FOXBOROUGH — We got a glimpse at the Mac Jones-led Patriots on Monday, after Cam Newton was sidelined through at least Wednesday due to Covid protocols.
I wouldn't exactly call it coronation day for Jones. As with all rookie quarterbacks, there was some good, some bad and some ugly.
But I'll say this, it felt comfortable. Especially after Jones' final drive of a lower-key practice in full pads.
Jones had just thrown a touchdown pass to Gunner Olszewski on a slant inside of JC Jackson. The offense was excited and loud, as they cheered from the sideline.
Jones celebrated a little bit with his teammates, but mostly was still business as he walked toward the sideline to discuss the set with Josh McDaniels. Bill Belichick came over. The three of them were engaged in a good discussion.
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. It felt like a normal talk with a Patriots starting quarterback, which Jones is, at least until Thursday.
Have things shifted with the Patriots in regards to the quarterback position?
I doubt it. The practice had more of a feel with the incumbent just missing a couple of practices with an injury, which is basically the situation. Devin McCourty alluded to that after practice.
“I think for us, it’s just, it is what it is," he said. "It’s football. We’re used to guys being in and out with injuries and different things like that. So, I know it’s cliche, and we’ve said it around here for years, but it’s next man up. It’s everybody doing what they gotta do, handling what they have control over, and just going about it that way.”
You can say whatever you want about this being different because of Covid, but it really doesn't matter what you and I think. Belichick's is the only vote when it comes to the Patriots.
Here's what I think Belichick thinks:
- Newton and Jones are close enough that Belichick doesn't really care who starts the season at quarterback, they'll win games with either one. They're each different, but in reality they both have strengths and weaknesses;
- Belichick is not putting more importance on the joint practices with the Eagles and Giants when it comes to the quarterback position. Belichick has instructed McDaniels to get both quarterbacks to the same point in terms of the scheme through the preseason finale against the Giants. At that point, the players will get a few days off and the coaches will meet to determine the course of action for the season, especially at quarterback.
- The real hard work for the season prep will commence next week. If Newton's situation happened next week, it might be different. But I don't think Belchick is very stressed about it. It's not like Newton or Jones, for that matter, are running the trigonometry version of the Patriots offense yet. They're going to have walk before they can run.
- Belichick feels that Jones is not physically ready to survive 17-plus NFL games without a full offseason to get his body more NFL-ready. Newton's status does not affect that. Belichick figures he will need both of them this season, and nothing has changed.
Now, could Jones do something in these four days to change their minds? I guess so, in theory. But Jones is who he is. He's great in the locker room, he's great in meetings, he's smart as hell, great competitor and he gets better the more he is exposed to in practices and games. What is Jones going to show them that he hasn't already?
You make all the arguments you want about the vaccine — and they're all valid — but I don't think it changes Newton's status with Belichick. Could he test positive at a more crucial time? Yes. Do I think Belichick really cares all that much? No, because he knows he has Jones. So I don't think Newton's vaccine status registers all that much with Belichick.
Of course, I could be totally wrong and Belichick cuts Newton due to his failure to get the vaccine. But that's not the sense I get.
Look, everyone here at BSJ knows I think Jones can do the job right now, and with the offensive line and running game, his injury risk isn't all that much greater than anyone else. I would go with Jones and let him learn on the job because I think he is the type of QB that gets better the more he sees. This computer can handle a lot of data, and the more you feed it, the smarter it will become more quickly.
Driving to practice on Monday, I figured we might see Jones grab the reins of this team and never let them go.
Sorry, I just didn't see that.
He almost threw an interception to Devin McCourty gunning for Jonnu Smith (he's back). On the next play, Jones made a terrible pass behind Devin Asiasi, but you never know, Asiasi could have run the wrong route. Jones almost fumbled a screen pass because Henry Anderson nearly jumped Jones in the pocket. He got sacked by Josh Uche and Ja'Whaun Bentley twice in red-zone work.
It wasn't awful, but it wasn't good. Jones wasn't grabbing anything against the first-team defense except a life preserver, because he was struggling a bit.
But on the final drive, the only true 11-on-11, 1s vs. 1s drive of practice, Jones showed his potential.
Play by play:
- Low completion to Kendrick Bourne, 3.07 seconds
- Throwaway
- Complete to Nelson Agholor, 2.4 seconds
- Complete over the middle to Bourne who made a sensational one-handed catch against Jackson, 3.44 seconds.
- Clocked.
- Incomplete to Agholor, who might have been interfered with, 3.22 seconds.
- Complete to Olszewski, 1.53 seconds.
- Touchdown — Rocket slant to Olszewski inside of Jackson in 2.02 seconds.
It was a very nice drive, and a good way to finish Jones' first practice as the Patriots' starter.
It felt like a glimpse ... of the future. Not the Patriots' present.