Mac On Track: Patriots QB Mac Jones Determined to Take the Next Steps for Success
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If the first year is supposed to be fun, the second year is about getting down to business.
However, for New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones, both passion and principle have always been — and will continue to be — a part of his preparation for each season on the gridiron.
Fortunately for the Pats, the 23-year-old appears to be ready to take that next step towards becoming New England’s next franchise quarterback.
For the first time since 1993, the Patriots have invested first-round draft capital in a quarterback. While the team chose Drew Bledsoe that season with the first overall selection, the Patriots selected Jones at number 15 in 2021. The Alabama product parlayed a strong performance in both training camp and preseason into earning the starting job to begin his rookie season.
Following the Patriots’ decision to release Cam Newton at the conclusion of training camp, Jones performed well at the team’s helm in his rookie season. He led all rookies with a 67.6 completion percentage and a 92.5 passer rating, while compiling 3,801 yards and 22 touchdowns. He completed at least 70 percent of his attempts in nine of New England’s games and twice threw for 300-plus yards through the air. Jones was the centerpiece of a rookie class, which was chosen as the best in the NFL this past year by Pro Football Focus. In addition to his selection to the Pro Bowl, he also earned a spot on the PFWA's All-Rookie team along with teammate Christian Barmore.
However, Jones clearly had his struggles down the stretch. He was less accurate, made more rookie mistakes and had difficulty when defenses were able to adjust to take away his preferred routes and targets. As Jones struggled down the stretch, so did the Patriots. New England lost four of its final five games following the team’s Week Fourteen bye, as well as their lone playoff matchup with the Buffalo Bills.
Despite their being numerous reasons for the Pats late season collapse, Jones knows as well as anyone that the lion’s share of the blame is always laid at the doorstep of the highest profile position in the game..whether it be deserved or not. He realizes that there is much work to be done for the upcoming season. Jones is intent on increasing his strength and improving his diet, in hopes of avoiding the dreaded ‘one-hit-wonder’ moniker. Most importantly, he is hoping that his experience will allow him to take on a greater leadership role with the team in 2022. This is an example he learned to set during his time as quarterback of the Crimson Tide.
“I think back to my freshman year at Alabama,” Jones told Patriots.com reporters during an interview in February . “You’re kind of figuring everything out. And then you get older, and you’re just more experienced with everything — the media, the games, everything.”
While Jones may be motivated to increase his productivity heading into his second season in New England, his task may be a bit tougher when factoring in the loss of former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. Both Jones and McDaniels developed a strong connection in 2021, with each gaining a solid understanding of the capabilities of the Patriots offense. However, with McDaniels now in Las Vegas, Jones will be working with his second offensive coaching regime in as many years.
While the Pats are unlikely to name a designated successor to McDaniels, the team has tasked both Matt Patricia [who has been a senior football advisor in 2021] and the returning Joe Judge [former Patriots special teams coordinator and New York Giants coach] to their offensive coaching staff. Both Judge and Patricia are expected to play a significant role in Jones’ continued development. The Patriots also re-signed quarterback Brian Hoyer earlier this month, who Jones’ has credited with helping him to grasp the nuances of the team’s often complex offense.
Still, from a coaching and mentorship standpoint, the responsibility will fall on head coach Bill Belichick. Unsurprisingly, it is a duty which the Pats’ man in charge willingly and eagerly accepts.
“Ultimately, it’s my responsibility. So whatever happens under that — whatever happens happens,” Belichick said during a press conference on Monday during the NFL’s Annual Meeting. Working in unison with the rest of the Patriots coaching staff, Belichick hopes to continue to cultivate Jones’ aspirations for elite play at the position.
Though his coaches and teammates will have a hand in shaping his career progression, the primary responsibility lies within Jones himself. While he already embodies a great deal of self motivation, Jones also possesses the intangibles necessary to lead the Patriots. Those skills will continue to make him the ideal steward of New England’s timing-based passing game, predicated on vertical routes and completions from quick, accurate throws. Yet, on field prowess is only part of being an effective team leader.
In fact, Patriots team owner fo CEO Robert Kraft recently lauded his young quarterback for displaying the drive and desire required to be considered a great quarterback.
“These young quarterbacks, the good ones, in the second year have usually grown a great deal, “ Kraft told reporters on Tuesday morning. “I’m a big fan of Mac Jones. You see how hard he works. He wants everything to go right. He puts the time and energy in, and his personality as a team guy. So, we have a chance. Without a good coach and good quarterback, no matter how good the other players are, I don’t think you can win consistently. Hopefully, I believe, we have both — an outstanding coach and a good young prospect at quarterback.”
Kraft’s words are more than just idle compliments. After all, he knows a bit more than most about watching players become elite performers at the quarterback decisions. While Tom Brady’s shoes are impossible to fill, Kraft is confident that Jones has what it takes to become the organization’s next franchise quarterback.
“He’s such a good person, and humble,” he said. “I come in there sometimes on the weekend, or early, and he’s there working out, watching film, just doing things that I wouldn’t believe someone of his background would have that kind of commitment given his past. The guys in the locker room really like him — all the guys. I actually believe he has a little more edge than we’ve seen, but he’s been respectful of coming in as a rookie. I’m very high on him and I think the staff did a great job drafting him. We’re lucky to have him for our future, and this will be a good year.”
As Jones continues to progress on the field, his fanbase throughout the region also continues to grow. With his popularity on the rise, he is making himself at home in New England by becoming a significant presence in the community. On Tuesday, Jones made an appearance at the Boys and Girls Club of Brockton, Massachusetts, providing gifts, footballs as well as a check for $100,000 to help further the organization’s efforts to aid the area’s youth.
Most importantly, Jones invested his time during an afternoon which neither side will ever forget. In fact, it can be said that Jones had as much [if not, more] fun as the club members.
“Time is one thing you can always invest into people, and if you’re fortunate enough, you want to give back financially. It’s a big donation and I’m blessed to be able to do that,” Jones told WBZ-TV’s Steve Burton.
“There are so many kids here with a great future,” Jones added. “Hopefully I build a relationship with a lot of places, and this is one of the places I want to be.”
In laying down such roots within the New England area, Jones is clearly sending a message that he is in it to win it, right here in Foxboro, Massachusetts. Clearly, the soon-to-be sophomore quarterback has areas in which he is in need of improvement. In conjunction with his teammates and coaches, Jones will do what is required to provide success for the Patriots. Though fans should prepare themselves for a continuation of some growing pains in 2022, there is hope for the future. Amidst his late season struggles, Jones regularly maintained his poise, his focus, and his drive to constantly improve. These qualities will serve him well as he enters his second season in a Patriots uniform.
Overall, his stout performance in 2021, a strong support system of coaches and teammates, and his own determination provide palpable hope of a bright future for New England at the quarterback position with Mac Jones at the helm.
