Patriots: Trent Brown talking about Mac Jones’ leadership shows why he’s starter
Cam Newton might have bombshell commentary coming on Friday, but in the meantime, the New England Patriots and their fans are focused on the Week 1 matchup against the Miami Dolphins.
Mac Jones is the starting quarterback and he’ll be aided by a reworked (and beastly) offensive line, a new assortment of skill position weapons, and a defense that’s expected to be among the best in the league after a number of returning opt outs and additions in free agency.
How will the Alabama rookie fare as the new leader of the offense having not taken a single NFL snap in a regular season game yet?
According to offensive tackle Trent Brown, who’s very familiar with how things work in Foxborough, Jones is up for the challenge.
Jones has become a vocal figure ever since arriving in New England, and his performance in training camp and the preseason swayed the coaching staff to make its bold decision.
And it’s becoming easier to see why, especially if Jones has been instructing the offense to get back to the line of scrimmage after a sloppy play in practice before Bill Belichick can even open his mouth.
Trent Brown says when the #Patriots offense screws up in practice, Jones will occasionally shout "do it over," before the coaches can.
— Andrew Callahan (@_AndrewCallahan) September 8, 2021
Brown added that intensity and confidence from a rookie impresses him.
Mac Jones is already emerging as a leader for the New England Patriots.
The most notable difference between Newton and Jones was the former MVP’s ability to lead an offense due to his extensive experience as a quarterback. Let’s face it, Jones’ arm is probably better than Newton’s after all of the injuries he’s been dealing with over the last few years. And Jones was more of a “fit” in the Patriots’ offense, since the system caters to pocket passers … which explains the previous 20 years of success with Tom Brady.
So is it really outlandish to think Belichick and Co. were looking for leadership qualities in Jones as the game-changing trait that would decide the offseason quarterback battle?
https://twitter.com/NBCSCameraGuys/status/1435655429120483331?s=20
It’s obvious the Patriots believed this would be a realistic outcome, too. Jones, in his first year as a starter, led the Crimson Tide to a National Championship in 2020 and had one of the most prolific seasons as a passer in college football history. Contrarians will say he was guided by the best coaching staff in the NCAA and an assortment of NFL-caliber weapons on offense … but he still got the job done and blew the competition out of the water. Alabama didn’t lose a game.
Jones having that exposure considering all those factors likely better prepared him for the next level and helped him win the Patriots’ starting quarterback job over a decorated 10-year NFL veteran.
And the evidence keeps mounting in regard to why he deserved that job.
