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Mac Jones is in the irrelevant middle of quarterbacks

By Lou Scataglia

Nov 20, 2022; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones (10) runs onto the field for warm up before the game against the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 20, 2022; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones (10) runs onto the field for warm up before the game against the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /
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Patriots‘ second year quarterback Mac Jones has had to endure quite the disaster of offensive play-calling this year, but that does not excuse who he is.  I think if we’re being real with ourselves and the state of the New England Patriots, we’ll see the truth about Mac Jones.

Jones is clearly a talented and intelligent player.  He showed that last year as a rookie and in parts of 2022.  Having to deal with a defensive coordinator calling plays on offense is an extremely valid excuse for not playing up to standard, but I think there’s a harsh truth about Jones that needs to be said.

In the NFL, I think you can put each and every quarterback in three categories:

  • Quarterbacks you win BECAUSE of
  • Quarterbacks you win WITH
  • Quarterbacks you win IN SPITE OF

Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, etc. are all quarterbacks that their respective teams win because of.  Their greatness is obvious.

Jimmy Garoppolo, Kirk Cousins, Ryan Tannehill, etc. are all quarterbacks that you can win with.  They usually don’t play particularly good or bad for their teams.

Zach Wilson, Sam Darnold, Davis Mills, etc. are all quarterbacks that their respective teams generally win in spite of, simply because none of them are good.

For Mac Jones and others, they can fit into each of those categories on any given week, and I don’t think that is true for many other signal callers.

We’ve seen Mac Jones absolutely ball out and lead the team to victory.  We’ve also seen him play well enough for the team to win but not particularly good or bad, and we’ve seen Jones stink it up and contribute to the Patriots’ loss that day.

This is not the worst place to be, but being that the Patriots are in the AFC and are surrounded by elite quarterbacks in the conference, Jones floats around the irrelevant middle of passers.

I think the team would be wise to begin looking for a significant upgrade.  This may take some time but could be worth it in the end.

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