Mac Jones
Off hand Mac seemed pretty accurate going 19 of 25 with two drops and a few bubble throws. Ugh... more drops but that's another story plaguing camp. He also continues to make good decisions, looking better than the quarterback play we saw last season. Jones is showing improved chemistry with Bourne, Harry, and Gunner Olszewski but those weren't the only ones he connected with on the day as he found the starters as well.
Jones also continues to have his passes trajectory altered at the line of scrimmage by the defenses. Idk if that's good play by the defense or bad play by Jones. Nobody in the media is making a big deal out of it yet but some aren't even giving out any criticism, so take this as it is.
During the the down pour Jones showed touch on a pass to Henry, and pinpoint accuracy to LaCosse. He'll need that ability to play well in the elements. If only Belichick could expose his weather machine and create some snowy conditions.
Matt Dollof wrote, "The rookie’s most impressive play came on a relatively simple pass. He recognized a blitz from linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley and brought in the running back to pick it up, then slid left in the pocket and delivered a strike over the middle to receiver N’Keal Harry."
Kharl Thompson wrote, "He arguably had only two “poor” throws all day — a check down he threw behind James White and a slightly high throw for Kendrick Bourne that the receiver couldn’t corral."
It wasn't all good, Jones and his center got to run for fundamental errors on a botched snap. Jones also was doing pushups. Gotta find ways to get him a GQ bod, so the team can sell posters. Jones also benefited from the no contact rule on Thursday avoiding some quarterback hits and possible sacks.
Andy Hart wrote, "On two separate occasions Jones took more than a dozen straight reps, displaying obvious energy and leadership throughout."
Keep in mind that Jones is an inexperienced rookie. The last thing the Patriots want to do is put him in the game and have a situation like last year with Stidham, where there wasn't enough off season reps and have it translate into the regular season. The good news though is he's a far superior passer than all the quarterbacks the Patriots had under contact in 2020. And his command and understanding is slowly looking like he's advancing further than some of his teammates.
This was reportedly the first solid camp for Jones from start to finish. Which is what everyone has been waiting to see. Not gonna put any pressure on him but can he do it again, the next time he reports? That's one of the million dollar questions.
Cam Newton
On Thursday, the Patriots would have Newton once again start with the first team to serve as a reminder for anyone who still thinks at the moment that there is a competition. Jones still can force the issue but the team will need more days like today from both quarterbacks.
Cam went 9 of 17 but also had two drops of his own, one by James White who appears to be fighting for his roster spot against the entire stable, with exception to Tyler Gaffney. Newton needs the work, almost as much as Jones, so his light workload is puzzling. Not saying Newton isn't at least a bottom eight starter entering the season. Newton reportedly went 1 of 2 against the starting defense, meaning either he struggled against the second unit or the depth is just that good.
Thursday saw more accuracy and hesitation issues with Newton. There was a pass thrown at the feet of Harry, and an overthrow of Bourne, just to point out some of the throws. For those that say Cam Newton doesn't appear to look any different, although McDaniels said otherwise yesterday, with everything coming out of camp it's still a fair assessment.
Zack Cox wrote, "He threw behind Henry on a pass that was knocked down by linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley and waited too long to deliver a pass to Nelson Agholor, resulting in a Jackson breakup."
Kharl Thompson also wrote, "Newton routinely held onto the ball far longer than necessary, turning down early reads to make late throws to covered receivers."
Newton can get away with this going have speed in zero contact drills but as we saw last year from week three on, he cannot get away with it on game day. Newton also appeared to struggle with the rainy conditions. His throws were erratic and reportedly way below average for a starting quarterback. And his performance on the day was so bad that it got McDaniels screaming. There has been a lot of talk that Newton's play thus far has been due to the first team defense. This is the year of no excuses, don't blame the rain for today when he finally worked against the backups.
While I believe that Jones isn't emotionally ready to start and although he also agrees Newton is presently the starter, Evan Lazar wrote, "It's now an even 4-4 on the scorecard, and the tie should go to the rookie." If there is a completion, which I no longer believe there is, you can see how Lazar is currently calling it. Which should make some happy but will definitely piss others off.
Some of the other stories of interest to watch
Quinn Nordin has been having an inconsistent but spectacular camp and didn't let up today going 6 of 8 in the rain. One of his misses was blocked by Judon, so still a pretty good day. Consistancy will be key for Nordin, maybe he needs to kick barefoot. Nick Folk had the day off. Could be wrong but one can't win a competition if they're not competing. Folk must think he's as good as Conor Carney of DPN Sports Talk is hyping him up to be.
Backup interior offensive linemen Ted Karras, who was signed to be David Andrews's backup has been out for almost a week now with a knee injury. Something to watch. Hopefully, the Patriots will bring in UDFA from Hawaii Taaga Tuulima for a workout. It never hurts to have options ready.
N'Keal Harry had another solid day and continues to give the Patriots coaching staff and general manager pauss for thought. Harry has also been working on kick returns and kickoff coverage. Does he play his way on to the roster or into that trade he requested?
While White struggled with drops, J.J. Taylor and the other running backs continue to to make a push for his position as the primary pass catcher and third down back. This was a bad day for White as he lost ground to his competition.
Rashod Berry the former Ohio State Buckeye turned defensive lineman has been quietly having a decent camp and is slowly making himself a player to watch on the defensive line and with the special teams unit. The Patriots didn't really use him on offense but that could be a factor in a close decision, as he plays all three phases.
Football is back and there's more than one game in town!!!
The NFL has the annual Hall Of Fame Game Tonight. It's a preseason game and we know how those can be so, feel free to channel hop as the CFL kicks off it's season tonight as well. With the return of football that means Halloween and Snow are just around the corner as 2021 is almost over. And to think, we complained about how long 2020 was taking to end.
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