Patriots: 3 things Mac Jones must improve before he can start
By Mike Luciano
1. Playbook knowledge
As has been proven thanks to his stint in Atlanta, Steve Sarkisian’s offense is better suited to the collegiate ranks than the pro level. Jones made some very impressive throws on film with regularity, but Alabama’s passing game was one of the most idiot-proof systems in the country given all of the moving parts.
An inordinate amount of passes from Jones were either screens, RPOs with predetermined reads, or go routes. Throw into that a wide receiver core that had four Top-15 picks in his 2019 film and a Heisman winner in his 2020 film and you have a system that didn’t prepare him well for life in the pros.
Patriots QB Mac Jones must master Josh McDaniels’ playbook.
Jones will need to master the ability to go through his reads quickly and make good decisions with the ball. He did that in college, but the dizzying speed of the NFL will be a challenge. Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne are solid, but they won’t bail him out like Devonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle in college.
Newton is the starter right now, but there is no telling when the switch will be made. It all depends on how long it takes Jones to show he has the mental and physical aptitude for the position. By fixing these areas of need, he could end up taking that role sooner rather than later.
