Another Taboo Elephant! [Mac Jones playing well in SF]

[Drunken Cicerone]

Mac Jones is what he is. He has enough talent and ability to have a long career in the league as an occasional starter/ perennial backup.

There were four QBs taken before of them and three of them already don’t belong in the league.

 

[Joey007]

Mac would be great for a team that drafts a day 2 project QB.

You have a plan for the future. But also have someone who has done enough to possibly win the role if it’s a nice environment surrounding him.

 

[Bill Lee]

I said this in another thread... Mac Jones can be like truth serum for how well you built your team. I don't think he's a guy who's going to elevate those around you, but I also don't think he's going to crash the bus either. I think he can keep a team afloat. To ever win anything of consequence with him, you'd have to be absolutely stacked around him because he simply isn't capable of making enough plays for you to win high stakes games against the best competition. BUT that's a really good backup QB profile and if he's strategic about who he signs with and an injury or underperformance at QB opens the door for him on the right team, he can have a run - that's kind of what's happening in SF right now, though the injuries might be piling up too high for them to be stacked enough around him for this ton continue.

His play did crash the bus yesterday, IMO. He had two INTs and a fumble. The fumble was totally on him for lacking pocket awareness. It's just luck his team recovered it. Same old Mac.

 

[Bill Lee]

But also have someone who has done enough to possibly win the role if it’s a nice environment surrounding him.

Is it that possible, though? It's not like Sam Darnold who has a good arm and needed time to mature. Mac is not very gifted athletically. His ceiling is Derek Carr, IMO. You're not winning a championship with him. Mac looks good when everything is perfect around him, but when things get stressed like in a real playoff situation he's just not good enough, IMO. Cheers to McVay for getting him to look decent, but it's not sustainable.

 

[Joey007]

Is it that possible, though? It's not like Sam Darnold who has a good arm and needed time to mature. Mac is not very gifted athletically. His ceiling is Derek Carr, IMO. You're not winning a championship with him. Mac looks good when everything is perfect around him, but when things get stressed like in a real playoff situation he's just not good enough, IMO. Cheers to McVay for getting him to look decent, but it's not sustainable.

I don’t really think so. But I could see a team thinking he’s good for what they want. See Sean Payton with Bo Nix.

I mean heck, the 49ers would’ve maybe been able to push for a spot with him, had their defense not gotten ravaged.

 

[Triumph]

Mac Jones seems to have matured and found a home in San Francisco

Yup, He threw the INT to seal the 49ers fate yesterday.

Fumbled too. To date - 6 TDs - 3 INTS - 3 Fumbles Shanahan will be looking for new job the way this going.

 

[Grogan14]

I think Purdy is much better than Mac. Purdy is very mobile and can make plays when protection breaks down.

 

[farn]

Losing w Mac lead to winning w Maye. If Maye ends up being a real winner, the lean years - while frustrating - could potentially be over much earlier than many franchises who lose their hero QB.

That said - it’s partly on Mac. While posters are making good points, he stunk. And that has to be partly on him. Blaming others is the sign of a loser.

Look at Baker. He clearly has the necessary skills. He was clearly in a tough spot. But at times he stunk. That’s on him as well.

 

[lancerman]

I said this in another thread... Mac Jones can be like truth serum for how well you built your team. I don't think he's a guy who's going to elevate those around you, but I also don't think he's going to crash the bus either. I think he can keep a team afloat. To ever win anything of consequence with him, you'd have to be absolutely stacked around him because he simply isn't capable of making enough plays for you to win high stakes games against the best competition. BUT that's a really good backup QB profile and if he's strategic about who he signs with and an injury or underperformance at QB opens the door for him on the right team, he can have a run - that's kind of what's happening in SF right now, though the injuries might be piling up too high for them to be stacked enough around him for this ton continue.

This is fair. Mac will allow a team to achieve its talent level and no more or less. TBH I think Purdy is similar. He’ll do well on a stacked team but you’ll never think “wow that’s why they are winning”.

 

[Hugepatsfan]

His play did crash the bus yesterday, IMO. He had two INTs and a fumble. The fumble was totally on him for lacking pocket awareness. It's just luck his team recovered it. Same old Mac.

I mean, sure he made some bad plays. It was a loss to a 4-1 team. I don't think saying a QB "won't crash the bus" means he'll never have shaky games. I also said he wouldn't be good enough to consistently win games where you need your QB to really make plays. Some weakness and shaky play is inherent to a player you're describing as "well he won't crash the bus".

 

[Bill Lee]

I mean, sure he made some bad plays. It was a loss to a 4-1 team. I don't think saying a QB "won't crash the bus" means he'll never have shaky games. I also said he wouldn't be good enough to consistently win games where you need your QB to really make plays. Some weakness and shaky play is inherent to a player you're describing as "well he won't crash the bus".

Fair enough. So many different ways to judge it. I mean he's not a NFL starter, the market showed that this off-season. You said he could keep the team afloat, and in the context of being a backup he has done that this season, but IMO solely in the context of being a backup. His general play yesterday IMO was almost backup-worthy, but the 2 INTs and the one (recovered) fumble drags it below that for me, and I worry that he's at that point we saw several times here where he collapses.

It'll be hard to tell going forward given that his defense has just lost yet another good player so he'll be asked to do a lot going forward presuming Purdy's toe doesn't let him come back soon. They're playing the Falcons this weekend so a pretty meh team.

 

[TommyD4207]

I mean, sure he made some bad plays. It was a loss to a 4-1 team. I don't think saying a QB "won't crash the bus" means he'll never have shaky games. I also said he wouldn't be good enough to consistently win games where you need your QB to really make plays. Some weakness and shaky play is inherent to a player you're describing as "well he won't crash the bus".

"Won't crash the bus" means "Won't fall apart in the 4th quarter, panic to token pressure and turn the ball over multiple times when behind"

That's what Macorkle did. SF was in that game, until he went Full Macorkle.

 

[SammyBlueCat]

I'm guessing you missed the 4th quarter yesterday.

Pure, uncut, unfiltered Macorkle Ball.

Screw-ups aside, did he ever gain 347 yards in a game that he started for New England?
(It might have happened I am too lazy to look it up)

 

[TommyD4207]

Screw-ups aside, did he ever gain 347 yards in a game that he started for New England?
(It might have happened I am too lazy to look it up)

He was close one game, let me look.

Nope, hit 321 against Baltimore in 22. The Crying Game.

 

[doesntmatter1]

Just imagine we still had Mac. Impossible to even fantasize a possible good outcome lol. Mac, hurt or not, is afraid of taking hits and still panics unlike our cool superman-esque qb Drake Maye. We have a weak running game and average at best pass blocking that Mac would suffer playing with. I do not care if Mac goes onto win a super bowl etc, I will never miss the guy lol.

Bourne is different for me. I like him and he has produced for us before. He is a bigger wr that is capable of playing the slot and getting decent yac. Right now he is doing what I expected considering he is a year removed from his acl tear.

 

[Joey007]

He was close one game, let me look.

Nope, hit 321 against Baltimore in 22. The Crying Game.

the one game where I enjoyed Devante Parker as a Patriot.

 

[Hugepatsfan]

"Won't crash the bus" means "Won't fall apart in the 4th quarter, panic to token pressure and turn the ball over multiple times when behind"

That's what Macorkle did. SF was in that game, until he went Full Macorkle.

Well, "won't crash the bus" isn't a generally accepted term. It's a phrase I made up. So it can mean what it means to you, but the way I used it having a bad fourth quarter doesn't mean you crashed the bus. It means you had a bad game. I'm not portraying him as some great QB. I'm saying that if you're a really good team and he's your starter you can post a decent record but you won't consistently win games where the other team is good enough or just plays well enough on that day that you need your QB to really make some plays for you. If you have real competitive aspirations in the playoffs you'll need to upgrade over him, but on a stacked team he can get you there.

He's started 4 games in SF. He played poorly in the 4th quarter last game against a good team while trailing. The week before he played pretty well against a solid LAR team. The two games prior they beat middling to bad teams in AZ and NO. He's been overall solid and respectable. I think he's doing exactly what I described above. And not being able to pull out a comeback against a good team in the 4th is apart of those limitations I'm saying exist.

 

[Real fan 02]

Mac Jones will play well for a period of time... and then right when you think he's turned the corner, he will revert to his regular self and do something stupid... we saw it how many times?

 

[Bill Lee]

Well, "won't crash the bus" isn't a generally accepted term. It's a phrase I made up. So it can mean what it means to you, but the way I used it having a bad fourth quarter doesn't mean you crashed the bus. It means you had a bad game.

I think the bus got pretty dented up yesterday, needs some time in the body shop. Maybe a more appropriate expression for what Mac is would be "won't drive the bus off a cliff". I mean, he's not Jameis Winston bad, that's driving the bus off a cliff. But every time you hand him the keys you wonder if the bus will come back dented or not.

FWIW he didn't make ESPN's list of top 12 NFL backups this year:

Ranking backup NFL quarterbacks for the 2025 season

We stacked the best No. 2 -- and No. 3 -- quarterbacks across the league, including Browning, Marcus Mariota and Carson Wentz.

www.espn.com

 

[Grogan14]

Screw-ups aside, did he ever gain 347 yards in a game that he started for New England?
(It might have happened I am too lazy to look it up)

New England Patriots at Minnesota Vikings - November 24th, 2022 | Pro-Football-Reference.com

New England Patriots 26 at Minnesota Vikings 33 on November 24th, 2022 - Full team and player stats and box score

www.pro-football-reference.com

382 yards against Vikings in 2022