Category: Mac Jones

JuJu Smith-Schuster raves about QB Mac Jones in latest interview

JuJu Smith-Schuster seemed blown away by Mac Jones’ work ethic.

New England Patriots wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster has had a very positive impression of quarterback Mac Jones before the two even take their first snap together.

Smith-Schuster appeared on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Zolak and Bertrand on Monday. He is projected to be a key piece of the New England offense, as Jones looks to bounce back in his third year under center. New England’s offense sputtered last season and looks to rebound under new offensive coordinator Bill O’ Brien,

Smith-Schuster has been impressed by what he has seen out of Jones, as he looks to provide production at the receiver position. He gave his impressions on his quarterback, as transcribed by NESN.com’s Dakota Randall.

“I have not thrown with Mac yet,” said Smith-Schuster. “But just watching film and just watching him, that dude loves, breathes New England. He’s the definition of a Patriot. Even in my short time, my 24 hours of being in New England, he was there, constantly working out with the guys, just getting after it, getting in the books.

“I mean, he’s a rookie Pro Bowler. So, they do have a lot of potential and I can’t wait to get right with him.”

Jones will look to put it all together in his third season, amidst a crowded AFC East. In the meantime, the quarterback appears to be well on his way to making a good impression on his newest receiver.

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Mac Jones is helping Bryce Young in big way prior to NFL draft

Mac Jones is providing a little insight to his former Alabama teammate.

New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones is helping Alabama quarterback Bryce Young prepare for the NFL draft.

Young and Jones were teammates for one season in 2020, where Jones beat out Young for the starting quarterback job. Jones had a stellar 2020 season for Alabama that year, throwing for 4,500 yards, 41 touchdowns, and four interceptions. Alabama would go on to win the national championship that year.

Now, they are working together to help Young in the NFL draft process. Young threw for 3,328 yards, 32 touchdowns and five interceptions last season for Alabama. He finished a three-year career in Tuscaloosa with 8,356 passing yards, 80 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.

Young spoke to reporters on Friday, and noted Jones’ influence, as transcribed by NESN.com’s Zack Cox.

“I talked to a good amount of guys to prepare myself as much as I can for the next level and for this process,” Young said at the NFL Scouting Combine. “I was talking to Mac earlier this week. He gave me a lot of great advice about how to carry yourself, things that he’s learned from the years there.”

Young will look to make a good impression, as he might end up being the No. 1 overall pick of the draft. If anything, this goes to show that a bond between teammates doesn’t necessarily stop after college.

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Matt Cassel places Mac Jones near bottom of QB rankings heading into 2023

One former Patriots signal-caller is “still unsure” of Mac Jones at QB.

New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones will be entering a pivotal third season in 2023.

It’s especially pivotal if he hopes to win over those skeptical of his abilities in the NFL, including former Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel. In his early quarterback rankings for The 33rd Team, Cassel put together a list that placed Jones 25th of 32 quarterbacks in the league.

Jones struggled last season offensively, as did the entire unit. He threw for 2,997 yards, 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He performed better as the season went on, but injuries and inconsistent play plagued him.

Cassel had Jones near the bottom of his list, along with the Cleveland Browns’ Jacoby Brissett, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Kenny Pickett, the Los Angeles Rams’ Baker Mayfield and the Houston Texans’ Davis Mills.

It’s safe to say Jones has a lot of question marks with his game, as Cassel wrote:

There were a lot of ups and downs for Mac Jones this past season. I’m still unsure of what type of quarterback he can be. But we will certainly find out with new offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien returning to the New England Patriots this season.

There is a lot of intrigue surrounding how Jones will play in his third pro season. The signal-caller will have to take a big step to change the narrative and put the Patriots back into contention.

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ESPN analyst rips Mac Jones for on-field frustrations in 2022

An ESPN analyst ripped Mac Jones for his display of emotion in the 2022 season.

The New England Patriots offense struggled in 2022, and quarterback Mac Jones was often seen expressing his displeasure, especially towards the end of the season. That did not sit right with one ESPN analyst, who criticized Jones for his actions on the field during games.

Jones put together a season that saw him throw for 2,997 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. His play improved as the season progressed, as he threw no interceptions in seven of his final nine games. Nevertheless, New England struggled to get the ball into the end zone, and his frustration was often on full display.

ESPN’s Louis Riddick did not like Jones’ actions, and he talked about them in a segment for ESPN’s Get Up on Thursday, as transcribed by Boston.com’s Hayden Bird.

“What you saw happening last year with Mac Jones both on the field and on the sidelines — where he showed just how frustrated he was with the operation that he was having to work with in terms of the play-callers and the people that were in his ear — is totally unacceptable,” said Riddick. “It’s unacceptable by [Robert] Kraft’s standards. It’s unacceptable by Bill Belichick’s standards. It’s unacceptable by Patriot Nation’s standards.

“Bill O’Brien now, he needs to settle things down for Mac Jones,” Riddick continued. “They need to get Mac Jones a bonafide No. 1 wide receiver to really go ahead and take the top off the defense and let Mac really expand upon his skillset and see where he can take them.’”

The Patriots will have a chance to improve their offense this offseason. They have over $32 million in cap space, and also have the 14th overall pick in April’s draft. A playmaking receiver and offensive line help are two things the Patriots need the most, and it will be intriguing to see how they fill those holes. The impact that newly-hired offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien may have for Mac Jones will be interesting, as the latter looks to put everything together in his third season.

Regardless, New England will have to make some major changes, if they want to be a contender in the AFC.

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Fired up Mac Jones sends strong 2023 message on social media

A motivated Mac Jones has already set a goal for 2023.

New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones is hard at work this offseason, as he looks to have a bounce-back 2023 campaign.

Fitness instructor Nic Shimonek posted video of Jones working out on his Instagram profile, and Jones responded to the video with the statement, “Consistency and RE EARN THE RESPECT thru work!!!!”

Jones will be looking to bounce back after a 2022 season that saw many highs and lows. He tallied 2,997 passing yards, 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

Frustrations brewed throughout the year, as Jones and offensive coordinator Matt Patricia could not seem to get on the same page. Now, New England has brought in Bill O’Brien to take over the role.

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Jones will need to bounce back in a crucial 2023 season for both him and the organization. At the very least, he is clearly putting in the offseason work to be able to do so.

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Matthew Judon opened up on Mac Jones’ on-field rants

Patriots defensive standout Matthew Judon talked about quarterback Mac Jones’ on-field rants during the 2022 season.

Quarterback Mac Jones was largely criticized by Patriots alumni and media for his outbursts of frustration with the offense last season. Now, a current Patriots player is coming to his quarterback’s defense.

Matthew Judon was a key part of the New England defense throughout the season, and played at a high level. He was a sack machine, recording 15.5 sacks on the season. He was a part of a Patriots defensive unit that tallied 54 sacks in total, tying them with the Dallas Cowboys for third-most in the NFL.

In the meantime, Jones had his ups-and-downs last year, tallying 2,997 passing yards, 14 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. The passion he played with was not lost on Judon, as transcribed by NESN.com’s Zack Cox.

“I think everybody sees that and they be like, ‘Oh, he’s showing frustration or he’s showing youth’ or whatever,” Judon said in an interview with NFL Network. “No, he’s just being emotional. He wants to win. He loves to win. He’s been winning his whole life, and he’s showing the passion that he has for the game. Some people take that as a negative thing and criticize him about it. We take it as a positive. We say, ‘This young man wants to win this bad that he’s showing his frustrations.’

“Now, we’ve got to tame it sometimes, and we’ve got to understand how to speak and understand when we can do that and stuff like that, but he’s young. It’s his second year.”

New England will look to rebound offensively, as they continue to revamp the unit.

Jones will be entering a crucial year as well, as he looks to reach the 3,000 passing-yard plateau for the second time in his career.  It’s no secret that he is passionate about the game. However, one has to wonder if he will show it a bit more inwardly in 2023.

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New report sheds light on players’ steadfast support of Mac Jones

Players supported Mac Jones through difficult adjustments in a chaotic 2022 season.

The New England Patriots offense was dysfunctional in 2022, and it seems as though players in the organization were able to recognize it.

Quarterback Mac Jones had a decent season, recording 2,997 passing yards, 14 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. Nevertheless, the offense was unable to get on the same page consistently throughout the year, and their red zone troubles exemplified that. They ranked last in the league with a 42.22 percent red zone touchdown percentage, according to statistics from TeamRankings.com.

Thursday, NFL Network’s Mike Giardi confirmed reports that players stood behind Jones, as he had a difficult second season in the NFL.

New England added a boost to their offense this offseason, as they named Bill O’Brien to the offensive coordinator position.

It remains to be seen what personnel moves they may make to add a weapon offensively, as Jones enters a crucial third season. Regardless, it’s clear that things were not functioning at a high level in 2022.

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Mac Jones subject of latest bold take from Colin Cowherd

Mac Jones was the subject of a bold statement from Colin Cowherd.

Colin Cowherd recently had a hot take on his podcast, as the Super Bowl gets set to take place on Sunday.

He talked up New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones, saying the San Francisco 49ers would have had a greater chance of success against the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship, if Jones had been under center for San Francisco.

49ers quarterback Brock Purdy got hurt early in the team’s 31-7 loss to the Eagles in the game. Backup Josh Johnson got in on the action, but then he got knocked out of the game as well in the third quarter with a concussion. Purdy was then forced to return and finish the game.

“If Mac Jones is a Niner quarterback, they beat Philadelphia potentially, because he’s just a distributor,” Cowherd said on The Colin Cowherd Podcast. “The knock on Trey (Lance) is that he is not accurate. That’s why (49ers head coach Kyle) Shanahan liked Kirk Cousins, liked Matt Ryan, and preferred Mac Jones.”

It’s an interesting take, given how Jones struggled this season.

Nevertheless, it makes you wonder if the third-year signal-caller would succeed given the talent the 49ers have on offense. In the meantime, New England will look to build a team around him as they aim to get back to the playoffs in 2023.

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Teammates rally around Mac Jones after rare social media post

Mac Jones rarely posts on social media, but when he did, Patriots players came rallying.

New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones recently made a rare social media post, recapping his season as he looks to turn the page to 2023.

Jones had an up-and-down year battling with injuries and a Patriots offense that struggled moving the football at times. He finished with 2,997 passing yards, 14 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions in his second season in the NFL.

Now, things look to be changing, as New England is interviewing offensive coordinator candidates. Jones will be entering a crucial third year with a Patriots team that looks to get back to the playoffs. The team has missed out on the playoffs two out of the last three seasons.

Jones posted a series of pictures with the caption “If—” on the post, which is the title of a poem by Rudyard Kipling. Several of Jones’ teammates rallied behind him with comments on the post.

“Mac 10!!”, wrote wide receiver Jakobi Meyers.

“My dawg no matter what,” wrote running back Damien Harris, with the 100 emoji.

“Mac daddy!!!”, wideout Kendrick Bourne posted.

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New England has some big decisions looming in the 2023 offseason.

Players such as Meyers and Harris are among those in the organization who may not return. But Jones clearly still has the respect and support of his teammates with the pressure to win beginning to mount.

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One ESPN analyst supports Mac Jones, calls for coaching change

One ESPN analyst is doubling down on his support of Mac Jones.

New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones had a difficult year in 2022. One ESPN analyst is calling for a change at offensive coordinator as the Patriots look towards the 2023 season.

Jones recorded 2,997 passing yards, 14 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. He had his struggles over the course of the season, such as the matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders on December 18, when he threw for 112 yards in a game where the offense was never able to get things going.

However, it wasn’t all bad for the second-year quarterback. His performance on Thanksgiving Day against the Minnesota Vikings was one of his best games with him finishing with 382 passing yards and two touchdowns.

There’s hope for a turnaround next season with the right pieces in place.

ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky believes that a change at offensive coordinator is necessary if Jones wants to take the next step in 2023. There are several names that have been talked about as potential offensive coordinator candidates. Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien has been mentioned as a possible target, along with former Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury.

“There has to be a coordinator change,” Orlovsky said on NFL Live, via NESN’s Keagan Stiefel. “[It has to be] somebody that has a strong history of calling plays in the NFL. Kliff Kingsbury could be an option. Bill O’Brien, who is at Alabama and was at New England, should be the option.”

Orlovsky continued to harp on the changes as necessary in an effort to keep both the coach and quarterback on the same wavelength, which often wasn’t the case with Jones and Matt Patricia.

“I want to make a very clear point about the difference in my eyes from Mac Jones last year to this year,” Orlovsky said. “It has to do with an exclamation point and a question mark. Last year, Mac understood the ‘why’ with an exclamation point… This year he was was asking ‘why’ with a question mark.”

A competent offensive coordinator will be crucial in 2023 as Jones enters his third year. Regression was evident in the 2022 season, and the pressure mounts as New England will look to get back to the playoffs.

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