Mike Lombardi: "Be Patient with Mac Jones" (no need to rush)

[BaconGrundleCandy]

I am not against sitting Jones to start the season or even sitting him for his rookie season if it is what is best for him and the team. That said, if he is not mentally tough enough to handle handling adversity this early in his career by starting right away and struggling, he isn't the QB of the future the Pats want.

If sitting is what's truly best for Mac, no problem. I'm never about forcing anything. Regarding you second point I've been saying the same for a minute. I really don't understand "protecting" him from the first 4 games or Brady. That makes no sense at all. And if he isn't the QB of the future you'd rather know sooner than later.

Yes, you can argue bad teams have ruined a lot of first round draft pick QBs over the years when they started them day one. But I contend if these guys careers are totally derailed because they played for a bad team, they were likely never going to remotely live up to their draft position no matter if they sat out their rookie season or played for a better team.

Slight disagree here depending on the situation. Looking at some situations in Cleveland, NYJ, Detroit, Houston etc it was never going to happen no matter what. For example guys like Trubisky, Darnold would never make it with complete disasters like the NYJ but put a decent team around them like a Chicago and you have a shot at the playoffs.

You can argue that some of them established bad habits that they might not have developed if they sat and learned, but that is probably a damnation of the coaching rather than starting them so fast.

Yes and No...

At Bama, I am sure Saban runs on a near-Pro style schedule that is similar. Also, college kids need to go to classes/study/take tests... so one could argue that it is easier being a pro with $$ to hire professional help (e.g. personal chefs, cleaning ladies, business managers, agents, financial managers, and etc..) to make your sole focus football related only.

If people saw what it's like to play at Bama and most big-time schools they might be surprised. Military-like. Several Bama players have commented over the years how much easier the NFL is in that regard. Like the amount of free time they have compared to when at Bama.

 

[sambam94]

A veteran QB mentoring a young QB is "insane"? I guess Alex Smith really lost his marbles helping Mahomes prepare to become a starting NFL QB.

sure..Mac can learn from Cam how to hold the ball too long

 

[NormZauchin]

I am not against sitting Jones to start the season or even sitting him for his rookie season if it is what is best for him and the team. That said, if he is not mentally tough enough to handle handling adversity this early in his career by starting right away and struggling, he isn't the QB of the future the Pats want.

Yes, you can argue bad teams have ruined a lot of first round draft pick QBs over the years when they started them day one. But I contend if these guys careers are totally derailed because they played for a bad team, they were likely never going to remotely live up to their draft position no matter if they sat out their rookie season or played for a better team.

You can argue that some of them established bad habits that they might not have developed if they sat and learned, but that is probably a damnation of the coaching rather than starting them so fast.

Bledsoe was a number 1 draft pick and came to a bad team. The 1993 season started horribly, 1-11, including (cringe) a 45-7 loss to the Jets. But fans could see Drew improve throughout the year and the Pats ended up winning the last four games of the season, which gave us tremendous optimism for the 1994 campaign. This Patriot team is better than the 1993 Pats. I don't see any reason why Mac can't better what Bledsoe did and emerge at the end of the season ready to lead the Patriots into the playoffs the following season.

 

[BTTA]

One thing fer sure: to declare the QB competition over now would be detrimental to Jones' development. So it might still be on, or it might not, but we and Jones aren't going to find out about that anytime soon.

 

[Wozzy]

By way, nice little plug for yourself Why does every point you make need to be part of a self-serving agenda?

Nobody is perfect, not Mike, not Bill, not Tom… nobody. No matter what your dad told you about the early 2000’s.

 

[203Pat]

sure..Mac can learn from Cam how to hold the ball too long

They can collaborate on a list of excuses in case either QB has a bad year as well.

 

[DropKickFlutie]

I have to believe JMD has a lot of say about how this will go too.

Clearly this is unfortunately what is happening, yes. The 2020 Patriots offense and second-half of 2019 offense look a ton like the league-worst 2011 Rams offense, the 2010 Denver Broncos disaster, from the same OC, a lot of similarities in total disregard for tight ends and also crappy WR development.

The best way to win for this team is defense first, ball control offense that kills clock with a lot of runs, first downs, and play action.

 

[Triumph]

In what other world does someone get the current assessment of their capabilities for something they did 3 years ago? Cam apologists keep brining up 2018 as if it has anything to do with what he is NOW. I agree it has yet to be determined, but citing stats from '18 is like posting GDP numbers and historic stock & employment figures from 2018 as a predictor of what will happen this year... everything has changed.

The statistic that you responded to went back 3 years.

If youd like to narrow it down to last season Im good with it. Tell me about all the passing weapons that Cam had at his disposal in 2020?

 

[Hyped]

Funny, but Jones actually finished his degree in 3 years with a 4.0 GPA and picked up a Master's degree too in his final year... that is at least 10 hours of studying every week no matter how easy the majors were....

 

[tom444]

Funny, but Jones actually finished his degree in 3 years with a 4.0 GPA and picked up a Master's degree too in his final year... that is at least 10 hours of studying every week no matter how easy the majors were....

I wasn't aware of that. That's impressive, and as you say, no matter the majors.

 

[DropKickFlutie]

I wasn't aware of that. That's impressive and as you say, no matter the majors.

Yeah McCorckle is a big time nerd, I'm a fan. The guy loves to study. Having said all that I'm for not rushing the kid onto the field

 

[nabwong]

TV off?! I’m throwing the TV OUT…the window.

DM me before you do so I have a shot to catch it.

 

[woolster22]

He brought in Testaverde, who wasn't actually good but had the league's #1 defense and a strong running game. Testaverde in 1994 had 16 TDs and 18 INTS, and no, that wasn't good even back then. They were also 3-0 that year with Mark Rypien.

For whatever reason the narrative is that Bill was ballsy to move on from Kosar. In reality, Testaverde's QB rating in 1994 (70) was far worse than Kosar's in 1993 (77) and 1992 (87).

The fact is the 1994 Cleveland Browns were a good quarterback away from being a real championship contender. They scored 29 points in two playoff games.

What concerns me is that Bill has gone with that Parcells idea of the steady eddie quarterback who is coachable, reliable, though not necessarily good. They signed on Testaverde in 1998 with the Jets, and again, it's not a surprise they were overmatched by John Elway in the AFCCG.

Parcells then went with Bledsoe (!) again when he went to Dallas, even though Bledsoe, like Testaverde, is a guy you can't win with in the modern NFL. He just isn't good; worse than average by that point.

And Belichick? The Cam re-signing is concerning as hell...basically the same exact theme...a guy who is a locker room leader, coachable, etc. but almost exactly like Bledsoe/Testaverde: a former #1 pick, downside of his career, not going to get you to the next level.

Why is a cheap mediocre pro, who establishes a solid minimum level of QB play (yes, Cam was horrible last year) a bad thing? Who would have been better? Who could we even afford? This year we took a shot on a 1st round qb who looks like a decent pro. Showed pro arm strength tonight, so much for the Pennington comps.

Sure, nobody expected Bledsoe to win a ring, but he was competitive in an era where offenses were changing, and he was the prototype of yester year. Parcells could have done a lot worse. Similarly, BB could have done worse than Cam.

Cam may not have "helped" last year, but I wouldn't say he killed the team either. A lot of really succesful people preach avoiding making the really stupid decision, rather than identifying the best decision. Buffet comes to mind.

Edit: Watching Cam's drives again. You were spot on in regard to the delivery type of Cam/Drew. Long, emphasized delivery. Slow to diagnose. Holds the ball too long.

 

[NashuaPats]

I missed the first quarter tonight so I didn’t see how Cam did, but Mac looked the part again tonight. He was in control, got the ball out quickly, didn’t stand too long in the pocket, and appeared to make the right plays. His arm strength looked good too. I’m genuinely getting exciting about his potential, even in year one.

 

[reflexblue]

I missed the first quarter tonight so I didn’t see how Cam did, but Mac looked the part again tonight. He was in control, got the ball out quickly, didn’t stand too long in the pocket, and appeared to make the right plays. His arm strength looked good too. I’m genuinely getting exciting about his potential, even in year one.

8-9 103 yrds 1td

 

[DropKickFlutie]

8-9 103 yrds 1td

Pretty much a perfect game for Cam Newton. I don't think he's losing the job now, he solidified it while they try to develop Mac.

 

[fnordcircle]

A veteran QB mentoring a young QB is "insane"? I guess Alex Smith really lost his marbles helping Mahomes prepare to become a starting NFL QB.

The comment was saying that sitting Mac would be a waste because people think there's nothing good to learn from Cam.

Coaches coach. Sure, players share info, but, by far, the main source of instruction will be coming from the coaches. The point of sitting Mac is so he can develop good habits instead of bad ones due to being thrust into the starting position before he's ready.

Cam has next to nothing to do with Mac's development.

 

[Froob]

Yep. He has been wrong so many times. He is just a click guy now.

He was right about Doug Pederson lol. He’s generally pretty accurate weighing in on the patriots. I don’t think BB feeds him into but he def knows how he thinks.

 

[Uptown]

DM me before you do so I have a shot to catch it.

I shall…but I must forewarn you, the screen will already be bashed in before the main event

 

[Huckleberry1]

Dalton.
I don't think he deserves the hate he gets. He had some very decent years in CIN, when they were in free fall in the demise of Lewis' tenure. IMO he would have been a better option than Cam last year, and would have been a much better fit in this system and to bridge to Mac.
D. Jones, Darnold and Wetnz are big unknowns this year... and of course Cam is the worst of the bunch.

Dalton was handed one of the best offenses in football last season and he did squat with it. I can only imagine how bad he would have been with the Patriots “ offense.”