Category: Mac Jones

Dan Orlovsky thinks Mac Jones would be better off with this NFC team

Dan Orlovsky thinks Mac Jones’ NFL career would have had a better start with this NFC team

ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky is no stranger to bold takes, and on Monday, he made a strong Mac Jones-Brock Purdy comparison.

Jones is coming off a shutout loss to the New Orleans Saints in a game where he threw for 110 passing yards and two interceptions. He has 1,008 yards, five touchdowns and six interceptions on the season.

For comparison’s sake, Purdy has 1,271 passing yards, nine touchdowns and no interceptions on the season. He is coming off a strong game against the Dallas Cowboys that saw him throw for 252 yards and four touchdowns. Purdy has not thrown an interception since January 1.

Both quarterbacks are playing on opposite ends of the spectrum. However, Orlovsky believes the shoe would be reversed if Jones was in San Francisco.

“If Mac Jones was in San Francisco, he would be playing like Brock Purdy,” Orlovsky said, when appearing on ESPN’s “Get Up”.

This is certainly an interesting argument to be had. The 49ers have done a better job of putting weapons around their quarterback than the Patriots have. Jones was viewed as one of the top quarterbacks in the 2021 draft, while Purdy was picked last in 2022.

Nevertheless, more pieces are in place for Purdy to succeed.

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Julian Edelman rips Mac Jones for still having ‘rookie-type throws’

Julian Edelman was not shy to criticize Mac Jones on his poor play

Former New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman did not hold back in his criticism of quarterback Mac Jones, following an abysmal performance against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 4.

Edelman made his statement loud and clear on The Ryen Russillo Podcast.

Jones went 12-of-21 on the afternoon against the Cowboys, throwing for 150 yards and turning the ball over three times, with two of the takeaways ending in defensive touchdowns.

It was one of the worst statistical outings of the quarterback’s career, and it raised questions about the Patriots’ future at the position. Jones has recorded 898 passing yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions on the season.

Edelman is usually complimentary of the Patriots. However, even he couldn’t defend Jones’ performance on Sunday.

“You can’t go out and do what he did. That was bad football,” said Edelman. “You can’t throw late across the field twice in four plays. You know, the first time he got away with it. …He’s very out of sync right now, and it was bad. You’ve gotta take care of the football. Bill’s gonna preach that, ‘Guys, we need to take care of the football.’ Because once you start doing that, that team’s not designed, the Patriots aren’t designed to play from behind.

“This is a quarterback league. You have to have a quarterback that fits your system to win games. And right now Mac hasn’t been developing at the rate that they want. He’s still having rookie-type throws.”

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The growing criticism of Jones does make it seem as though New England is entering a crucial point in not only this season, but in regards to the direction of the franchise moving forward.

The criticism has come from all corners of the media over the last week. The page can be turned this Sunday, however, as New England returns to Gillette Stadium to take on the New Orleans Saints.

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Patriots OC Bill O’Brien comes to defense of QB Mac Jones

Patriots OC Bill O’Brien still believes the offense will get better with Mac Jones under center

New England Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien is coming to the defense of quarterback Mac Jones, following Jones’ rough day against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

Jones went 12-of-21 on the afternoon, throwing for 150 yards and two interceptions. It was a difficult day for the quarterback, as he couldn’t get anything going. The New England offense managed three points in total, and Jones’ benching late in the third quarter left questions as to the starting quarterback situation for the organization.

When speaking to the media, O’Brien came to the defense of Jones, who is looking to bounce back against the New Orleans Saints.

“But I thought that last game, for Mac, some of the decisions that he made were very uncharacteristic of Mac,” said O’Brien, via ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “I think he’ll get back to doing it the way he knows how to do it. He’s just trying to make a play, he’s wanting to win, he’s very competitive.

“Maybe the plays weren’t great. So I have to be involved in that, big-time, with him. I understand that. I think you’ll see a lot of improvement in Mac as we keep moving forward here.”

It will be interesting to see what Jones will be able to do this coming Sunday. A failure to bounce back in a big way could spell disaster for the New England quarterback position.

The offensive issues aren’t all on Jones, but his inconsistent play is looming large.

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Rex Ryan said he would love to defend against ‘weak arm’ Mac Jones

Rex Ryan believes Mac Jones has one of the weakest arms of all NFL starting quarterbacks

NFL analyst and former head coach Rex Ryan has never been shy about criticizing New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones. Ryan didn’t hold back this week, either, following Jones’ disappointing performance in the Patriots’ 38-3 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

Jones went 12-of-21 on the afternoon, throwing for 150 yards and two interceptions. His 39.9 quarterback rating was his lowest to this point in the season. His 150 passing yards were also a season-low.

Late in the third quarter, coach Bill Belichick decided he’d seen enough and benched Jones for backup quarterback Bailey Zappe.

Belichick does not anticipate any drastic plans at the quarterback position, as the Patriots get set to take on the New Orleans Saints in Week 5. That still didn’t stop Ryan from absolutely shredding Jones on Monday’s episode of “Get Up”.

“The guy doesn’t have a whole lot of arm talent,” Ryan said. “I’ve said it from jump. Maybe the weakest arm for all starting quarterbacks in the league. I don’t hate. I’m telling you from all of the years I’ve had to defend against everybody. I would love to defend against this guy. Are you kidding me? This guy can’t throw. To think this guy is going to take you to where you want to go, you’re absolutely crazy. This guy can’t pitch it outside the numbers.”

Sunday’s performance from Jones certainly puts the future of the Patriots quarterback position in question. Jones has had an up-and-down tenure during his time in New England and has not consistently produced at a position that is crucial in today’s NFL.

One has to wonder where New England goes from here at quarterback, with a solid group of collegiate signal-callers coming up in the near future.

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Former Patriots DE calls Mac Jones one of dirtiest QBs of all time

Chris Long did not hold back in criticizing Mac Jones.

The buzz surrounding New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones and his reported cheap shot at Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner is growing. In fact, former Patriots defensive end Chris Long called out the quarterback as one of the dirtiest of all time.

“When you’ve got a track record ppl stop giving u the benefit of the doubt,” Long posted on social media. “I’ll debate anyone not born in Boston circa 2000 on this. Now, I’m pulling for Mac Jones the QB. But he is a dirty dawg.”

Long knows a thing or two about physical play. He was a member of the Patriots in 2016 and even won a Super Bowl with the team. He played in all 16 games, recording five sacks and four forced fumbles.

Despite being a former member of the organization, he did not come to the defense of Jones.

Jones is starting to have a reputation of being a dirty football player.

He will undoubtedly continue to have a target on his back with the meat of the schedule still to go and some tough defenses ahead.

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Report: NFL looking into Jets CB Sauce Gardner’s allegations against Mac Jones

The NFL is reportedly investigating a low blow accusation against Mac Jones, stemming from Sunday’s Patriots-Jets game.

The NFL is looking into allegations made by New York Jets cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner that New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones hit him below the belt.

The NFL will look at the situation on Monday, as reported by Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio.

Jones had a solid day for New England, recording 201 passing yards and a touchdown. He was able to control the offense in what was a difficult day for moving the football due to the weather conditions. The game ended with New England eking out a 15-10 win.

With that in mind, Gardner was clearly not happy with Jones’ alleged actions on Sunday, as reported by MassLive.com’s Chris Mason.

“That’s probably the first time that’s ever happened to me,” said Gardner. “He got tackled. He reached out to me to get me to help him up. I just moved his hand out of the way. He got up and then came up to me like ‘Good job.’ While he was saying that, he hit me in my private parts. I didn’t react like I really wanted to. I definitely wasn’t expecting that. First time for everything I guess.”

Jones has had a reputation for doing these types of actions before. We’ll see if anything comes of the investigation, but given the current video footage floating around, it’s tough to know for sure what actually happened.

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Five-time Pro Bowl Eagles CB tips cap to Mac Jones’ Week 1 performance

One of the best defensive backs in the league was impressed by Mac Jones’ Week 1 performance.

Quarterback Mac Jones and the New England Patriots may have lost their season opener on Sunday, but they were still able to impress several around the league, including their opponent.

Philadelphia Eagles five-time Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay, who has been critical of Jones in the past, gave him props for his Week 1 performance.

“I gotta give a shoutout to Mac Jones. He had a great game,” Slay said on the “Big Play Slay” podcast. “We stopped him early, we got (two) turnovers. But he got his groove going, man. He was making great checks, making accurate throws. He missed some throws, but he was just making great plays.”

New England started off the game slowly. This included a pick-six by Slay that gave Philadelphia an early 7-0 advantage following the extra point. Jones was quickly able to find his rhythm, and he put things together, particularly in the second half.

His final stat line included 316 passing yards and three touchdowns.

The end result wasn’t what New England fans wanted, especially on a day where the Patriots organization honored Tom Brady. Still, it was hard not to be excited about the potential of the team after watching them put up a great fight against the defending NFC champions.

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Mac Jones likes Patriots newest addition to QB room

Mac Jones shares some familiarity with Patriots’ newly-signed QB Ian Book.

The New England Patriots made an addition on Wednesday, signing quarterback Ian Book to the practice squad. Quarterback Mac Jones weighed in on the signing, having seen Book play up close in college.

“Ian and I played against each other in college,” Jones said, per NESN’s Zack Cox. “He’s a great quarterback, and we’re excited to have him in our room.”

Book’s name might sound familiar to college football fans. He was the starting quarterback for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish from 2017-2020. He recorded 8,948 passing yards and 72 touchdowns in four seasons of play.

Jones ran into Book at the Rose Bowl back in January 2021. Book went 27-of-39 passing for 229 yards and an interception in the game, while Jones tallied 297 yards and four touchdowns on 25-of-30 passing. Jones’ effort helped Alabama defeat Notre Dame by a 31-14 score.

Depth in the quarterback room is never a bad thing. Book’s prior success at the collegiate level offers a bit of intrigue as New England tries to find depth at the position. He also offers a replacement for Matt Corral, who is still on the exempt/left squad list.

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Mac Jones commented on Aaron Rodgers’ season-ending injury

Mac Jones commented on the devastating season-ending injury suffered by Jets QB Aaron Rodgers.

The season-ending injury to New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers sent shockwaves throughout the NFL. Several players reacted to Rodgers’ injury in the following days, including New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones.

Rodgers suffered the injury after only four plays as the starting quarterback for the Jets. It was announced Tuesday that he would miss the rest of the 2023 season with a torn Achilles. From a football perspective, the injury now has shifted things in the AFC East landscape.

New England is set to face the Jets for the first time this season in Week 3. Jones offered his thoughts on the injury during his meeting with the media on Wednesday.

“Obviously, prayers to him,” said Jones, via NESN’s Zack Cox. “Great player, Hall of Fame player. I hope he has a good recovery.”

Before the Patriots get their crack at the Jets, they’ll have a difficult divisional matchup on Sunday night against the Miami Dolphins. It’s early in the season, but both games could have significant ramifications on the AFC East as a whole.

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Patriots QB Mac Jones learning this skill from Tom Brady

Mac Jones sees former Patriots legend Tom Brady as a mentor.

Mac Jones is learning from legendary NFL quarterback Tom Brady.

The New England Patriots quarterback claimed watching Brady’s tape has helped his continued evolution at the position in his third NFL season.

Jones is looking to bounce back after a difficult 2022 season that saw him record 2,997 passing yards, 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Life in the NFL is about improving, and Jones has been doing that with Brady’s help both directly and indirectly.

“I’d say it’s more, like, the learning experiences — just from film and things like that,” Jones said, when asked how Brady has helped mentor him, via NESN’s Dakota Randall. “And then, obviously, getting a chance to talk to him a little bit. He’s definitely a great player. Has done everything right here. Won a lot of games, won a lot of championships.”

Brady was a model of consistency during his time in New England, while Jones has had an up-and-down run with the team so far.

After making promising strides in his rookie year, he struggled last season. However, he was able to take away one particular thing from watching Brady’s film, as he told the assembled media on Thursday.

“Yeah, I think it was really his ability to overcome bad plays,” said Jones. “There’s a lot of good plays, but whenever he maybe didn’t have a great play, the next one was always really good. And I feel like that’s a key for a really good quarterback.

“So, definitely learned that from him, but he didn’t make a lot of bad plays. He made a lot of good plays. So, try to apply that to my game, too.”

This season will be a crucial one for Jones, as New England tries to right the ship and get back to winning football. Following in the footsteps of Brady is never a bad thing, even if it comes with high expectations.

Jones will try to start the trend on Sunday when his team takes on the Philadelphia Eagles in the season opener.

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