Mac Jones 2021 Season Tracker: 3801 Yards, 22TD, 13INT

[WaterfallJumper]

I had him penciled in for around 4000 yards, 25 TDs, and 12 interceptions. He came up a smidge short, but factor in some of the drops, the picks on last desperation heaves of the game (Saints and Bills), and we're basically within in the ballpark of my expectations. His mental game is solid, his grasp of the offense looks to be ahead of schedule, and his leadership has been universally praised. He had a very good season -- perhaps top 15 or 20 all time for a rookie QB -- but didn't have a special season. If he did, we may have won a couple of the close games earlier and finished as the #1 seed. That would have been incredible!

The real disappointment to me was falling off in the last month. I don't know if he hit the rookie wall, got figured out, or just had some off games. It happens. He had two chances to set the record for most road wins by a rookie quarterback (he's still tied at 6, which is excellent), and he came up a little short of setting the all time rookie QB completion % as well. Both would have been very nice feathers in his cap.

All in all, plenty of good things to like about his play. Maybe he surprises in the playoffs and we knock off Buffalo. That would be sweet! Next year he has clear things he can improve on -- and I think he will. Physically, he needs to improve his footwork, recomp his body a bit, and work on his mechanics to eke out a bit more velocity. Mentally, he's got to speed up the clock in his head under pressure and throw it away instead of taking bad sacks to back us up on third downs or in the RZ. Otherwise, he's progressing on pace, and maybe even a bit ahead. I'm satisfied with the selection and very hopeful for the future.

 

[DropKickFlutie]

Mac's 6 weeks were a regression. Needs a new oc to take him to the next level as a player

 

[TheRainMaker]

Mac really needs a reliable go to WR.

 

[Taco]

Considering most rookie QBs suck their first year, it was a great season by Mac. Still needs to improve his arm strength but I believe that's possible with a good offseason regime. Looking forward to seeing how & if he can improve his game.

 

[Pats1971]

Considering most rookie QBs suck their first year, it was a great season by Mac. Still needs to improve his arm strength but I believe that's possible with a good offseason regime. Looking forward to seeing how & if he can improve his game.

Most rookie QB's dont go to a team with a top 5 defense, a great run game and 80 mil dollars worth of weapons.

 

[Toofy]

Most rookie QB's dont go to a team with a top 5 defense, a great run game and 80 mil dollars worth of weapons.

This... He was in a good spot with reliable coaching and continuity on defense .

Davis Mills with lack of weapons or even game plan is almost on par with Mac. I would say he seems to be the steal of the draft . Something cerebral about Stanford QBs ... If he has weapons and a rock solid defense , then he is one to watch too. The passes yesterday from him in double and triple coverage were phenomenal . I have not seen those throws from Mac in the last 4 weeks .

Not a layup on Mac, but last 4 weeks he seems to have regressed . I know the team will fight but will eventually lose similar to Detroit lions regular season.

 

[RobertWeathers]

This... He was in a good spot with reliable coaching and continuity on defense .

Davis Mills with lack of weapons or even game plan is almost on par with Mac. I would say he seems to be the steal of the draft . Something cerebral about Stanford QBs ... I

Maybe because they hold player to an academic standard?

f he has weapons and a rock solid defense , then he is one to watch too. The passes yesterday from him in double and triple coverage were phenomenal . I have not seen those throws from Mac in the last 4 weeks .

Not a layup on Mac, but last 4 weeks he seems to have regressed . I know the team will fight but will eventually lose similar to Detroit lions regular season.

The Patriots will lose like the Lions?

 

[Toofy]

Maybe because they hold player to an academic standard?

The Patriots will lose like the Lions?

They have been losing a lot of close games like the lions in the last 4 weeks . Too many mistakes and inability to go for the kill. And they just don't seem to trust Mac to make any throws outside of short passes or shoulder fades.

 

[RobertWeathers]

They have been losing a lot of close games like the lions in the last 4 weeks . Too many mistakes and inability to go for the kill. And they just don't seem to trust Mac to make any throws outside of short passes or shoulder fades.

Never heard 'Patriots" and "Lions" in the same sentence before.

Had had outside throws to Jakoby and Agholor yesterday.

Mac is worn down. He needs to get stronger and go to Aruba for 3 weeks and clear his head.

 

[venecol]

Never heard 'Patriots" and "Lions" in the same sentence before.

That's what happens when you bring Fat Matt back. Lol

 

[stcjones]

They have been losing a lot of close games like the lions in the last 4 weeks . Too many mistakes and inability to go for the kill. And they just don't seem to trust Mac to make any throws outside of short passes or shoulder fades.

Hopefully next year he will have improved arm strength, better weapons and improved “timer” to get throws out even quicker…..we need even better OL as well as the pressure on him has been heavy!

 

[RobertWeathers]

That's what happens when you bring Fat Matt back. Lol

I love that nickname....Fat Matt.

 

[Boston Boxer]

Mac really needs a reliable go to WR.

i agree...a #1 WR. Bourne and Meyers are #2 and #3 guys but we need that solid #1 that can get open

 

[DropKickFlutie]

I had him penciled in for around 4000 yards, 25 TDs, and 12 interceptions. He came up a smidge short, but factor in some of the drops, the picks on last desperation heaves of the game (Saints and Bills), and we're basically within in the ballpark of my expectations. His mental game is solid, his grasp of the offense looks to be ahead of schedule, and his leadership has been universally praised. He had a very good season -- perhaps top 15 or 20 all time for a rookie QB -- but didn't have a special season. If he did, we may have won a couple of the close games earlier and finished as the #1 seed. That would have been incredible!

The real disappointment to me was falling off in the last month. I don't know if he hit the rookie wall, got figured out, or just had some off games. It happens. He had two chances to set the record for most road wins by a rookie quarterback (he's still tied at 6, which is excellent), and he came up a little short of setting the all time rookie QB completion % as well. Both would have been very nice feathers in his cap.

All in all, plenty of good things to like about his play. Maybe he surprises in the playoffs and we knock off Buffalo. That would be sweet! Next year he has clear things he can improve on -- and I think he will. Physically, he needs to improve his footwork, recomp his body a bit, and work on his mechanics to eke out a bit more velocity. Mentally, he's got to speed up the clock in his head under pressure and throw it away instead of taking bad sacks to back us up on third downs or in the RZ. Otherwise, he's progressing on pace, and maybe even a bit ahead. I'm satisfied with the selection and very hopeful for the future.

He would have exceeded 4000 yards if he didn't slow down the last 6 weeks. It's almost as if coaching from the current OC made Mac worse over time. Deja Vu with Sam Bradford in 2011 for the St Louis Rams (same oc).

.

 

[Rob0729]

His throws to the outside have been looking worse and worse. I don't know if there is an injury or if his arm is just weak and wearing down over the course of the season but there isn't much zip on some of those out routes. Can't even really blame the cold as the Colts game was in a dome and yesterday was in South Florida.

Did you see the throws to Meyers for 39 yards and Henry for 35 yards to the outside? In general, he hasn't had a great month compare to how he started the season. But saying his throws to the outside are getting worse and worse is an overstatement.

 

[borg]

They have been losing a lot of close games like the lions in the last 4 weeks . Too many mistakes and inability to go for the kill. And they just don't seem to trust Mac to make any throws outside of short passes or shoulder fades.

From my lofty perch at the game yesterday, the Dolphins shut down the short passing routes.
Like I posted last night, Miami and Buffalo DBs are far superior to NE WRs.
Henry's long catch was the result of an unexpected Mac scramble that gave HH significantly more time to find space past level 2.
The late 4th qtr long pass to Meyers was good fortune because Mac stared him down right from the snap and truthfully it was a 50/50 ball that Meyers snared beautifully.
Let's not forget to mention, Mac had multiple passes swatted down yesterday. Realistically, I'm not expecting 6'2" Mac to find/hit receivers in the slot like 6'4" Brady did. And simple physics, adding arc to passes compromises velocity.

I forgot to mention, Harry is a tortoise...an irrelevant tortoise.
Was not promoting Wilkerson for this game ultimately about not wanting to cut a player on the 53?

 

[BigPeteG]

I still think arm strength is one of the more overrated things when judging QBs. Drew Brees had below average arm strength his entire career. Denver Broncos version of Peyton Manning had below average arm strength even when he broke the TD record in 2013. You can overcome weak arm strength with touch and accuracy even on deep balls. That can be affected with strong winds, but even then with proper mechanics, it can be dealt with to minimize the effects.

The most common argument against the argument that Jones was a great deep ball thrower in college is that he had great receiver who could always get open. But why couldn't he do the same in the pros if he had great receivers? And watching his highlights from college, he was still hitting his receiver in stride right where the ball needed to be on deep passes. If you have above average deep ball accuracy, that doesn't change if your receiver is wide open or tightly covered.

What percentage of great NFL QBs have strong arms? The top 3 all have very strong arms, IMHO. There is a difference between claiming that weaknesses can be overcome vs. claiming that something is overrated.

For example Larry Bird couldn't run that fast or jump that high. He was able to overcome that weakness. That doesn't mean moving forward I would want the Celtics to draft the slowest least athletic guys just because we learned from Larry Bird that speed and athleticism were 'overrated'.

Some QBs can overcome their lack of arm strength - some can develop it. Time will tell if he if Mac Jones is one of those guys. But teams have adjusted and none of them fear him right now.

 

[Patsfanin Philly]

They also talk about the "leap" from year one to year two. Let's see if Jones does that. He didn't have the one year on the bench like was traditional in the older days ala Brady, Rodgers etc.., where now it is more common for a rookie to get thrown in when it was rare to start but there were exceptions like Aikman, Peyton, Roethlisberger who started year 1.

 

[203Pat]

Did you see the throws to Meyers for 39 yards and Henry for 35 yards to the outside? In general, he hasn't had a great month compare to how he started the season. But saying his throws to the outside are getting worse and worse is an overstatement.

Those were good throws but I am talking about the short throws to the outside. The ones that require some velocity on the ball like the pick on third and 2. That was incredibly tight window he tried to fit it in and he hesitated and then threw a changeup when he needed a fastball.

 

[sb1]

Final season stats for rookie QBs.

Interesting to see Mills with similar stats as Mac. If Mac was gone at 15 I wonder if the Patriots would have considered Mills. I'd hope they wouldn't pick him at 15.