"Mac Jones was 6 of 8 and looked better today. He went third in all but one period, but that's deceiving because he spent quite a bit of time with and against starters. The defense threw a lot at him, too, with sub-package formations. Bill Belichick is clearly working him." -- Jeff Howe
Howe is a pretty savvy dude and that was an interesting observation.
One very interesting part of TC/preseason is how Bill will experiment with new guys to test them and ratchet up the pressure. It's a little different with Mac because he was drafted, presumably, to be the heir apparent, but he will sometimes put borderline roster guys through the wringer. He does that in a noticeable way to somebody almost every year.
I like to tell the story about what he did to Matthew Slater in the final preseason game of his rookie season. He played him in all 3 phases all night long. I don't know
how many snaps there were altogether, but Slater played DB, WR and STs and I don't know if he ever came off the field. It was fascinating to watch and
not a perfect night for the kid, but he survived it and made the team, which was no sure thing at the time. I don't know if I've ever seen a Patriot look so tired at the
end of a game, but he proved that he is a gamer and if I ever get a chance I'd like to ask him about that night.
You know how you know when Bill likes a rookie? When he tortures them.