rams' first drive of the second half. On the play, cornerback Jonathan Jones was a step behind and sold out by diving to deflect the pass.
In response, the Patriots marched down the field, controlling the clock for 7:08. Unfortunately, the 13-play, 63-yard drive stalled at the goal line and New England settled for a field goal, setting the score at 21-13. The Rams answered with another touchdown, a 19-yard score to Colby Parkinson, putting the score out of reach, 28-13.
The Patriots travel to Miami in Week 12 to face the Dolphins on Sunday, November 24 at 1:00 p.m. EST.
