AFC Notes: Dolphins, Jets, Patriots, Mac Jones, Offensive Coordinator

Dolphins

• Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill believes that the team purposely posted a clip of QB Tua Tagovailoa underthrowing him in order to get people around the league talking about the most intriguing new connection in football. (Pro Football Talk)

Jets

• Rich Cimini of ESPN thinks Jets WR Denzel Mims could wind up being cut this offseason but adds that he has had a good camp and seems to be buying into the team’s program. 

Patriots

Patriots QB Mac Jones was impressive in his rookie season, so it would be natural to project a big step forward in his second season. But the uncertainty on the offensive coaching staff has been giving people pause about New England. They lost OC Josh McDaniels and will replace him with a combination of Matt Patricia and Joe Judge, neither of whom has coached much offense in the past. However, ESPN analyst and former QB Robert Griffin believes that will actually be an advantage for Jones. 

“The coaching setup will have a massive impact on Mac Jones in a good way,” said Griffin via ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “Mac has already spoken about how it has been a collaborative process with the coaches and players talking in meetings, installing the offense. And I believe that will lead to more ownership from him about what is being called and how he sees the game.”

Patriots HC Bill Belichick will also reportedly be involved, and he has so far refused to name an offensive coordinator or reveal who will be calling the plays. Griffin thinks that could also help early in the season. 

“If you don’t know who the coordinator is, the scheme, or tendencies, it makes it harder to game plan against early in the year,” he said. “That will allow this unconventional staff to get its footing early in the year. Advantage Patriots.”

Griffin’s opinion is a bit of an outlier, though. Former Patriots DB Jason McCourty says the lack of one person in charge could be an issue. 

“You’ll never hear anybody [on the team] say anything in the media … but it’s definitely going to be a big thing. It has to be,” McCourty said during on NFL Network’s Good Morning Football. “If you’re Mac Jones … who’s the guy you go to and say, ‘I want to run these plays this week’?”