Mac Jones is having a lot more fun at Patriots training camp this year

FOXBORO -- No one needs a rehash on how miserable things were with the 2022 New England Patriots, especially for quarterback Mac Jones. With an inexperienced coaching staff on offense, it was a bad situation for everyone involved and the frustration often carried over to the field.

Now that Bill O'Brien is running the show on offense, the 2023 season offers a fresh start for Jones and crew. And everyone is having a lot more fun on the field -- especially the guy playing quarterback.

Gone is the sourpuss that was fixated on Jones' face throughout the 2022 season. It has been replaced with a bright smile that he hopes will lift up his teammates as well as himself. 

There is still plenty of trash talk, because that is part of Jones' makeup, but all of that is in good fun. And it doesn't seem like anyone is afraid to break out the dance moves once in a while to celebrate a good play.

The Griddy, however, is no longer in Jones' repertoire.

"No Griddy," he said with a big laugh after Thursday's practice.

While he remains all business when there is football to be played, having more fun on the field was a focus for Jones after such a trying 2022 season.

"That's one of the things this offseason that I put a lot of thought into, just enjoying the game. Especially in practice, right? It's practice, it's good to have fun," Jones told reporters. "But at the end of the day we're out here working and putting in the work is the most important part, but we have to have that juice. It comes from the leaders and the leaders of the team, so you have to go out and have fun."

Mac said all of that as Julian Edelman -- paying a visit to his only NFL home -- shouted in the background. Yes, everyone is having a lot of fun behind Gillette Stadium these days.

Jones said that his newfound joy on the field is part of the process of being a better leader as he heads into his third NFL season. He said that newcomer JuJu Smith-Schuster is already a great leader, and he's excited with the signs of life that the offense is showing in training camp against a strong New England defense.

"It always stems from winning. To win you have to do a lot of really good things consistently all the time. I feel like I need to do that better and lead the team more so from the mental side. The plays and the physical stuff is there, but I have to lead," he said.

I've always been a fun person, in my opinion. Hopefully people agree," he said with another chuckle. "We like to go out, have fun and compete. I have to be consistent there. Sometimes when I'm not consistent you can tell, and that is something I'm trying to work on. I'm just trying to stay the course but at the same time, have fun. When bad things happen, just accept it and move on."

And while he was hard at work trying to sell Ezekiel Elliot on joining the Patriots over the weekend, Jones is very confident in the group that shows up in Foxboro every day.

"I always say we have a great group of guys already. Coming together as an offense is really important for us," he said. "I'm happy with the guys we have in the room. I do think we have enough. The offensive line looks good and the skill players are playing great."