We witnessed a case of deja vu during training camp on Monday afternoon.
During Cam Newton’s drive in 11-on-11 drills, the New England Patriots quarterback lofted a ball out of reach of linebacker Kyle Van Noy, who couldn’t possibly make a play as the ball dropped into James White’s hands for a 25-yard pickup. A terrific play.
When Mac Jones got his own series later in practice, he did practically the exact same thing, dropping a dime to Sony Michel, who also dove forward and out of bounds. The ball went where only the running back could catch it — linebacker Anfernee Jennings could only watch the 25-yard pickup.
If you’re a fan who has followed training camp closely, you know that this quarterback competition is extremely tight. You also know that Newton is the current QB1. And perhaps you know the Patriots have been upping Jones’ workload over the last few days, giving more snaps to the rookie than Newton.
What we don’t know is how these quarterbacks will respond to a game environment in this new-look offense. That’s what I’m dying to see. Because the truth is that we don’t know anything about this quarterback competition until we see Jones play in a contact setting at the NFL. That’s what will make Thursday’s preseason game against the Washington Football Team so fascinating. Their pass-rush is arguably the best in the league. It’s the perfect test for Jones,[vertical-gallery id=107728][vertical-gallery id=107728]
Here are our additional notes from Monday’s session.