Mac Jones is the Starter [Update - Mac is starting vs the Jete, says BB]

[One-If-By-Sea]

I would be shocked if Bill didn't prepare well against CHI to jump to #2 in overall wins over Halas former team.

Bears loss mattered because it was listed as one of our easy wins by pretty much everyone.

Let's hope the team learned something about a running QB they can use in preparing for Josh Allen. That is the only possible value from that embarrassment.

 

[venecol]

I honestly wish I could say the same for you. But when you start making stuff up like the Tom House lie it just makes you look all the more small and desperate.

Tom House lie or joke? But I get it, you had to sit through that sh*t show on MNF in sh*tty weather and witness the pro Zappe fans reaction to Mac and you're emotional. It's just a game. You'll be ok.

As far as the Mac throwing a pick against the Jets goes; yes I'm a realist considering he's thrown 13 picks in 8 of his last 9 games for a whopping average of 1.4 INTs per game in that span. Mac has the highest INT% in the league (5.8%) more than double his rate from last season. It's a no brainer to bet on the Over >0.5 Int.

 

[PatsfanTN]

Tom House lie or joke? But I get it, you had to sit through that sh*t show on MNF in sh*tty weather and witness the pro Zappe fans reaction to Mac and you're emotional. It's just a game. You'll be ok.

As far as the Mac throwing a pick against the Jets goes; yes I'm a realist considering he's thrown 13 picks in 8 of his last 9 games for a whopping average of 1.4 INTs per game in that span. Mac has the highest INT% in the league (5.8%) more than double his rate from last season. It's a no brainer to bet on the Over >0.5 Int.

I’ll say it again because you continue to miss it.

What HAS changed From last year? The Coaching.
Was there an improvement in the Coaching talent from last year? Clearly no.

 

[borg]

Let's hope the team learned something about a running QB they can use in preparing for Josh Allen. That is the only possible value from that embarrassment.

Team learned nothing after Lamar Jackson galloped all over them so why get your hopes up after Fields gutted them.

Playing zone vs Fields has merit given his accuracy issues
Allen is a different matter. A damned if you do, damned if you don't proposition.
Remember when we thought NE had addressed the team's lack of LB speed in the offseason.
Seems running QBs didn't get the memo

I guess Jamie Collins is plan C though he didn't make the stat line in his most recent NE debut (22 snaps vs CHI)

Note: Rhamondre Stephenson (2) and Tyquan Thornton (1) each had more tackles than Collins on Sunday..
With Mac at the helm, maybe put Collins on offense and let him get some tackling work in when the opposition gets its mitts on the Mac floaters.
Just a thought

 

[RIpats88]

Just ignore the trolls that constantly want Mac to fail. I don't understand it. I like zappe and hope either QB can be successful as a "Patriots fan" I don't know what any of these guys will become. The amount people have circled the wagons over a rookie who played good in 2 games against poor defenses is just bizarre. And the amount of hate and fans hoping Mac will fail. You should just hope either of these guys shows us something.

If the coaching staff is smart (which I have doubts) they will get Jones going with some easy completions. Call some play action with pulling guards, some one read plays to get the confidence back. Then sprinkle in more of the complex play calling.

There is merit that the team didn't exactly make it easy on Jones.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Just ignore the trolls that constantly want Mac to fail. I don't understand it. I like zappe and hope either QB can be successful as a "Patriots fan" I don't know what any of these guys will become. The amount people have circled the wagons over a rookie who played good in 2 games against poor defenses is just bizarre. And the amount of hate and fans hoping Mac will fail. You should just hope either of these guys shows us something.

If the coaching staff is smart (which I have doubts) they will get Jones going with some easy completions. Call some play action with pulling guards, some one read plays to get the confidence back. Then sprinkle in more of the complex play calling.

There is merit that the team didn't exactly make it easy on Jones.

It's not that simple.

Maybe Mac isn't good at executing/selling the play action. Maybe he isn't as good on his line calls, reading the D, etc. So the staff is calling what they think he can execute successfully.

This narrative of not calling the right plays for Mac is BS.

 

[RIpats88]

Maybe Mac isn't good at executing/selling the play action. Maybe he isn't as good on his line calls, reading the D, etc. So the staff is calling what they think he can execute successfully.

This narrative of not calling the right plays for Mac is BS.

C'mon, give me a break. Last year everyone here talked how great Mac was running the play action or against the blitz. What changed? It's not like Mac looked like this last year. He was one of the best rookies.

Bedard says they ran two pulling guards on zappes play action and it fooled the defense. On Mac's they ran no pulling guards and the defense wasn't fooled and went with their guys leaving no one open.

That's definitely calling a different play and not just a "bs narrative". One had a higher chance of success. Chris Simms and orlovsky who watched the film are saying the same.

Now. Maybe they think Mac can handle more and are giving him a more complex offense. But a good coach would realize if it's not working go back to what worked last year with mcDaniels that made Mac successful and then work in the deep plays and shots and new offense.

Coaching is ruining this team. And everyone called it when Bill refused to hire coaches or name an OC which everyone said was stunning.

 

[RobertWeathers]

C'mon, give me a break. Last year everyone here talked how great Mac was running the play action or against the blitz. What changed? It's not like Mac looked like this last year. He was one of the best rookies.

Bedard says they ran two pulling guards on zappes play action and it fooled the defense. On Mac's they ran no pulling guards and the defense wasn't fooled and went with their guys leaving no one open.

That's definitely calling a different play and not just a "bs narrative". One had a higher chance of success.

Coaching is ruining this team. And everyone called it when Bill refused to hire coaches or name an OC which everyone said was stunning.

"Run more PA" will not fix Mac.

The book on Mac Jones is he is erratic vs the blitz. That means calling protections, knowing his hot read etc. Is not his forte. Running PA vs the blitz is a recepie for disaster. Running vs the blitz is harder

Running PA vs the blitz forces Mac to speed up his decision making which is something he is not good at right now.

 

[Stu Pidassle]

Bill Belichick is the GOAT. That is as indisputable as the fact Tom Brady is also the GOAT.
There's been no bigger supporter of the Coach than me. Back in 2003 I was one of the very few that was 100% behind him when he released Milloy. I argued it here(different screen name then) and on the ESPN board and there was only like 1 or 2 others that agreed with me. Of course we were proved correct. I even supported him with the Malcolm Butler
thing.( that was more just giving him the benefit of the doubt).
As for Brady, it just seemed like a mutual thing though I blame Bill slightly more for allowing things to reach that point.
But I've always had gratitude,respect and admiration for him. Still do.
But Bill, to paraphrase Hank Stram,
"What the hell is going on out there?"

I agree that BB is the GOAT and think that this is a bridge year. Passing along a little humor for those of you who are sick of campaign ads.

 

[RobertWeathers]

I agree that BB is the GOAT and think that this is a bridge year. Passing along a little humor for those of you who are sick of campaign ads.

LOL.

For those of us who watch early morning news, I must see this ad 3-4 times.

I'm bewildered why they would put a drunk Santa Claus on the air.

 

[Rob0729]

It's not that simple.

Maybe Mac isn't good at executing/selling the play action. Maybe he isn't as good on his line calls, reading the D, etc. So the staff is calling what they think he can execute successfully.

This narrative of not calling the right plays for Mac is BS.

Mac Jones came from a system that ran mostly RPOs and play action. Jones excelled in that system.

And pulling guards and selling the play action with other players has nothing to do with how well Jones can sell the play action. If he has trouble selling or executing the play action, it would be more imperative for the Patriots to sell the play action in other ways like pulling the guard when they give Jones a play action play.

IDK, last year I remember when called play action plays, Jones did a good job. In fact, last year his completion percentage was far better when he did play action than when he didn’t. Here is an article from December of last year talking about Jones in play action during his rookie campaign.

At this point in the NFL campaign, Jones is one of the more successful passers when the Patriots dial up play-action designs. According to charting data from Pro Football Focus, Jones has an Adjusted Completion Percentage (ACP) of 82.8% on play-action designs this season, tying him for fifth-best in the league with Dak Prescott among qualified passers. His raw completion percentage jumps from 67.8% to 77.1% when using play-action, and that difference of 9.3% is fifth-best in the league among qualified passers.

Overall, Jones has completed 81 of 105 passes for 1,001 yards and four touchdowns, against three interceptions, when using play-action this season.

How Mac Jones and the Patriots lean on play-action in the passing game

When the Buffalo Bills host the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football, first place in the AFC East will be on the line. There is no shortage of storylines to tonight's contest, as even the weather might be a factor when these rivals square off. A six-game winning…

touchdownwire.usatoday.com

We have proof that Jones excelled in the play action last year under McDaniels. Yet, Patricia calls it for him about 10% of the time and for Zappe well over 30% of the time. The narrative of them not calling the right plays for Mac is true. The facts are there. Mac Jones is a very good play action QB and they don’t call play action for him and when they do they don’t sell the play action.

 

[upstater1]

Honestly just pick one. Idc which one, just pick the QB and roll with it. The indecisiveness and uncertainty is more impactful toward the team than the gap that may or may not exist between the QBs.

Do we know there's indecisiveness?

It could be that the starter was taken out of the game after doing yet again what he was told to stop doing (throwing the ball up carelessly).

It could be as simple as that.

Like a RB fumbling too much.

In Belichick's mind, this may not be a competition, but more about a player repeating the same mistakes.

 

[Salsalife]

My question is this to the board: How do the Patriots fix Zappe's bat downs at the line?

 

[Tunescribe]

Tom House lie or joke? But I get it, you had to sit through that sh*t show on MNF in sh*tty weather and witness the pro Zappe fans reaction to Mac and you're emotional. It's just a game. You'll be ok.

As far as the Mac throwing a pick against the Jets goes; yes I'm a realist considering he's thrown 13 picks in 8 of his last 9 games for a whopping average of 1.4 INTs per game in that span. Mac has the highest INT% in the league (5.8%) more than double his rate from last season. It's a no brainer to bet on the Over >0.5 Int.

"Oh, it wasn't a lie, just a joke! You should know! You're just emotional because of Zappe fans, you'll be OK! Mac might throw a pick-6 vs. the Jets! Bet the over on his interceptions! I'm just being a realist!"

Never in the history of Patsfans.com have I seen a member so fully invested in wanting to see a New England quarterback fail. And I've been here 18 years.

If Mac Jones plays poorly Sunday, perhaps throwing an interception or two, you'll be thumping your chest with I-told-you-so and the "I'm just a realist" B.S. It won't matter to you that the Pats lost; in fact, you'll be thrilled. Because you will have more fodder for your childish campaign.

Not once have you said you don't care who's behind center as long as the Patriots win. I have challenged you on this multiple times with no response. You're beyond pathetic.

 

[Steve102]

"Oh, it wasn't a lie, just a joke! You should know! You're just emotional because of Zappe fans, you'll be OK! Mac might throw a pick-6 vs. the Jets! Bet the over on his interceptions! I'm just being a realist!"

Never in the history of Patsfans.com have I seen a member so fully invested in wanting to see a New England quarterback fail. And I've been here 18 years.

If Mac Jones plays poorly Sunday, perhaps throwing an interception or two, you'll be thumping your chest with I-told-you-so and the "I'm just a realist" B.S. It won't matter to you that the Pats lost; in fact, you'll be thrilled. Because you will have more fodder for your childish campaign.

Not once have you said you don't care who's behind center as long as the Patriots win. I have challenged you on this multiple times with no response. You're beyond pathetic.

He's not the only one. There's a lot of guys here that aren't fans of the team, they are fans of being correct. It's horrible.

 

[Pape]

This narrative of not calling the right plays for Mac is BS.

I disagree

There is clearly a difference in the play calling between the two... Supposedly Mac worked with Matt P about what he liked, what he didn't during the off season... But there is a difference between what the QB likes and what the team is good at... It's on Patricia to find a middle ground, or a balance if you prefer...

Mac's issues this year definitely have root in the coaching and play calling... What they are doing isn't working... It's on the coaches to change that

 

[Tunescribe]

He's not the only one. There's a lot of guys here that aren't fans of the team, they are fans of being correct. It's horrible.

Behind a lot of this are spiteful Tom Brady fans who don't want to see BB have success with another quarterback.

 

[Rob0729]

My question is this to the board: How do the Patriots fix Zappe's bat downs at the line?

For a pocket passer, it is very difficult to fix the height issue.

For Russell Wilson, they had designed roll outs with the o-line trying to push the defenders in the opposite direction. But you cannot do that with Zappe all that much because he doesn't have Wilson's athleticism. Same with Kyler Murray to lesser success. But both guys struggle more when they are passing from the pocket.

The Saints usually invested in the line to have the o-line try to open up bigger passing lanes for Brees. O-line was always a priority for them. Obviously, nothing can be done this season for the Patriots. But then again, Brees is one of the best QBs in league history. Zappe is extremely unlikely to be remotely as good as Brees.

The Dolphins had to invest a lot in the o-line for Tua this year. But again, he is more mobile than Zappe and can get out of the pocket to avoid batted balls at the line.

It is very difficult being a short QB and a more pure pocket passer in today's NFL. Teams can do what the Bears did on Monday night and just hold their position clog up the passing lanes. That is why most of the successful shorter QBs today are far more mobile and don't have to stay in the pocket to throw the ball and defensive lines cannot just hold their positions in fear of the QB taking off and making a huge play either running the ball or scrambling outside and extending the play.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Mac Jones came from a system that ran mostly RPOs and play action. Jones excelled in that system.

And pulling guards and selling the play action with other players has nothing to do with how well Jones can sell the play action. If he has trouble selling or executing the play action, it would be more imperative for the Patriots to sell the play action in other ways like pulling the guard when they give Jones a play action play.

IDK, last year I remember when called play action plays, Jones did a good job. In fact, last year his completion percentage was far better when he did play action than when he didn’t. Here is an article from December of last year talking about Jones in play action during his rookie campaign.

At this point in the NFL campaign, Jones is one of the more successful passers when the Patriots dial up play-action designs. According to charting data from Pro Football Focus, Jones has an Adjusted Completion Percentage (ACP) of 82.8% on play-action designs this season, tying him for fifth-best in the league with Dak Prescott among qualified passers. His raw completion percentage jumps from 67.8% to 77.1% when using play-action, and that difference of 9.3% is fifth-best in the league among qualified passers.

Overall, Jones has completed 81 of 105 passes for 1,001 yards and four touchdowns, against three interceptions, when using play-action this season.

How Mac Jones and the Patriots lean on play-action in the passing game

When the Buffalo Bills host the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football, first place in the AFC East will be on the line. There is no shortage of storylines to tonight's contest, as even the weather might be a factor when these rivals square off. A six-game winning…

touchdownwire.usatoday.com

We have proof that Jones excelled in the play action last year under McDaniels. Yet, Patricia calls it for him about 10% of the time and for Zappe well over 30% of the time. The narrative of them not calling the right plays for Mac is true. The facts are there. Mac Jones is a very good play action QB and they don’t call play action for him and when they do they don’t sell the play action.

So they execute PA well for one Qb and not the other?

Mac was good on PA vs MIA but not the other 2 games? Why?

Same plays. Same personnel. Same sets. Same motion. Different QB. Different results.

Maybe Mac has the option of running PA and he doesn't?

Are defenses making different calls vs Mac?

 

[Rob0729]

So they execute PA well for one Qb and not the other?

Mac was good on PA vs MIA but not the other 2 games? Why?

Same plays. Same personnel. Same sets. Same motion. Different QB. Different results.

Maybe Mac has the option of running PA and he doesn't?

Are defenses making different calls vs Mac?

Jones completed over 77% of his passes last year when he was in play action and you think Jones doesn't want to run play action? Do you think he likes a challenge and he thinks it is too easy throwing out of play action?

Mac Jones hasn't thrown out of play action enough to know if he is not good at it in any other game. About 90% of his passes this year were not out of play action. Ten percent is not a huge sample size to know if he is good at play action this year.

Again, Bedard explained why they have executed well with Zappe and not Jones. Look at the Meyers TD (which I think is the play Bedard is talking about in the video clip where Meyers sold the play action too). That whole play was successful was because the LB covering Meyers totally bit on the play action and went to get the RB rather than covering Meyers leaving Meyers wide open down the field.

And it isn't the same plays. Against Chicago, Jones ran two play actions. One was out of shot gun which I don't think we have ever seen Zappe run a play action out of shotgun. And a play action out of shot gun absolutely needs other players to sell the play action because the fake hand off is far quicker than the fake hand off when the QB is under center.

And again, plenty of people who know more about football than any of us do are tell multiple reporters that the play calling isn't the same for the two QBs. You have Bedard saying this. You have Phil Perry saying this. I can't remember who else but I remember at least one other reporter saying this. It is real.