In his first spring with the Patriots, Jones had a good camp and impressed teammates and coaches early. Jones's intelligence showed early. He seemed to grasp what the Patriots wanted to do early. By the time minicamp camp concluded, Jones was making adjustments at the line. And his accuracy was on point.
Mike Giardi recently wrote, “It’s not just the physical that stands out. The Pats have thrown everything at Jones, and his grasp of a playbook that’s over 20 years in the making has been impressive. As one (unnamed) offensive teammate told me, ‘Mac sees the game the way (offensive coordinator) Josh (McDaniels) sees it.'”
Alex Barth of CLNS and 98.5 the sports hub wrote, "While he (Mac) made some rookie mistakes at times, there were also no ‘red flag’ moments, or issues that seemed to be beyond repair."
Jones has people talking. Bill Belichick named Cam Newton the starter but from everything that Mac Jones showed and Cam didn't show this spring, many expect a true quarterback competition when the team meets in late July.
Many in the media are comparing this year to last year. Putting Newton in Stidham's shoes and Jones in Newton's. They all pretty much say the same thing. That Alex Barth said.
Alex added, Newton has "spent nearly a decade in the NFL, whereas Jones is coming in as a rookie." Giving Newton a slight advantage. However, unlike most rookie quarterbacks, Jones is coming from Alabama which is the closest thing the NCAA has to an NFL team.
The media is also trying to stir the pot and create a rift already between McDaniels and Belichick over who starts. Referring to Jones as a McDaniels guy and Cam a Newton guy. Last year, some believe that McDaniels wanted to go with Stidham late in the year and when asked, said " I'm comfortable with Stidham's development" and a quarterback change is "Belichick's decision."
Many Patriots fans are eager to see what Jones looks like in the preseason. They got used to passers like Brian Hoyer, Jimmy Garoppolo,.and Tom Brady. So much so that Passers like Cam Newton just don't cut it. These fans are at odds with those who like Newton's style and want to see Cam extended for another three to five years.
Until the Patriots are dominant on offense again, the rift between the two sides is not likely to change but with Mac Jones showing progress, that could be sooner than later.
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