Fantastic NFL.com Profile on Mac Jones (history, anecdotes)

[ausbacker]

Thanks for that great article on Mac Jones!

People like to downplay Jones accomplishments because he had great weapons at Alabama. Conversely, I'd say, well at least Jones has confirmed he can drive the Ferrari at full throttle, in other words he's not going to be the bottleneck, he's going to be the guy who unleashes the full potential of the offense. I also like the part in the story where he specifically works on the deep ball with his coach in the offseason. And then because of that training he throws for an NCAA record 77% that year to go along with 41 passing touchdowns vs only 4 interceptions.

People like to throw buzz words like off-platform and freak athleticism. But they don't like to talk about fundamentals and sound football. Mac Jones hates turnovers. He hated them so much he would purposely throw the ball away even when he was scout team QB. A fundamentally sound QB avoids turnovers and favors making positive plays that are available.

Mac Jones has fast play processing speed, good decision making, a quick release, and fundamentally sound throwing technique. Those good fundamentals also allow Mac Jones to deliver a good deep ball. Check out the throw at 3:55. Mac Jones delivers a touchdown pass from the Alabama logo. Impressive stuff. You rarely need to or want to make throws longer than that in the NFL simply because longer throws have a higher chance of interception, but it's good to know that he can make deep throws to take advantage of coverages when the receiver gets open.

Overall I feel really good about this kid after reading his story. Like Brady he had to wait his chance behind Tua and Hurts. Mack Jones has the chip because he was never considered the #1 guy, he had to earn it. Mac Jones is coming into a similar situation in the NFL with a chip. He'll always look at the 4 guys taken ahead of him and want to prove the teams who passed on him wrong. With the Patriots, Mac Jones has landed in the perfect situation to take his revenge upon the teams that passed him up. Time to prove the world wrong. You were considered the least of the 5 Quarterbacks by the pundits and the NFL, Mac Jones, can you play the last Joke on your doubters?

The same people gush over Trevor Lawrence even though he's had every bit as good a supporting cast. Really, there's not much more Jones could have done in 2020 other than transform himself into a workout wonder. I've said it before and I'll say it again, pundits are far too enamored with athleticism and measurables at QB instead of can he play? Mac Jones can play: boy can he play.

 

[DropKickFlutie]

The same people gush over Trevor Lawrence even though he's had every bit as good a supporting cast. Really, there's not much more Jones could have done in 2020 other than transform himself into a workout wonder. I've said it before and I'll say it again, pundits are far too enamored with athleticism and measurables at QB instead of can he play? Mac Jones can play: boy can he play.

Agree. I'm not convinced Lawrence is a sure thing. It's interesting how QBs get stratified based on how fast they can run 40 yards compared to making quick good decisions and accurate in-rhythm throws for 90 snaps.

 

[DropKickFlutie]

 

[n6249c]

He literally did the most perfect job a college QB could have done in his position. If he stays humble and works his ass off the next 24 months years this could be very exciting

FIFY

 

[DropKickFlutie]

I'm seeing news saying Mac emulated Brady's training or pocket training. WHO CARES. Yes study the best on pocket slides and movement and throwing motion and anything else. If he ends up being Kobe emulating Jordan and wins 5 rings instead of (7), who cares ???

.

 

[PatsFanInVa]

"There's a party going on in his head at all times"
- 5th grade teacher

I love his 5th grade teacher lol

 

[PatsFanInVa]

I would pay money to see BB mumble his way through the DI's part in the scene where Joker gets his name in full metal jacket

 

[DropKickFlutie]

Mac tweeted himself playing Madden this week. Interestingly he played as the Patriots against the Buccaneers....

Mac Jones Enjoys A Game Of Madden As The Patriots

Mac Jones is still a few months away from hitting the practice field for the New England Patriots. So the rookie did the next best thing over the weekend.

boston.cbslocal.com

 

[mike_usagisan]

Mac tweeted himself playing Madden this week. Interestingly he played as the Patriots against the Buccaneers....

Mac Jones Enjoys A Game Of Madden As The Patriots

Mac Jones is still a few months away from hitting the practice field for the New England Patriots. So the rookie did the next best thing over the weekend.

boston.cbslocal.com

I thought I read that EA paid him to do it?

 

[The Boomer]

Joker's wild: Why Alabama QB Mac Jones is getting the last laugh

Things weren't always this easy for Mac Jones, who sat three years at Alabama waiting his turn. But the draft's fastest-rising prospect who models his game and style after Tom Brady is about to get the last laugh. A fitting finish for the quarterback nick

www.nfl.com

Long read.

1. He laughs a lot and is goofy, teammates call him Joker.
2. He's ultra competitive
3. He hates throwing INTs so much he refused to force passes as scout team QB which pissed off Saban.
3. He butts helmets pregame with teammates like Brady used to, he gets psyched up for games. He gets so excited after touchdowns he still holds the extra point kicks to calm himself down.
4. He models his training after watching Tom vs Time.
5. After a freshman year DUI, all he does now is live in the gym and film room and he doesn't go out.

.

I do a lot of amateur unlicensed forensic psychological evaluations working in a different but related field for 42 years. I remember every Pats QB going back to Babe Parrilli although I never knew enough about any of them, except maybe overachieving perfectionist Brady who was always motivated by having something to prove to the world with that chip on his shoulder. He is always striving to prove that his critics are wrong about his misperceived deficiencies. The GOAT is a football genius.

Mac is something different. He is an outrageous genius. He is the often distracted and rebellious ADHD but increasingly hyper focused former underachiever who mastered a craft. It is hyperactivity transformed into high achievement. He is more fun and funny to be around than someone like Brady. Irreverence is a go to coping mechanism to handle pressure. He sees the irony and humor in every difficult problem to solve.

Those practice squad years were an opportunity to learn from mistakes and outwit the best college defense, year after year, during his 3 years practicing against them. It was not an insult, but a chance that he figured out how to exploit. Almost no other college team, including those with more physically gifted quarterbacks, could beat them in a real game. Mac was testing himself against them on an almost daily basis behind the scenes.

Transitions to new and unfamiliar settings are hard for someone like this. Redshirt years are extremely beneficial for him. He must first master rhythm and routine to cope with the difficult turmoil that makes change difficult for him. He is highly intuitive. At work, he is a high achieving ENTJ (Myers-Briggs) Field Marshall General commanding his troops. He is a fun to know George Patton who won’t always follow orders that he thinks are wrong. At the same time, he recognizes and learns from his mistakes. His integrity as a QB is more important than his perfection..

Running scout teams is an opportunity for him. He improved not because of who surrounded him on the field but by who he challenged himself against. The gifted athletes playing around him last season made him better. However, his gift was to figure out how to extract the best possible performances from them. This ability to manage his troops is what makes him a winner. He is the less physically gifted PG who knows how to hustle and distribute the ball to make his teammates better. He is a football version of Rondo with a unique but visionary intelligence to assist his teammates.

He must work hard to overcome his distractable cognitive deficits to hyper-focus, task by task, to master the difficulties of his profession that he instinctively recognized was the right choice for him. His manufacture of one of the greatest college seasons ever produced by a quarterback proved that he can evolve and harness his gifts.

The often misunderstood but sometimes lovable hyperactive 5th grade party is still going on inside his head. If I am right, it will be entertaining and fun to watch his professional development while he figures out how to harness this still ongoing party to minimize and avoid becoming an underperforming genius. Focused ADHD overachievers can accomplish a lot.

 

[jah]

Agree. I'm not convinced Lawrence is a sure thing. It's interesting how QBs get stratified based on how fast they can run 40 yards compared to making quick good decisions and accurate in-rhythm throws for 90 snaps.

Nobody is a sure thing, I really don't get what makes Lawrence more untouchable than anyone else. Is he really the only prospect who has both physical and mental tools?

Sure, I'd probably take him over any of the other 2021 QB, but the way people talk about him is just setting up another disappointment in the vein of Luck, RG3.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Nobody is a sure thing, I really don't get what makes Lawrence more untouchable than anyone else. Is he really the only prospect who has both physical and mental tools?

Sure, I'd probably take him over any of the other 2021 QB, but the way people talk about him is just setting up another disappointment in the vein of Luck, RG3.

Historically speaking QBs taken 1st overall have had above-average careers.

 

[DropKickFlutie]

I do a lot of amateur unlicensed forensic psychological evaluations working in a different but related field for 42 years. I remember every Pats QB going back to Babe Parrilli although I never knew enough about any of them, except maybe overachieving perfectionist Brady who was always motivated by having something to prove to the world with that chip on his shoulder. He is always striving to prove that his critics are wrong about his misperceived deficiencies. The GOAT is a football genius.

Mac is something different. He is an outrageous genius. He is the often distracted and rebellious ADHD but increasingly hyper focused former underachiever who mastered a craft. It is hyperactivity transformed into high achievement. He is more fun and funny to be around than someone like Brady. Irreverence is a go to coping mechanism to handle pressure. He sees the irony and humor in every difficult problem to solve.

Those practice squad years were an opportunity to learn from mistakes and outwit the best college defense, year after year, during his 3 years practicing against them. It was not an insult, but a chance that he figured out how to exploit. Almost no other college team, including those with more physically gifted quarterbacks, could beat them in a real game. Mac was testing himself against them on an almost daily basis behind the scenes.

Transitions to new and unfamiliar settings are hard for someone like this. Redshirt years are extremely beneficial for him. He must first master rhythm and routine to cope with the difficult turmoil that makes change difficult for him. He is highly intuitive. At work, he is a high achieving ENTJ (Myers-Briggs) Field Marshall General commanding his troops. He is a fun to know George Patton who won’t always follow orders that he thinks are wrong. At the same time, he recognizes and learns from his mistakes. His integrity as a QB is more important than his perfection..

Running scout teams is an opportunity for him. He improved not because of who surrounded him on the field but by who he challenged himself against. The gifted athletes playing around him last season made him better. However, his gift was to figure out how to extract the best possible performances from them. This ability to manage his troops is what makes him a winner. He is the less physically gifted PG who knows how to hustle and distribute the ball to make his teammates better. He is a football version of Rondo with a unique but visionary intelligence to assist his teammates.

He must work hard to overcome his distractable cognitive deficits to hyper-focus, task by task, to master the difficulties of his profession that he instinctively recognized was the right choice for him. His manufacture of one of the greatest college seasons ever produced by a quarterback proved that he can evolve and harness his gifts.

The often misunderstood but sometimes lovable hyperactive 5th grade party is still going on inside his head. If I am right, it will be entertaining and fun to watch his professional development while he figures out how to harness this still ongoing party to minimize and avoid becoming an underperforming genius. Focused ADHD overachievers can accomplish a lot.

Phenomenal post

 

[DropKickFlutie]

Historically speaking QBs taken 1st overall have had above-average careers.

Does the above average mean more, however, you have a couple who pan out and the other half are total busts?

 

[RobertWeathers]

Does the above average mean more, however, you have a couple who pan out and the other half are total busts?

When I look at the list of QBs taken #1, more of a general statement with a few outright busts (Couch, Russell) and few HoFs but the majority of them being productive and having successful NFL careers.

1944	NFL	Angelo Bertelli	QB	Boston Yanks	Notre Dame
1946	NFL	Boley Dancewicz	QB	Boston Yanks	Notre Dame
1948	NFL	Harry Gilmer	QB	Washington Redskins	Alabama
1952	NFL	Billy Wade	QB	Los Angeles Rams	Vanderbilt
1954	NFL	Bobby Garrett	QB	Cleveland Browns	Stanford
1955	NFL	George Shaw	QB	Baltimore Colts	Oregon
1958	NFL	King Hill	QB	Chicago Cardinals	Rice
1959	NFL	Randy Duncan	QB	Green Bay Packers	Iowa
1962	AFL	Roman Gabriel	QB	Oakland Raiders	North Carolina St.
1963	NFL	Terry Baker	QB	Los Angeles Rams	Oregon St.
1964	AFL	Jack Concannon	QB	Boston Patriots	Boston Col.
1965	AFL	Joe Namath	QB	New York Jets	Alabama
1970	NFL	Terry Bradshaw	QB	Pittsburgh Steelers	Louisiana Tech
1971	NFL	Jim Plunkett	QB	New England Patriots	Stanford
1975	NFL	Steve Bartkowski	QB	Atlanta Falcons	California
1983	NFL	John Elway	QB	Baltimore Colts	Stanford
1987	NFL	Vinny Testaverde	QB	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Miami (FL)
1989	NFL	Troy Aikman	QB	Dallas Cowboys	UCLA
1990	NFL	Jeff George	QB	Indianapolis Colts	Illinois
1993	NFL	Drew Bledsoe	QB	New England Patriots	Washington St.
1998	NFL	Peyton Manning	QB	Indianapolis Colts	Tennessee
1999	NFL	Tim Couch	QB	Cleveland Browns	Kentucky
2001	NFL	Michael Vick	QB	Atlanta Falcons	Virginia Tech
2002	NFL	David Carr	QB	Houston Texans	Fresno St.
2003	NFL	Carson Palmer	QB	Cincinnati Bengals	USC
2004	NFL	Eli Manning	QB	San Diego Chargers	Mississippi
2005	NFL	Alex Smith	QB	San Francisco 49ers	Utah
2007	NFL	JaMarcus Russell	QB	Oakland Raiders	LSU
2009	NFL	Matthew Stafford	QB	Detroit Lions	Georgia
2010	NFL	Sam Bradford	QB	St. Louis Rams	Oklahoma
2011	NFL	Cam Newton	QB	Carolina Panthers	Auburn
2012	NFL	Andrew Luck	QB	Indianapolis Colts	Stanford
2015	NFL	Jameis Winston	QB	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Florida St.
2016	NFL	Jared Goff	QB	Los Angeles Rams	California
2018	NFL	Baker Mayfield	QB	Cleveland Browns	Oklahoma
2019	NFL	Kyler Murray	QB	Arizona Cardinals	Oklahoma
2020	NFL	Joe Burrow	QB	Cincinnati Bengals	LSU
2021	NFL	Trevor Lawrence	QB	Jacksonville Jaguars

 

[DropKickFlutie]

When I look at the list of QBs taken #1, more of a general statement with a few outright busts (Couch, Russell) and few HoFs but the majority of them being productive and having successful NFL careers.

1944	NFL	Angelo Bertelli	QB	Boston Yanks	Notre Dame
1946	NFL	Boley Dancewicz	QB	Boston Yanks	Notre Dame
1948	NFL	Harry Gilmer	QB	Washington Redskins	Alabama
1952	NFL	Billy Wade	QB	Los Angeles Rams	Vanderbilt
1954	NFL	Bobby Garrett	QB	Cleveland Browns	Stanford
1955	NFL	George Shaw	QB	Baltimore Colts	Oregon
1958	NFL	King Hill	QB	Chicago Cardinals	Rice
1959	NFL	Randy Duncan	QB	Green Bay Packers	Iowa
1962	AFL	Roman Gabriel	QB	Oakland Raiders	North Carolina St.
1963	NFL	Terry Baker	QB	Los Angeles Rams	Oregon St.
1964	AFL	Jack Concannon	QB	Boston Patriots	Boston Col.
1965	AFL	Joe Namath	QB	New York Jets	Alabama
1970	NFL	Terry Bradshaw	QB	Pittsburgh Steelers	Louisiana Tech
1971	NFL	Jim Plunkett	QB	New England Patriots	Stanford
1975	NFL	Steve Bartkowski	QB	Atlanta Falcons	California
1983	NFL	John Elway	QB	Baltimore Colts	Stanford
1987	NFL	Vinny Testaverde	QB	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Miami (FL)
1989	NFL	Troy Aikman	QB	Dallas Cowboys	UCLA
1990	NFL	Jeff George	QB	Indianapolis Colts	Illinois
1993	NFL	Drew Bledsoe	QB	New England Patriots	Washington St.
1998	NFL	Peyton Manning	QB	Indianapolis Colts	Tennessee
1999	NFL	Tim Couch	QB	Cleveland Browns	Kentucky
2001	NFL	Michael Vick	QB	Atlanta Falcons	Virginia Tech
2002	NFL	David Carr	QB	Houston Texans	Fresno St.
2003	NFL	Carson Palmer	QB	Cincinnati Bengals	USC
2004	NFL	Eli Manning	QB	San Diego Chargers	Mississippi
2005	NFL	Alex Smith	QB	San Francisco 49ers	Utah
2007	NFL	JaMarcus Russell	QB	Oakland Raiders	LSU
2009	NFL	Matthew Stafford	QB	Detroit Lions	Georgia
2010	NFL	Sam Bradford	QB	St. Louis Rams	Oklahoma
2011	NFL	Cam Newton	QB	Carolina Panthers	Auburn
2012	NFL	Andrew Luck	QB	Indianapolis Colts	Stanford
2015	NFL	Jameis Winston	QB	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Florida St.
2016	NFL	Jared Goff	QB	Los Angeles Rams	California
2018	NFL	Baker Mayfield	QB	Cleveland Browns	Oklahoma
2019	NFL	Kyler Murray	QB	Arizona Cardinals	Oklahoma
2020	NFL	Joe Burrow	QB	Cincinnati Bengals	LSU
2021	NFL	Trevor Lawrence	QB	Jacksonville Jaguars

Thank you sir.

Ok.

So going 1-15 results in most likely not busting at the QB spot. How many of them became good after ?

 

[RobertWeathers]

Thank you sir.

Ok.

So going 1-15 results in most likely not busting at the QB spot. How many of them became good after ?

Sorry- don't follow your question.

Is Troy Aikman an example?

 

[Pats2000]

Mac tweeted himself playing Madden this week. Interestingly he played as the Patriots against the Buccaneers....

Mac Jones Enjoys A Game Of Madden As The Patriots

Mac Jones is still a few months away from hitting the practice field for the New England Patriots. So the rookie did the next best thing over the weekend.

boston.cbslocal.com

Of course he does, he wants a shot at the GOAT. I'm willing to put money on him starting by that game. I'm sure he has it circled on the calendar

 

[moosekill]

He wants to be the goat. He doesn’t just want a shot at him.

 

[DropKickFlutie]

Sorry- don't follow your question.

Is Troy Aikman an example?

Sorry that was maybe a message box which should have been deleted. I agree with your point. Thanks for showing. Yeah looks like #1's don't completely flame out usually