How does Mac Jones compare with other QB's?

[Mazz22]

Jones needs to improve his long ball weaknesses. It's not up for debate either.

It's not just the long ball. He has issues driving the ball consistently outside the numbers. You saw this during the second half of the season when defenses took away the middle and he was forced to go outside. Look at his INTs the second half of the season to see the result. He cannot make all the NFL throws. That is the issue. It has to get fixed asap.

 

[vertigho]

It's not just the long ball. He has issues driving the ball consistently outside the numbers. You saw this during the second half of the season when defenses took away the middle and he was forced to go outside. Look at his INTs the second half of the season to see the result. He cannot make all the NFL throws. That is the issue. It has to get fixed asap.

Can you provide a few specific examples of Jones' INTs that came outside the numbers, due to his inability to drive the ball down the field? You seem pretty certain this is an issue and mapped his INTs total in the second half of the season to this issue. With that in mind, it should be quite easy for you to reference a few games, and perhaps post links of highlights from those games and the corresponding timestamps. Can you do this so I/we can see the passes you're referencing?

 

[Roberto71]

 

[Mazz22]

Can you provide a few specific examples of Jones' INTs that came outside the numbers, due to his inability to drive the ball down the field? You seem pretty certain this is an issue and mapped his INTs total in the second half of the season to this issue. With that in mind, it should be quite easy for you to reference a few games, and perhaps post links of highlights from those games and the corresponding timestamps. Can you do this so I/we can see the passes you're referencing?

Watch the games from about week 9 on.

 

[BostonTim]

It's not just the long ball. He has issues driving the ball consistently outside the numbers. You saw this during the second half of the season when defenses took away the middle and he was forced to go outside. Look at his INTs the second half of the season to see the result. He cannot make all the NFL throws. That is the issue. It has to get fixed asap.

Well, I guess one good face palm deserves another.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-bVEc8oZvk

 

[crawhammer]

Because it's not all about their weakness', which is what some people only want to focus on. We can do both and it doesn't mean it's a circle jerk with pom poms as you like to put it. Nobody's pretending this team is SB bound any time soon but we are headed in the right direction and it starts at QB.

I agree the Patriots are headed in the right direction as a team from 2020 to 2021. However, there are two caveats: 1) the 2020 team wasn't very good at all so given the money spent in free agency alone it would have been hard for them not to ascend and 2) the gap between the Patriots and the Bills seems to have gotten wider despite the Patriots' improvements. This obviously is a significant problem. I don't know the Bills cap or FA situation but if they can return a bulk of that roster then they will continue to be a huge obstacle for the Patriots. Also given the Patriots cap situation and unlikelihood of being active again in the FA market, much of their fortunes are likely to rest on the development of Jones. And in my opinion the largest gap in talent between the Patriots and Bills is at the quarterback position. And that's focusing only on the division. The conference too is getting much better and largely due to the immergence of franchise type quarterbacks.

 

[Grogan]

Well, I guess one good face palm deserves another.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-bVEc8oZvk

Does pretending that he's wrong make you feel better? I assure you there's no one that wants Mac to succeed more than I do, but I'm not blind to his weaknesses and I'll guarantee the other teams in our division and conference aren't blind to them either. Hell, take a look at the throws Mahomes and Allen were making in in the divisional game and ask yourself if Mac can make those same throws? If you say he can, you're just lying to yourself, and he's also right that if Mac doesn't improve this offseason, we'll be seeing teams game plan to take advantage his weaknesses.

 

[chevss454]

Does pretending that he's wrong make you feel better? I assure you there's no one that wants Mac to succeed more than I do, but I'm not blind to his weaknesses and I'll guarantee the other teams in our division and conference aren't blind to them either. Hell, take a look at the throws Mahomes and Allen were making in in the divisional game and ask yourself if Mac can make those same throws? If you say he can, you're just lying to yourself, and he's also right that if Mac doesn't improve this offseason, we'll be seeing teams game plan to take advantage his weaknesses.

What do you consider to be his weaknesses?

 

[Roberto71]

What do you consider to be his weaknesses?

His first and last name

 

[AkPatsFan]

Mac Jones made some incredible throws in college, there's no reason to think he can't make those type throws in the NFL. And how does Mac throw deep downfield if he doesn't have the receivers to even attempt it? His accuracy is superb and it will only get better with time.

 

[vertigho]

Watch the games from about week 9 on.

This is not helpful. Can you reference specific interceptions that came outside the numbers due to an inability to drive the ball?

I mean this completely sincerely, by the way. I'm not trying to setup an "I gotcha!". It seems like a fairly simple request: If you recall Jones throwing INTs outside the numbers from week 9 and onward, name specific games and give folks a quarter.

The NFL posts 10-15 minute highlight videos on YouTube of every single game that is played these days. It should be very easy to track down the specific interceptions in question and provide a timestamp. It's not like asking you to find those INTs you're referencing is unduly difficult/unrealistic/burdensome.

Telling people to watch 8 games (nearly half the season) without referencing specific games/quarters/plays is pretty useless. I'm also interested in analyzing Jones' play and this would be helpful for me.

 

[crawhammer]

I think everyone should be able to admit arm strength is not an asset for Jones.

Regarding his accuracy, he completed 67.6% of his passes this season. The all-time career best completion percentage is 67.8% so to expect Jones to improve much, if at all, on 67.6% seems pretty unrealistic.

He's never going to have the pocket mobility or running ability of Allen, Mahomes, Watson, Jackson... even Herbert can run a little bit. All of these quarterbacks have tremendous arm strength too.

So if Jones is going to improve anything at all then I suppose arm strength may be the most obvious thing. Right? I mean he's already hard-working, smart, recognizing defenses and reading through his progressions (which likely he can still improve on as well).

 

[aloyouis]

I excluded Wilson because he looked so awful at times this season that I can't see favoring his potential over Jones at this point. Tua almost literally cannot throw a football.

I constructed the poll with those particular quarterbacks because I believe each has more potential than Jones at this point. I suspect those who agree with me are abstaining from a vote.


Which is why I think the Patriots have a very steep climb ahead of them. I don't think it's an overreaction to say Josh Allen looks like he has alarmingly elite talent at this point. Allen looks like he can be every bit as good as Mahomes. Watson is that type of quarterback as well but who knows where he'll end up at this point... in Miami would be a disaster for New England. Jackson also is a beast who is not being given his due here. Burrow looks great now with all of the talent around him (in particular Chase) and I put him in that class of quarterback who probably needs that type of stacked roster. Herbert's skill set is probably more impressive that Burrow's but to this point the Patriots have had his number.

"I constructed a poll to get a response I wanted and now that I didn't get it, it is only because people that agree with me are abstaining from voting".

Bahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!

At least you are honest. Obtuse, but honest.

 

[Grogan]

What do you consider to be his weaknesses?

Velocity, and I'll admit it's difficult to judge how much because we haven't seen him in every situation possible yet, but it's pretty clear that this is an area that he needs to improve on. I'm also not saying that he has to equal what guys like Allen and Mahomes can do to be effective, but I do think it needs to be better. You can offset that with better weapons also, but guys pretending that there isn't a significant difference in pure arm strength are clueless.

 

[Grogan]

I think everyone should be able to admit arm strength is not an asset for Jones.

Regarding his accuracy, he completed 67.6% of his passes this season. The all-time career best completion percentage is 67.8% so to expect Jones to improve much, if at all, on 67.6% seems pretty unrealistic.

He's never going to have the pocket mobility or running ability of Allen, Mahomes, Watson, Jackson... even Herbert can run a little bit. All of these quarterbacks have tremendous arm strength too.

So if Jones is going to improve anything at all then I suppose arm strength may be the most obvious thing. Right? I mean he's already hard-working, smart, recognizing defenses and reading through his progressions (which likely he can still improve on as well).

Your problem is you are talking honestly and realistically about a subject the fanboys here don't even want to admit is a real topic of discussion. All they want to hear is that Mac Jones has no weaknesses to be concerned with and is already the next Tom Brady. Any one discussing the possibility of a flaw is a Troll, or a fake Patriot fan. LOL!!!

 

[Muse]

Your problem is you are talking honestly and realistically about a subject the fanboys here don't even want to admit is a real topic of discussion. All they want to hear is that Mac Jones has no weaknesses to be concerned with and is already the next Tom Brady. Any one discussing the possibility of a flaw is a Troll, or a fake Patriot fan. LOL!!!

Not the case but keep on saying so. I have said, and others repeatedly, that this is not how we feel.

 

[chevss454]

Velocity, and I'll admit it's difficult to judge how much because we haven't seen him in every situation possible yet, but it's pretty clear that this is an area that he needs to improve on. I'm also not saying that he has to equal what guys like Allen and Mahomes can do to be effective, but I do think it needs to be better. You can offset that with better weapons also, but guys pretending that there isn't a significant difference in pure arm strength are clueless.

Your problem is you are talking honestly and realistically about a subject the fanboys here don't even want to admit is a real topic of discussion. All they want to hear is that Mac Jones has no weaknesses to be concerned with and is already the next Tom Brady. Any one discussing the possibility of a flaw is a Troll, or a fake Patriot fan. LOL!!!

Actually we've been discussing his arm strength since before he was drafted. It was determined quickly that his arm strength is good enough even though it's not a rocket.
There's also a video posted yesterday by Curran with Tom House who said Mac's velocity can be increased significantly in 1 offseason if the Patriots want to do that. In the meanwhile, velocity can be mitigated by anticipation of his throws to a large extent but, agreed, not in every attempt that needs a tight window throw. Nevertheless, Mac did very well this year with his accuracy having B and C receivers by anticipating where the ball should be. He just needs to let it fly a quarter of a second sooner than Allen, that's all. Most of time he can do that as his completion % proves.

Yes we are fans. Some here have been Pats fans since the early '70s like me. What irks us is when people come on and accuse us of not recognizing issues when we've already discussed said issues and come to conclusions how those issues can be solved in time. So while Mac's velocity is a "real topic of discussion" for you, Grogan, we've already discussed it at length, come to the conclusion it's not a huge issue and that in time Mac's arm strength will improve just like Brady's did. Problem solved.

 

[AkPatsFan]

Your problem is you are talking honestly and realistically about a subject the fanboys here don't even want to admit is a real topic of discussion. All they want to hear is that Mac Jones has no weaknesses to be concerned with and is already the next Tom Brady. Any one discussing the possibility of a flaw is a Troll, or a fake Patriot fan. LOL!!!

People are entitled to their own opinion on the subject and we're not going to agree on everything but you certainly aren't helping things with stupid posts like this one.

 

[Mazz22]

Velocity, and I'll admit it's difficult to judge how much because we haven't seen him in every situation possible yet, but it's pretty clear that this is an area that he needs to improve on. I'm also not saying that he has to equal what guys like Allen and Mahomes can do to be effective, but I do think it needs to be better. You can offset that with better weapons also, but guys pretending that there isn't a significant difference in pure arm strength are clueless.

The issue is if Mac is going to be average to slightly above average then the team around him has to be great. To me that is the rub as that is not how Bill builds his teams. The team is not getting a Diggs or an Adams this off-season. If anything, the team is saying pat with the guys they signed last off-season and maybe draft a shifty slot guy.

 

[Grogan]

Not the case but keep on saying so. I have said, and others repeatedly, that this is not how we feel.

Maybe not for you, but I've been called names multiple times for even trying to discuss the topic.