The optimistic case for Mac Jones

[Real fan 02]

Farve was always Farve wasting away in Atlanta, but the ability was there.

Occasionally you see a Geno Smith salvage a bad career. Tannehil found a home too.

Mac the Bambino lacks the ability to succeed in the Pros.

Every QB needs that coach... no matter a young or accomplished.. the OC sounds the most time around the qb so it's almost inconceivable not be in synch..

I wonder why the defensive coordinator who made the greatest play in super bowl history couldn't do that?.. or bag boy judge? Again patriots fans we NEED Mac to excel and be the QB that can help lead this team back to contention..

 

[sb1]

So was joe Lombardi good? Or is Herbert good? Brady til this day thanks Josh for helping him become the qb he was...

We need this "soft baby" who his peers respect... to at least be 2021 or better! No excuses now, crappe I mean zappe will be chomping at the bit...

Mahomes credits beiemeny with helping him take his game to the next level...

Zappe's arm as it is won't cut it. This is the big leagues this ain't Conference USA. At the NFL level throwing that junk will get your passes knocked down. Relying on those weak ass lob passes defended 1 on 1 and receivers getting YAC isn't sustainable as we saw for ourselves in his 4 game stint.

If Zappe can get his arm up to NFL standards by the summer then game on. Otherwise we're counting on Mac now to take his game to the next level now that he has a real OC. No more excuses. It's year 3, this has to be the year otherwise it's back to QB purgatory for us. As we've seen in the rest of the division over the last 2 decades it's not a fun place to be. I remember the Buffalo Bills fans debating Trent Edwards vs JP Losman a while back. Yeah. That's where we'll be at if Mac can't cut it.

 

[TFB=GOAT]

Death, taxes, and endlessly debating about Mac/Zappe

I opened up the thread to read an optimistic case for Mac Jones and got brought back to the same tired debate from October

 

[Triumph]

Every QB needs that coach... no matter a young or accomplished.. the OC sounds the most time around the qb so it's almost inconceivable not be in synch..

I wonder why the defensive coordinator who made the greatest play in super bowl history couldn't do that?.. or bag boy judge? Again patriots fans we NEED Mac to excel and be the QB that can help lead this team back to contention..

Can't coach arm strength and not crumbling under pressure.

Pressure the Bambino and he is done.

 

[Real fan 02]

Death, taxes, and endlessly debating about Mac/Zappe

I opened up the thread to read an optimistic case for Mac Jones and got brought back to the same tired debate from October

Death, taxes, and endlessly debating about Mac/Zappe

I opened up the thread to read an optimistic case for Mac Jones and got brought back to the same tired debate from October

Speaking for myself I'm optimistic about Mac and what the team can accomplish.. we are all patriots fans.. we need to want our QB to excel.. as the NFL has proven to us if the QB plays well typically those teams are good and in play off contention.

All I know is come January 2024 I'd like to have my team in the playoffs...

 

[Real fan 02]

Can't coach arm strength and not crumbling under pressure.

Pressure the Bambino and he is done.

That can be said about every since qb in the league...

 

[Ian]

That can be said about every since qb in the league...

Exactly. Look at Burrow in the AFC Championship game. I remember watching that and wondering if they're screaming about him in Cincinnati the way people here screamed about Mac when Burrow was doing exactly the same thing for most of that game or if they were frustrated that they weren't protecting him.

It's just a strange dynamic that people have made up their minds and even if Mac plays well, people will still nitpick the moment something goes wrong. That just feels like a not-fun-way to watch football on Sundays. I mean, I get it given what the team had here, but Brady's gone, it is what it is.

 

[Ian]

No more excuses. It's year 3, this has to be the year otherwise it's back to QB purgatory for us. As we've seen in the rest of the division over the last 2 decades it's not a fun place to be. I remember the Buffalo Bills fans debating Trent Edwards vs JP Losman a while back. Yeah. That's where we'll be at if Mac can't cut it.

Exactly. You've got both Belichick and Mac in the same place this year - both have to succeed or it's going to alter things for both guys. It'll change Mac's NFL career arc, and it could actually start the discussion on Belichick's future if they finish below .500 again. This is really going to be a key season, and everyone should be hoping the kid can get back to where he was a year ago instead of rooting for him to fail...because it's going to get pretty miserable around here being potentially an 8-9, 7-10, 6-11 football team. Especially for those who will celebrate those records with an "I told you so."

 

[Real fan 02]

Exactly. Look at Burrow in the AFC Championship game. I remember watching that and wondering if they're screaming about him in Cincinnati the way people here screamed about Mac when Burrow was doing exactly the same thing for most of that game or if they were frustrated that they weren't protecting him.

It's just a strange dynamic that people have made up their minds and even if Mac plays well, people will still nitpick the moment something goes wrong. That just feels like a not-fun-way to watch football on Sundays. I mean, I get it given what the team had here, but Brady's gone, it is what it is.

Absolutely!!! The kid knows competence, he had that at Alabama and his first year in NE.. I cannot stress enough how important last season was for Mac and the team moving forward.. no one beat the patriots last season, the patriots beat themselves.. they conceded the season in the off season with the illogical decisions..

Now it feels like ownership has righted the ship, I like burrow just like most do.. the guy has 3 phenomenal weapons at his disposal.. when chase was out and Higgins was doubled.. he looked like average Joe, not Joe cool.

Mac just needs this season to reacclimate himself, having BOB is huge for Mac and his success as our QB..

BB needs to show public support for him as he did last off season..

 

[Ian]

Can't coach arm strength and not crumbling under pressure.

Pressure the Bambino and he is done.

If you look at his rookie year, he handled pressure fine (he was among the best in the NFL there) because McDaniels helped by making sure he had quick reads and somewhere to go with the football. Obviously, that wasn't the case last season. We found out through the Herald report that there weren't a lot of things prepared for those "What if?" moments compared to a year ago.

Like @sb1 said, clearly, this is a key year for him. But I feel like we should at least let it play out before we really make a final decision on him. And he has to play well, or they won't pick up his option, and we'll move on.

 

[Rob0729]

Dying on the"Patricia and Judge we're actually good! Mac was holding them back" is an odd hill to die on for the "Mac sucks" crowd.

But it doesn't fit the narrative of "Mac sucks! It's all his fault!" If triumph admits Patricia/judge were part of the issue and a large part. (Which bill has basically admitted by hiring O'Brien and changing the whole offensive staff)

We are just supposed to believe that everyone on the offense Mac included regressed on their own because Mac sucks.

If Mac is decent or good next year and we are winning games are there going to be a contingency of fans who are angry and pissed off because "their guy" isn't the QB? I don't get it.

I thought it was funny that some of these same people were the same people who excused Brady's poor play last year on Bowles and Leftwich even though Leftwich has been Brady's OC the entire time he was in Tampa. And Brady as the GOAT should be able to overcome poor play calling and design far easier than a second year QB.

And I do think there are fans on both sides of the argument who are more concerned with being right than the Pats being successful. I think there are people here who would be happier that the Pats go 5-12 and Jones completely implodes than him turns into a solid QB and the Pats contend for the division and the Super Bowl.

 

[Wozzy]

I’m in both Mac and Zappe’s camp, they both have the skill set to be quality starters in the NFL. But there’s a difference between potential and proving it.

Last year was a complete dumpster fire offensively… everybody but the coaches get a mulligan.

 

[Real fan 02]

Exactly. You've got both Belichick and Mac in the same place this year - both have to succeed or it's going to alter things for both guys. It'll change Mac's NFL career arc, and it could actually start the discussion on Belichick's future if they finish below .500 again. This is really going to be a key season, and everyone should be hoping the kid can get back to where he was a year ago instead of rooting for him to fail...because it's going to get pretty miserable around here being potentially an 8-9, 7-10, 6-11 football team. Especially for those who will celebrate those records with an "I told you so."

Well said... I expect the team to add around Mac, put him in better position to succeed.. my feelings are he will do will, I believe in him , and I know the kids hungry and wants to show he can take his team to that next level..

I don't feel ownership is going to stand for another loosing season.. so let's see how camp goes!!

 

[Rob0729]

Last year was a complete dumpster fire offensively… everybody but the coaches get a mulligan.

That is my take from last year with a few exceptions. I think we can give up on Agholor. And I am down on Trent Brown because he clearly quit on the team at the end of the season.

 

[Ian]

I’m in both Mac and Zappe’s camp, they both have the skill set to be quality starters in the NFL.

We're fortunate in that regard because at least it's not Jones and Hoyer. I'm hopeful Zappe grows and will compete and push Jones because we all benefit from that. As @Steve:Section 102 said, if Jones is starting and winning, great. If it's Zappe, great. But we need to root for the guy who is out there, not hoping for whoever is starting to fail and booing him at the first sign of adversity because we like the other guy. It's just counterproductive, especially when the team's overall success is what we're all hoping for.

 

[Ian]

And I am down on Trent Brown because he clearly quit on the team at the end of the season.

I think playing left tackle at right tackle money didn't sit well with him. Just an ugly - and disappointing - situation.

 

[Wozzy]

That is my take from last year with a few exceptions. I think we can give up on Agholor. And I am down on Trent Brown because he clearly quit on the team at the end of the season.

Agholor is a free agent, he fumbled the ball, he can take a long walk off a short pier.

Trent had the unenviable task of blocking off the edge when opponents seemingly knew the play. I believe that’s why he jumped offsides so often. He’s the only tackle we have on contract, I think he’s salvageable. But we need one other starter and some depth at OT.

 

[Ian]

Agholor is a free agent, he fumbled the ball, he can take a long walk off a short pier.

Trent had the unenviable task of blocking off the edge when opponents seemingly knew the play. I believe that’s why he jumped offsides so often.

If you go back and watch film on him, he's actaully got a pretty good first step for a guy his size. It was sort of funny to watch some of those games back and look at the plays in slow-motion because he was off either right at the snap or even slightly before, more often than not.

 

[Wozzy]

We're fortunate in that regard because at least it's not Jones and Hoyer. I'm hopeful Zappe grows and will compete and push Jones because we all benefit from that. As @Steve:Section 102 said, if Jones is starting and winning, great. If it's Zappe, great. But we need to root for the guy who is out there, not hoping for whoever is starting to fail and booing him at the first sign of adversity because we like the other guy. It's just counterproductive, especially when the team's overall success is what we're all hoping for.

My only pushback would be the booing of Mac and cheering of Zappe is what prompted Mac to stop throwing interceptions after his return from injury. for better or worse this is a results based business.

 

[JR52]

Exactly. You've got both Belichick and Mac in the same place this year - both have to succeed or it's going to alter things for both guys. It'll change Mac's NFL career arc, and it could actually start the discussion on Belichick's future if they finish below .500 again. This is really going to be a key season, and everyone should be hoping the kid can get back to where he was a year ago instead of rooting for him to fail...because it's going to get pretty miserable around here being potentially an 8-9, 7-10, 6-11 football team. Especially for those who will celebrate those records with an "I told you so."

You (and other Mac homers) keep intentionally confusing criticism with rooting that he fails. These are not the same thing but you know that yet you still go on with this little tribal game of you are either with us or against us. We can criticize his performance and also hope he succeeds.