New England Patriots: Mac Jones and the mastery of quarterbacking

The superlatives rookie Mac Jones will bring to the team’s offense

Mac Jones is faster than you think:

Jones’s abilities have been explored previously but let’s delve a bit deeper into why he could be one of the steals of the recent NFL draft.

First, Jones is not so slow-footed as some might suggest.

Note: Jones doesn’t seem to currently possess a sculpted body at the moment either. (That should change soon, or the dreaded Hill will take its toll, Mac!). He will be in better shape (Patriots’ shape) once in the team’s nutrition and conditioning program. You can take that to the bank.

With all that in mind, you may think he’s leaden-footed slow as has maybe been hinted at in the media. You’d be wrong.

At his Pro Day’s “unofficial” 40-yard dashes, Jones ran a 4.72 and a 4.68 forty as reported on Twitter by Tom Pelissero,

That’s faster than the Combine 40 of one Patrick Mahomes who ran a 4.80. (Thanks to an astute reader – we have a lot of them – for the enlightenment there.) Watch Jones’s film, he’s not slow.  When this young man gets in that “Patriots’ shape”, expect maybe a 4.60 forty-yard dash or so.

So, if he’s not slow, what does that mean? It means a lot and mostly good things. (Note: check out this YouTube on Mac Jones with former NFL quarterback Mark Sanchez and new Texas head Coach Steve Sarkisian. It’s well worth a look. It’s totally enlightening and lots of Jones’s attributes are explored there.)

First, Jones can scramble some. He didn’t have to very much with the Crimson Tide. Their offensive line was a like crimson steel wall. Also, their receivers were open a lot more than New England’s receivers are likely to be.

In addition, Jones can also throw the ball on a scripted play on the run.He can also move up in the pocket, move sideways in the pocket, and side-step a rush. So, he’s not at all immobile. That’s all negative hype that’s frankly pure baloney.

His pocket-related moves are fabulous intangibles. They’re strengths that aren’t “measurable” but they are some of the keys to success in any passing offense. And Mac Jones can ace any test on those facets of quarterbacking.

Mac Jones is an RPO quarterback

As was very nicely pointed out by Phil Perry in his podcast on nbcboston.com speaking with Mark Schofield, a guest from USA Today’s Touchdownwire, Mac Jones is no stranger to the Read/Pass Option (RPO) style of quarterbacking.

It has been written here that the Patriots coaching staff has not been proficient in using that style even with Cam Newton at the helm. Yet, as Perry and Schofield discussed, Alabama football is and Jones was the master practitioner of that offense.

While Jones is far less likely to run off that formation than Newton, he still can utilize it, as can Cam newton, as just another tool in the Patriots arsenal they can throw (or run) at opposing defenses.