The real Mac Jones farewell letter to NE

[Kdo5]

What a nail in Bill's coffin would it be if Mac turns it around and succeeds elsewhere.

It will also be a bad reflection on the organization in general. Everyone turned on him, not just Bill.

 

[Bill Lee]

What a nail in Bill's coffin would it be if Mac turns it around and succeeds elsewhere.

Wait, I thought this board's resident experts told us the whole league realized he was a bust before the end of his rookie season when they realized he can't hit an out route, and there's no fixing that.

 

[Patsfanin Philly]

So is Jones the best Patriots player to ever wear #10? Lol

Jimmy could have been but he got hurt. Gaffney has to be up there.

Scott Secules???

 

[moosekill]

Wait, I thought this board's resident experts told us the whole league realized he was a bust before the end of his rookie season when they realized he can't hit an out route, and there's no fixing that.

Has anyone said any differently yet? If he wants to work incredibly hard, get stronger and get rid of his inability to handle pressure he has some of the tools to be a good qb. He hasn't shown that yet in his NFL career, but in the end it is up to him. Blaming the organization for him sucking is foolish. Panicking when the rush is coming, throwing the ball to the other team in big situations, having a weak arm, all on him. Lets stop blaming the patriots for this.

 

[Fuzz]

Has anyone said any differently yet? If he wants to work incredibly hard, get stronger and get rid of his inability to handle pressure he has some of the tools to be a good qb. He hasn't shown that yet in his NFL career, but in the end it is up to him. Blaming the organization for him sucking is foolish. Panicking when the rush is coming, throwing the ball to the other team in big situations, having a weak arm, all on him. Lets stop blaming the patriots for this.

All true, but the team always shoulders some responsibility for the development of their QB. BB got credit for TB's development and he deserves blame for Mac's lack of development. Not to compare their talent levels in any way, but pretty sure Mahomes would have been a failure if he was in Mac's place.

 

[Bill Lee]

Has anyone said any differently yet? If he wants to work incredibly hard, get stronger and get rid of his inability to handle pressure he has some of the tools to be a good qb. He hasn't shown that yet in his NFL career, but in the end it is up to him. Blaming the organization for him sucking is foolish. Panicking when the rush is coming, throwing the ball to the other team in big situations, having a weak arm, all on him. Lets stop blaming the patriots for this.

So many questions. Is it up to him? Is it about not working as hard as he could/should? Can he teach himself to handle pressure any better than he currently does? Does he really have the tools to be more than what he already is? Or maybe after reasonably long stints at Alabama and NE and hitting age 25, this is more or less what he is? Maybe the rest of the league did figure him out, and maybe we are right to have moved on, and perhaps should have two years ago if we were better at evaluating our own players.

I remember the pre-draft comp to him was Derrick Carr who IMO is not a franchise QB despite what LV and now NO pay for his services. Turns out that was too generous. Sometimes that happens.

 

[Water Boy]

Mac had some nice highlights his rookie year. Too bad that momentum didn't build. BB did him no favors, but so did his inability to deal with adversity.

 

[neuronet]

Classy exit. I can only wish him well.

 

[Patriot Missile]

Classy exit. I can only wish him well.

I agree. Wish him the best.

 

[BennyBledsoe]

As I've said before...

At this point, he had to go. But what Belichick did to this kid's potential was unconscionable. After a pretty successful rookie year, it looks like NOTHING was done to help his second year QB, arguably the most important year in determining a young QB's trajectory. There was always going to be a point where defensive coaches had his early tendencies figured out. It is then up to the coaches to work beyond them.

And I still say that what Belichick did in his second year was worth Belichick's job. The sheer arrogance of putting Patricia and Judge in charge of his second year quarterback's development was unprecedented. Somewhere along the line, something eroded Belichick's ability to be self-critical.

It really sucks to say, but even guys who have incredible football knowledge, who can diagram, diagnose plays with ease... that at some point, they lose the ability to 'coach'. Coaching is not just about smarts. If it were, Belichick would still be here.

Further, I think to be a Dynasty coach, you have to have a lot go right. The right players, the right ownership, the right time. If you get that, you start building belief. That can help you endure when you start losing those 'right' pieces. And it's hard work to keep all that's right...right. You get older, you stop wanting to put all that work in. And it seems Belichick didn't want to anymore. To be sure, he was still putting in the hours. But he didn't challenge himself as much anymore. By the sixth Super Bowl, it's hard to blame him for thinking he had earned the right to not be challenged. But that's not football. There's been more than a few successful coaches who have just retired because they couldn't do the thing anymore. John Madden, probably most notably. Some guys stick around because it's all they know... IE: Shula, and now Belichick.

 

[Pape]

So is Jones the best Patriots player to ever wear #10? Lol

Jimmy could have been but he got hurt. Gaffney has to be up there.

I ranked Mac 1, Gaffney 2, Jimmy g 3 when I did that little exercise a year or so back...

 

[Bill Lee]

But what Belichick did to this kid's potential was unconscionable. After a pretty successful rookie year, it looks like NOTHING was done to help his second year QB, arguably the most important year in determining a young QB's trajectory. There was always going to be a point where defensive coaches had his early tendencies figured out. It is then up to the coaches to work beyond them.

I agree in hindsight that BB's 'plan' to go with MP and JG was something that can/should get a HC fired. I also feel that giving important roles to his sons was a sign that his motivation was different than it had been in the past. The fact that he only got one team to show interest in him once he was available is a sign that the rest of the league also feels he's not the same guy he used to be, IMO.

But several things can be true at the same time, and it could very well be that Mac is what we saw, someone who lacks the arm strength to hit out routes and get the ball into small gaps and simply doesn't/can't make good decisions under pressure, things that are needed to be a successful NFL starting QB.

A lot of us thought he could be coached up to the level of being a 'game manager' and the team could/would add assets that would elevate the offense as a whole, but it turns out (IMO) that he simply doesn't have good enough decision making to be a 'game manager' and it turns out the team missed on its FA and draft picks that were meant to improve the offense.

So, here we are: BB is unemployed, Mac is a bench warmer in Jacksonville and we're on to our second rebuild after the first one failed.

 

[Pape]

I ranked Mac 1, Gaffney 2, Jimmy g 3 when I did that little exercise a year or so back...

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