Is Mac the guy for the future?

[203Pat]

I know it is early and some people will get p*ssed off about this but I want to see which way the board leans. Based on what I have seen I don’t think we can be a realistic super bowl contender with Mac. I was not banking on him being a guy who would win the game for us every week but I was banking on him being a guy who wouldn't lose the game for us every week. While he may not be the main reason we are losing games he is a big part of it. Lots of bad decisions this year and lots of turnovers and now may miss extended time with an ankle injury.

 

[PaulThePat]

For me he has 3 seasons to win the job. If after 3 years there are still doubts then I'm sure we'll be looking at QBs in the draft and Free Agency. However, in my view there is still enough upside. Cut out the brain dead INTs and he's a solid NFL QB. Let's not forget Josh Allen was the least accurate QB in NFL history during his first couple of seasons and many labelled him a complete bust. Is Mac going to turn into Year 3 Josh Allen? Unlikely but he can definitely be key part of the offence in a contending NFL team. Worth noting how little the QBs taken above Mac have done - Fields looks like a bust, Lance is injured and could well be a bust, Wilson is injured and could well be a bust. Only really Lawrence is coming onto a game, which is what a "generational" QB should do.

 

[denverpatsfan]

Can't evaluate him if he is injured and can't play. Kinda like Thornton. Maybe they can rehab together.

 

[jdlboot14]

Mac was trying to do too much early this season, and pushing to work out kinks. But of course we can contend when he gets to year 3 or 4. He has what it takes. He's more of an athlete than TB was at this stage of his career. And, we'll see if he has the killer cold-blood grit in the next couple years. There's no reason to think another rookie or washed up Testaverde can come do better.

 

[Kontradiction]

I think he is, but I don’t think he’s going to be anything special. He’ll be in that 2nd-3rd tier, depending on the talent the team surrounds him with. The real question will be whether the team thinks it is when it comes time to talk money, and the possibility exists of him bending the team over the table for being mid.

 

[PatsFan2]

Double post can I vote NO twice??

 

[sb1]

I think the answer depends on what his surrounding cast and coaching looks like. Doubtful he'll be able to carry a team with his arm or elevate a meh team like Brady almost always did. But I think he is talented enough to take advantage of a great surrounding cast like Tua has and now look at him. The question is will the Patriots have a team built like that anytime soon?

 

[PatsFan2]

 

[203Pat]

For me he has 3 seasons to win the job. If after 3 years there are still doubts then I'm sure we'll be looking at QBs in the draft and Free Agency. However, in my view there is still enough upside. Cut out the brain dead INTs and he's a solid NFL QB. Let's not forget Josh Allen was the least accurate QB in NFL history during his first couple of seasons and many labelled him a complete bust. Is Mac going to turn into Year 3 Josh Allen? Unlikely but he can definitely be key part of the offence in a contending NFL team. Worth noting how little the QBs taken above Mac have done - Fields looks like a bust, Lance is injured and could well be a bust, Wilson is injured and could well be a bust. Only really Lawrence is coming onto a game, which is what a "generational" QB should do.

I agree it is still too early to call it but if I had to right now I say he isn't the guy. I say that mainly because I think he lacks the physical tools to be an elite QB and now he seems to be regressing in the mental aspect of the game. Josh Allen could throw the ball through a brick wall and can run well even when he was playing so poorly early on. At least the Bills staff knew that if they could slow things down for Allen then he could be a star based on his physical attributes. Mac doesn't have that to fall back on so he needs to be much sharper with his decision making and that seems to have gone backwards this year.

 

[Guts]

I think he is.

I would like to see him be more clutch though or score enough points when the defense is struggling.

Someone put a stat yesterday on the alarming L ratio when the defense gives up more than 24 points.

 

[PatsFan2]

I am sure Hoyer or Zappe can hit Jonnu or Henry on a occasional seam pass nuff said!

 

[Rob0729]

We are three games into his second season. Way too early to have this discussion.

He will never be Brady or anything close. But could he be a guy who leads the Pats to a Super Bowl or two? Who knows?

Yes, he has taken a step or five back this season thus far, but that doesn't mean that he when he gets a better grasp of the system he cannot turn it around and becomes far better than he was last year. I think most of his problems are mental mistakes and mechanical issues most likely because he isn't being coached right. If I was Belichick, I would hire Adam Gase or someone to be a special assistant and work with Mac on his issues. It is doubtful he would add an OC at this case, but a special consultant could help Mac with a lot of his issues that are correctable.

 

[203Pat]

We are three games into his second season. Way too early to have this discussion.

He will never be Brady or anything close. But could he be a guy who leads the Pats to a Super Bowl or two? Who knows?

Yes, he has taken a step or five back this season thus far, but that doesn't mean that he when he gets a better grasp of the system he cannot turn it around and becomes far better than he was last year. I think most of his problems are mental mistakes and mechanical issues most likely because he isn't being coached right. If I was Belichick, I would hire Adam Gase or someone to be a special assistant and work with Mac on his issues. It is doubtful he would add an OC at this case, but a special consultant could help Mac with a lot of his issues that are correctable.

Bill did him a huge disservice by not bringing in a real OC to work with him. He allegedly didn't want to bring in BOB for fear of pissing of Saban which flies in the face of the "do what's best for the team". I assume he could have made a run at Chad O'Shea who knows the offense and would have provided some continuity. Hell even if he brought in a guy from the outside who had no ties to the team or our offense it would have been better than bringing in a DC to pretend to be an OC.

 

[PatsFan2]

Bill did him a huge disservice by not bringing in a real OC to work with him. He allegedly didn't want to bring in BOB for fear of pissing of Saban which flies in the face of the "do what's best for the team". I assume he could have made a run at Chad O'Shea who knows the offense and would have provided some continuity. Hell even if he brought in a guy from the outside who had no ties to the team or our offense it would have been better than bringing in a DC to pretend to be an OC.

The sad thing is a lot of us fans and the NFL world knew that.

 

[WHPats]

I think he has ability, we’ve seen it. But the maddening thing is that he’ll like like 2010 Brady on one play, but then he’ll look like 1998 Ryan Leaf the next. It’s feast or famine right now. I don’t think the coaches have put him into the best position to succeed, ie bizarre playcalling, completely changing the offense in his 2nd year in the league, having him on an extremely short-leash his rookie year & almost having him play recklessly his 2nd year. I think you have to let Mac make more of his own decisions, even if they’re bad…it’s the only way he’ll learn.
It’s still really hard to tell what we have in Mac because I don’t know how much autonomy he has on most of these plays, or if he’s just told to target one guy on a particular play. I think you have to give him at least until the end of next year. Unfortunately Mac is in an almost no-win situation. He’s following the most successful person to ever play the position. I think the fact that guys like Mahomes, Herbert & Prescott IMMEDIATELY had an impact & huge statistics, that’s kind of the standard now for young QBs. Those three guys had multiple Pro Bowl WRs & TEs out of the gate. Yes Brady didn’t have stud WRs much of his time here, but Gronk is one of the greatest TEs ever, Julian Edelman was an outstanding slot WR & so was Wes Welker. Mac doesn’t have one guy to throw to that gives the defense pause, that scares the other team. Tua has Waddle & Hill, Allen has Diggs. He needs help to be his best self, he can’t do it by himself.

 

[sb1]

Too bad the defense laid as big of an egg as possible in that playoff game last year so we learned absolutely nothing about who Mac is in January when the games matter. Would have been helpful to get a read on what type of playoff QB he is after having the best that ever was.

 

[Tunescribe]

I know it is early and some people will get p*ssed off about this

Then why proceed with posting this nonstarter? A referendum on a player who achieved the playoffs and Pro Bowl nod in his rookie season then gets saddled with a new offense under coaches who never served as OC. Yeah, that makes total sense. GTFO.

 

[paco130]

Mac was trying to do too much early this season, and pushing to work out kinks. But of course we can contend when he gets to year 3 or 4. He has what it takes. He's more of an athlete than TB was at this stage of his career. And, we'll see if he has the killer cold-blood grit in the next couple years. There's no reason to think another rookie or washed up Testaverde can come do better.

Agreed

 

[203Pat]

Then why proceed with posting this nonstarter? A referendum on a player who achieved the playoffs and Pro Bowl nod in his rookie season then gets saddled with a new offense under coaches who never served as OC. Yeah, that makes total sense. GTFO.

 

[patsfanfromoversea]

wasn't a predraft fan, hasn't changed so far