Sure, okay. I will comment here because you're correct, well thought out.
Can you help a fellow out and maybe explain the point(s) Breer utilized(s) to buttress his position and how they are the exact reasons for your optimism? I guess I don't understand that. TYIA
I can agree that Mac possesses the level of intelligence required to play the QB position, I see the way he plays the game. I guess I question if that is elite level though. Being he just struggled through the last half of the season, I think my skepticism is justified.
As an aside and a bit of a tangent, does his grimacing every time someone pretty much just breathes on him concern you at all?
Breer's points are used as a detriment to be surrounded by talent and excellence. I think if he was a very physically talented yet with questionable work ethic it would work as a good set of points. But Mac wasn't coddled into playing. He wasn't a star true freshman or anything of the sort. He was an afterthought scout QB in a QB rich group yet he fought his way into the starting role and thrived when he got the chance. It's almost as if it's a knock on him to have done everything correctly because of the team around him.
If he had struggled in NE without that star studded talent it would be a fair point, but he did just fine. I wouldn't call the Pats offense stellar by any means (except from the RBs possibly).
His struggles came at the hand of tough defenses, it wasn't against questionable teams. He dismantled any other team. Bills game was a top defense that had a jump on what the Pats wanted to do, and notably Mac really struggled there. No argument. He also struggled against the Colts, but eventually led a comeback that just fell short. Same exact story against a tough Dolphins defense. It wasn't pretty and he made rookie mistakes, but once again, instead of letting that influence his play, he instead pushed the ball and led another comeback that fell short.
In the Wild card, it might be hard to see given the complete utter dominance by the Bills offense, but Mac held his own within the game plan. The offense is not built to win a shootout. That said, he marched the ball several times, although it just lead to 17 points. He could have very easily mailed it in, but instead worked his way to two touchdowns. It's nothing stellar, but it shows that the kid is willing to fight instead of lowering his head and accepting defeat.
As far as him grimacing. I have no issue with it whatsoever considering his first 6 or so starts he was the most blitzed QB and took a pounding. But instead of wilting or getting happy feet, or making dumb decisions, he began to diagnose the blitzes and got rid of the ball quicker to the point that teams began to respect him and played more coverage.
