The Michael McCorkle "Mac" Jones Thread

joe dokes

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One sort of analysis I await is whether Jones overlooked any open-enough receivers on longish gains and ended up checking down more than he needed to.
 

tims4wins

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One sort of analysis I await is whether Jones overlooked any open-enough receivers on longish gains and ended up checking down more than he needed to.
He said himself that he should have tried for more chunk plays, but it could just be meaningless words in the press conference. Tape will tell.
 

Cellar-Door

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One sort of analysis I await is whether Jones overlooked any open-enough receivers on longish gains and ended up checking down more than he needed to.
I'm pretty sure he did, I think a lot of his long hold time was not trying as many "NFL open" throws as a vet QB would. Felt like a lot of his best throws pushing down field were on the quick throws where he had to make a yes no decision fast because there wasn't going to be an opportunity to cycle through due to a blitz
 

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I felt like his two best plays were the beautiful touch pass to White on the wheel route, and the duck under the sack attempt/scramble/throw downfield (this play was called back on a Herron holding penalty, but it still was a terrific play by Jones).
 

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I was very impressed overall but mostly by one thing i saw. Not sure if anyone else noticed but after Harris's fumble and the review, when they came back from commercial (or out of the replay), Mac was on the field trying to pump up the defense as they came onto the field. Not a major thing by any means but it kind of showed that he's very much "in" the game, if that makes any sense
I saw this also, but I wasn't sure if his exhortations were directed at the Defense or at Harris.
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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I'm sure he left some plays on the field but I'd rather have him err on that side than do a bunch of stupid shit (after the first play at least). Its important to learn to strike the balance a bit better but he definitely seems like a guy who has the mental tools to do that.

He is already an impressive NFL-level decision maker and he has started maybe 15 football games since High School. It's obvious he has a really, really, really good football brain - he largely knows what's happening on the field both pre and post-snap and its not all happening too quickly for him to process. Whether his combination of skills is only enough to make him a league average starter or can elevate him higher than that is still TBD. But I don't think I've ever seen a rookie QB's first start and had more confidence that he would be at least a league average starter in the long run.
 

BigSoxFan

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I'm sure he left some plays on the field but I'd rather have him err on that side than do a bunch of stupid shit (after the first play at least). Its important to learn to strike the balance a bit better but he definitely seems like a guy who has the mental tools to do that.

He is already an impressive NFL-level decision maker and he has started maybe 15 football games since High School. It's obvious he has a really, really, really good football brain - he largely knows what's happening on the field both pre and post-snap and its not all happening too quickly for him to process. Whether his combination of skills is only enough to make him a league average starter or can elevate him higher than that is still TBD. But I don't think I've ever seen a rookie QB's first start and had more confidence that he would be at least a league average starter in the long run.
Yup. I’d normally be incredibly annoyed by a loss like yesterday but Mac took all the pain away for me. 74% completion rate and no INTs against a really solid D/coaching staff in his first start. Trevor Lawrence got to play a garbage Texans squad and looked all over the place. Mac will have some rough games like 2001 Brady did but Mac is a keeper.

We’re probably a Harris fumble away from a national media Mac splooge fest this morning.
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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Yup. I’d normally be incredibly annoyed by a loss like yesterday but Mac took all the pain away for me. 74% completion rate and no INTs against a really solid D/coaching staff in his first start. Trevor Lawrence got to play a garbage Texans squad and looked all over the place. Mac will have some rough games like 2001 Brady did but Mac is a keeper.

We’re probably a Harris fumble away from a national media Mac splooge fest this morning.
Agree completely, especially about the strength of the Dolphins D being an important contextual factor.

The national media perspectives on Mac will be really interesting to watch. On the one hand, if he has a good rookie season and leads the Patriots back to the playoffs its just a natural huge storyline that will drive clicks and engagement. On the other hand, I think a ton of NFL media people would be happier if the Patriots just went away. And that group intersects pretty heavily with the also quite large group of NFL media people who spent last spring shouting from the rooftops that Mac was a limited-ceiling QB and that Kyle Shanahan had to be a complete moron, or a sideline dictator who wanted to control his QB with a joystick, to even consider picking him over Fields and Lance.
 

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There was definitely some conservative play calling, but some of the “not taking shots” might have been Jones checking down. I personally have no idea how to know that either way beyond seeing what people who review the all 22 film think.
This is what I saw from section 306. Seams and flat were open a lot. I thought that Mac did well to identify the open guy presnap and hit them, but guys who got themselves open 20yds downfield were left waving a hand while Mac checked down for 3 yards. Chunk plays were definitely left on the field.
 

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He is already an impressive NFL-level decision maker and he has started maybe 15 football games since High School. It's obvious he has a really, really, really good football brain - he largely knows what's happening on the field both pre and post-snap and its not all happening too quickly for him to process. Whether his combination of skills is only enough to make him a league average starter or can elevate him higher than that is still TBD. But I don't think I've ever seen a rookie QB's first start and had more confidence that he would be at least a league average starter in the long run.
Actually I don't think it is TBD. It takes a lot of pessimism to look at yesterday's performance and think maybe he'll top out at average.
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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Actually I don't think it is TBD. It takes a lot of pessimism to look at yesterday's performance and think maybe he'll top out at average.
A league average starter is pretty good.

Look at the QB talent that has come into the league just in the last fives years - Mahomes, Watson, Allen, Dak, Lamar, Herbert, Baker, Burrow, Murray, plus the other four guys from this year, a couple of whom will likely be pretty good. Throw in some older holdovers who will be playing for a good while still like Wilson, Tannehill, and Rodgers. And then whoever comes into the league over the next few years too.

I love Mac but I'm not ready to say that among this crew he is going to be a consistent top 10-12 guy over the next ten years. I think he has that upside for sure but it would not surprise me if he ends up being closer to the middle of the pack among starters.
 

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This is what I saw from section 306. Seams and flat were open a lot. I thought that Mac did well to identify the open guy presnap and hit them, but guys who got themselves open 20yds downfield were left waving a hand while Mac checked down for 3 yards. Chunk plays were definitely left on the field.
I saw the exact same thing from section 129, and I think the All 22 film will bear it out a bit. There were guys open downfield (our weapons are good this season guys, Jonnu, Henry, Agholor, Bourne, White/Harris out of the backfield is really, really hard to stop) a few times that I noticed and Mac either didn't see them or decided to take the easier throw that was also open.

That's not to take away anything from Mac. First game as a rookie, against a good defense and he held his own and looked like he absolutely belongs starting in this league, and I'm not sure you can ask for much more than that. If I were assigning blame on that loss, Mac would be roughly #48 on the list.

The crowd was great, the weather was great, and all in all, it was just nice to be back at Gillette.
 

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From TDN's Kyle Crabbs on Mac Jones' performance yesterday.

Next Gen Stats clocked Jones’ average time from snap to release as the sixth-fastest in all of football in Week 1 (2.54s on average). His average intended air yards per attempt of 6.3 yards per attempt was the seventh-lowest in the league in Week 1. Only 10.3% of his attempts were classified as “aggressive” throws; attempts made to a player with a defender within 1-yard of the target. And only five quarterbacks threw shorter to the first down marker on average across all of their attempts on Sunday than Jones’ -3.0 air yards to the sticks per attempt.
This isn’t meant to diminish Jones’ play on Sunday, though. It is more so to amplify what the Patriots are asking their young quarterback to do. Jones was mentally sharp, he was in control at the line of scrimmage, and he clearly knew the right places to go with the football. But situationally, the Patriots needed more from Jones than what they got; which is exactly the shoes you’d expect to find a rookie quarterback in.
The smoking gun from Week 1? New England’s drives and point production:
  • 14 plays, 65 yards, 7 minutes of possession. Field goal.
  • 14 plays, 67 yards, 8 minutes of possession. Field goal.
  • 14 plays, 57 yards, 5 and a half minutes of possession. Field goal.
These drives stalled at Miami’s 9, 24, and 15-yard lines, respectively.
New England didn’t get that final product from Jones in Week 1. That’s fine. It was his first career start. But Jones’ development and his ability to help push New England as a playoff contender will be rooted in how he grows in these areas moving forward because the stuff between the 20s? That’s going to take care of itself. New England’s ground game and Josh McDaniels are going to see to that.
https://thedraftnetwork.com/articles/mac-jones-first-start-breakdown-patriots-dolphins
 

bakahump

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A couple good points.

The MS school team I coach (DC) pitched a shutout this weekend and we won 35-0. We are LONGTIME (20 year+) doormats of the league (at the HS level and middling to bad at the MS level). Thats probably why I get to coach.... anyway... we beat a Bad team handily.
I tell you that to tell you this. We had parents and boosters (yes they exist even for the doormats.) and even our New Head coach talking about how awesome we are now. Expectations are through the roof and somebody definitely not Jim Mora said something about playoffs. Any port in a storm I guess.

My point.....it might be good that we are not talking about the Mac Sploogefest. it might be good that while we did lose.....we didnt lose because of Mac.....and the Media and unrealistic fans are not talking about how we will play brady not once but twice this season.

Mac gets to grow from a positive performance while the team as a whole isnt suffering from unrealistic (or at least early) expectations.


So all that....and I am basically a MS Bill Belichick.
 

Gash Prex

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Fairly misleading on those drives given that each one had at least one significant offensive penalty. On one of those "drives" we had 2 offensive penalties (not even including the 2 personal fouls that killed our field position). Just looking at the drive charts its brutal how hard NE made this game on offense.

We must be grading on a curve if Mac Jones is expected to be a finished product in the first start. Reminds me of what I heard about Tom from 2001 to 2003.
 

joe dokes

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Interesting stuff. But for people who dive more deeply into this stuff that I do, is it fair to say that he was "asked to" throw so "non-aggressively"? I'm not being critical of Jones at all. It was his first game. And better safe than sorry is the way to go.
I'm guessing that there were times when he checked down when he might have had something deep. But this was his first NFL game! Stuff like that is what film study is for.
 

sodenj5

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Interesting stuff. But for people who dive more deeply into this stuff that I do, is it fair to say that he was "asked to" throw so "non-aggressively"? I'm not being critical of Jones at all. It was his first game. And better safe than sorry is the way to go.
I think Mac was instructed to take what the defense was giving him, and he did a very good job of that.

Miami did bring blitzes to try and force him into a mental error or to get him panicked, but NE did a great job in several instances of picking up the blitzes and Mac showed some real composure standing in and making throws with guys bearing down on him.
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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I feel like the red zone vs between the 20s commentary gets it pretty wrong.

The Patriots were bad in the red zone not because Mac struggled there, but because the offense more generally shot itself in the foot. Of the three red zone failures, one was a bad fumble inside the 10, one was a holding penalty that negated what would have 1st and goal at the 1 but instead was 2nd and 20 from the 24 (which is a really difficult situation for any offense in the league), and one ended with a failed 3rd and 4 conversion where the offense had exactly what they wanted but Mac left the pass a little low to Meyers trying to throw that quick out. That's a type of throw Mac was making all night in other spots and a good throw and catch execution there leaves them with first down just inside the 10.

They never really had a red zone trip where you left thinking, "Wow, what they were missing was that final red zone execution by Mac Jones and the passing game." So its kind of lazy box score scouting for Crabbs to conclude that what they were missing was that "final product" from Mac. If anything the missing element was chunk plays that would have let them move between the 20s more rapidly and more efficiently, not red zone execution from the QB.
 

OnTheBlack

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I feel like the red zone vs between the 20s commentary gets it pretty wrong.

The Patriots were bad in the red zone not because Mac struggled there, but because the offense more generally shot itself in the foot. Of the three red zone failures, one was a bad fumble inside the 10, one was a holding penalty that negated what would have 1st and goal at the 1 but instead was 2nd and 20 from the 24 (which is a really difficult situation for any offense in the league), and one ended with a failed 3rd and 4 conversion where the offense had exactly what they wanted but Mac left the pass a little low to Meyers trying to throw that quick out. That's a type of throw Mac was making all night in other spots and a good throw and catch execution there leaves them with first down just inside the 10.

They never really had a red zone trip where you left thinking, "Wow, what they were missing was that final red zone execution by Mac Jones and the passing game." So its kind of lazy box score scouting for Crabbs to conclude that what they were missing was that "final product" from Mac. If anything the missing element was chunk plays that would have let them move between the 20s more rapidly and more efficiently, not red zone execution from the QB.
Wholeheartedly agree.
 

Koufax

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Not so quick.

"and one ended with a failed 3rd and 4 conversion where the offense had exactly what they wanted but Mac left the pass a little low to Meyers trying to throw that quick out."

It sounds like Mac was the culprit on that play.
 

Eddie Jurak

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Not so quick.

"and one ended with a failed 3rd and 4 conversion where the offense had exactly what they wanted but Mac left the pass a little low to Meyers trying to throw that quick out."

It sounds like Mac was the culprit on that play.
Their red zone chances:
  • Third drive of game: 14 plays, 65 yards. On play 10 from the Miami 36, Jones hits Meyers for 22 yards to the 14. The next 2 plays are an incompletion, and a pass to White for no gain, setting up a third and 10 from the 14. But that became a 2nd and 20 from the 24 due to a holding call. Mac completed pases of 6 yards (setting up 3rd and 14) and 9 yards to the 9, where the Pats kicked a FG. Third and 10 is not a great place to be, and it is fair to ding Mac a little for not doing more with his first down at the 14. FG.
  • Fifth drive of game: 8 plays, 63 yards. On play 5 from the Miami 26, Jones hits Harris for 9 yards to set up a third and 1 from the 17. This was the sack/Rhamondre missed block/cheap roughing the passer call. On first and goal from the 8, the Pats get a 1 yard run and then Jones throws the TD to Agholor. He didn't have any chance on the sack. TD.
  • Seventh drive of game: 13 plays, 57 yards. On first and 10 from Miami 21, Harris runs for 3 yards setting up second and 7 from the 18. Harris runs for 3 yards to set up 3rd and 4 and then Jones slightly misses on the pass to Meyers that would have gone for an easy first. FG.
  • Eighth drive of game: 9 plays, 41 yards. On second and 5 from the 22, Jones hits Smith for 11 yards, settin gup first and 10 from the 11. Harris fumbles on the next play.
He got them into the red zone 4 times and the Pats came away with 13 points. But:
  • On one of those drives (Harris fumble), he never got a chance. Harris fumbled on the first play in the red zone.
  • On another (Agholor TD), he got sacked/roughed on third and 1 when Roberts came clean through the line and Stevenson missed the block. Nothing anyone could have done, unless he missed a chance to set up better protections. But the execution problem here was clearly the blocking. Balied out by the roughing call, Jones first play in the red zone was the TD to Agholor.
  • On drive 7 was the play where he slightly missed Meyers. That was his only red zone pass attempt on that drive.
  • On drive 3, he had a first and 10 incompletion, a second and 10 pass for no gain/holding, a second and 20 (from the 24) pass for 6 yards, and a third and 14 pass for 9.
Five passing plays from inside the 20: a 7 yard TD, a 9 yard pass on 3rd and 14, and 3 plays for no gain (including the slight miss to Meyers and a pass for no gain to White).

I'm not sure how to compare that to expected value.
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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Not so quick.

"and one ended with a failed 3rd and 4 conversion where the offense had exactly what they wanted but Mac left the pass a little low to Meyers trying to throw that quick out."

It sounds like Mac was the culprit on that play.
Mac was the culprit but the failure had nothing to do with being in the red zone and it being tougher to move the ball in that situation. It was the type of route you’d run on 3rd and 4 anywhere on the field. It was open and Mac just made a poor throw.
 

tims4wins

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Not so quick.

"and one ended with a failed 3rd and 4 conversion where the offense had exactly what they wanted but Mac left the pass a little low to Meyers trying to throw that quick out."

It sounds like Mac was the culprit on that play.
IIRC it hit his fingertips. It was a catchable ball, although it wasn't perfect. Both Meyers and Mac deserve a share of blame on that one IMO. It could have definitely been a catch and conversion if it's the same play I am thinking about

44271
 
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Eddie Jurak

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Mac was the culprit but the failure had nothing to do with being in the red zone and it being tougher to move the ball in that situation. It was the type of route you’d run on 3rd and 4 anywhere on the field. It was open and Mac just made a poor throw.
This is a good point. Given Mac’s record when pressured/hit and on third downs generally, it’s hard to see this particular play as anything but one slight miss that still could have worked out. He made much tougher throws than this and made positive plays in much tougher situations than this all game long.

If there is a place to knock him for red zone performance, it is for that first trip in where even without the holding he brought them to third and 10 from the 14.
 

Eddie Jurak

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Bedard gave Jones a 4/5/5.0:

Mac Jones was simply outstanding. Had him for only three minus plays — the fumble, a poor throw to JamesWhite, and one late decision to Jonnu Smith — but other than that, he was great, especially in the second half. ... From my press box view, Jones did leave some yards and plays on the field — a deep corner route to Smith was open and Jones had plenty of time but checked it down — but outside of that and without the all-22, I can't really complain about much he did. ... Had Jones for nine plus plays, including five throws against pressure. In the second half, Jones just kept making outstanding play after outstanding play, including the 2nd and 15 strike to Agholor that had serious heat and was an impossible throw against pressure, and the wheel to White on 3rd and 11. Jones' second-half tosses to Bourne (wiped out by penalty), Hunter Henry against pressure (third down), and a 3rd and 6 pass to Meyers against pressure were just terrific. Not really sure you could ask much more of a rookie QB.
https://www.bostonsportsjournal.com/2021/09/14/Bedard-Breakdown-patriots-costly-miscues-kept-Patriots-from-hitting-gear-Dolphins
 

Super Nomario

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IIRC it hit his fingertips. It was a catchable ball, although it wasn't perfect. Both Meyers and Mac deserve a share of blame on that one IMO. It could have definitely been a catch and conversion if it's the same play I am thinking about

View attachment 44271
Meyers could have caught it, but the placement was going to make it hard to get the first here because he had to reach back. There was a defender that looked like had the angle to make a quick tackle. A more precise throw would have set him up better to get the YAC he needed to reach the sticks.
 

Hendoo

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His red zone performance in the preseason wasn’t that great either. I think Josh was trying not to put it all on Mac to score based on that performance and they were running it more in the red zone. This played a part in the opportunity for mishaps.
 

Hendoo

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To clarify, in the preseason his passes near the end zone did not look that great and they started running it in on most of his touchdown drives.
 

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Meyers could have caught it, but the placement was going to make it hard to get the first here because he had to reach back. There was a defender that looked like had the angle to make a quick tackle. A more precise throw would have set him up better to get the YAC he needed to reach the sticks.
Agreed. This is a case where an inch or two could make all the difference.
 

SeoulSoxFan

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More encouraging stats and write up from PFF:

Mac Jones provided flashes of Tom Brady for the Patriot faithful, throwing for 281 yards and posting only one turnover-worthy play on 40 dropbacks. Jones wasn’t forcing the ball down the field, finishing with 6.5 average depth of target, but he got the ball out quickly with an average time to throw of 2.37, fifth-fastest among quarterbacks in Week 1 pending the Sunday and Monday night games.
https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-week-1-game-recap-miami-dolphins-17-new-england-patriots-16
 

rodderick

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Eddie Jurak

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He's accurate everywhere, really. We'll see how the league adjusts to how they called the game against the Dolphins, but I saw no reason to believe he'll struggle throwing the ball anywhere. Won't surprise me if the Jets play more coverage and don't blitz him as much.
If you want to see a throw where arm was a possible issue, look at the somewhat deep ball to Meyers that was broken up by a defender. There was a tight window, Mac was on target, but maybe the ball gets there a little quicker Meyers can catch it clean. On the other hand, later in the game he rifled one right in to Agholor on a somewhat similar type of play for a big completion.
 

rodderick

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If you want to see a throw where arm was a possible issue, look at the somewhat deep ball to Meyers that was broken up by a defender. There was a tight window, Mac was on target, but maybe the ball gets there a little quicker Meyers can catch it clean. On the other hand, later in the game he rifled one right in to Agholor on a somewhat similar type of play for a big completion.
Yeah, I remember the play you're talking about. He seems like the kind of QB that has to gear up to throw into a tight window, so if he gets to the read a little later in the down or doesn't have time to step up it might not get there in time. Still, that's a much bigger issue if you have trouble processing and Mac doesn't seem to lack in that department. He doesn't have Justin Herbert "oh shit, oh shit, what to do here, oh look Allen's open 25 yards down the sideline, let me put it there on a rope while backpedalling" type of arm but that's not much of a detriment given his play style.
 

Cornboy14

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I looked on Twitter for a clip of the scramble drill throw to Bourne that was called back on a penalty by Herron but couldn't find it. Anyone have video of that? It was an impressive play.
 

Eddie Jurak

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Yeah, I remember the play you're talking about. He seems like the kind of QB that has to gear up to throw into a tight window, so if he gets to the read a little later in the down or doesn't have time to step up it might not get there in time. Still, that's a much bigger issue if you have trouble processing and Mac doesn't seem to lack in that department. He doesn't have Justin Herbert "oh shit, oh shit, what to do here, oh look Allen's open 25 yards down the sideline, let me put it there on a rope while backpedalling" type of arm but that's not much of a detriment given his play style.
On the other hand, Mac threw on the run a couple of times and was right on the money - not something he showed in the preseason. He checked down at times when he might have had a bigger play. Maybe he held the ball too long a couple of times, though he generally got the ball out very fast. Faced a lot of pressure and generally handled it well. Had a lot of third downs and handled those.

At the end of the day, he seems to have enough poise and talent to work through his limitations. What he doesn't have is NFL experience, but he seems like the type who can learn from film and coaching.

Peyton Manning did not throw the ball downfield much as a rookie, either. (And he led the league in pcks with 28). Not saying Jones >>> Manning, but he only had a handful of games in his rookie year that were obviously better than what Mac did Sunday.
 

rodderick

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View: https://twitter.com/ezlazar/status/1437761164449042435?s=21


EPA - expected points added
CPOE - completion percentage over expected
Those are all terrific for a rookie, I just hate "time to throw" as a stat. It's not indicative of the quality of QB play at all, mostly the style of offense you're running. Sometimes you get some anomalies like Brady last year having the highest intended air yards per attempt in the league while also sporting a top 5 time to throw, but mostly it's a reflection of depth of target. Mac had the 5th lowest average depth of target and the 7th lowest time to throw, that's usually how that works.
 

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IIRC it hit his fingertips. It was a catchable ball, although it wasn't perfect. Both Meyers and Mac deserve a share of blame on that one IMO. It could have definitely been a catch and conversion if it's the same play I am thinking about

View attachment 44271
I'm no football expert, but I saw this happen a few times Sunday in multiple games, but isn't the more fundamentally sound approach for Jakobi (in this case) to flip his hands so that his thumbs are together and his right hand is on top?
 

Ferm Sheller

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IIRC it hit his fingertips. It was a catchable ball, although it wasn't perfect. Both Meyers and Mac deserve a share of blame on that one IMO. It could have definitely been a catch and conversion if it's the same play I am thinking about

View attachment 44271
I love that he had so few "bad plays" that we're discussing this as one of them.
 

TomTerrific

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EPA - expected points added
CPOE - completion percentage over expected
Haven't seen it commented on, but Football Outsiders DVOA ratings for QBs are out for the first week. (Not posting them direct even though they are free because they require you to have a login to see them)

Top two QBs were Stafford and Mahomes, with above 130 DYAR. They have Mac 14/32 QBs, with 62 DYAR, which is kind of what I expected and which comes close to the above.

Other notables:
Tua Taigovailoa: 24/32, -21 DYAR -- this also kind of matches what I thought I saw. Apologies to our Miami fan friends, but my impression was that Tua made a lot of questionable decisions.
Tom Brady: 8/32, 92 DYAR -- this is the only other game I watched most of, seems about right
Ben Roethlisberger: 23/32, -10 DYAR -- Yikes! How did PIT win this game?
Josh Allen: 26/32, -74 DYAR -- That's how. I had no idea Allen was that bad, kind of wish I'd tuned in

Other things to note are how terrible Aaron Rodgers was, but we knew that. Mac, of course, did way better than the other two starting rookie QBs, Lawrence and Wilson, who were 29th and 30th respectively. Also, both running QBs (Lamar and Josh Allen) were bad/terrible AND hurt their teams with their running, Jackson especially with the two fumbles lost.
 

SMU_Sox

queer eye for the next pats guy
SoSH Member
Jul 20, 2009
9,288
Philly
I got through the all-22 tonight which is still not available on gamepass which is beyond frustrating. Not much open downfield. There was a play where he could have hit Meyers on a seam when they were in Miami territory but aside from that I didn’t see much if any separation for guys downfield. And even then on that throw he would have to put it over one defender and the safety up top might have had time to close leading to a direct hit on Meyers (aka hospital ball). On the throw to Meyers that JMC broke up Mark thinks he needs to step into it and not put that much air on it but I don’t think he had enough room to step into it and he did have hands coming up so I get why he lifted it. Maybe he could have stepped up and let it go a second sooner - that’s probably what should have happened. I know Klassen thought it was an arm strength issue - would a similar pass from a guy with a bigger arm have got there faster? Probably but if they floated it too we’re talking a fraction of a second so it might not have mattered anyway. JMC had enough time to close on it. These are all correctable issues.
 

Eddie Jurak

canderson-lite
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 12, 2002
47,415
Melrose, MA
Here's an interesting little Mac story:
View: https://twitter.com/MHershgordon/status/1437581206263111681?s=20

Morey Hershgordon: Mac Jones - mid play-call - winks at former #Patriots LB Elandon Roberts

View: https://twitter.com/MikeReiss/status/1438264287198318599?s=20

Mike Reiss: On the wink, Mac Jones says: "That was just kind of fun and games. It was just in the middle of the play. They actually like called out our play. So I was like 'nice catch.'"

View: https://twitter.com/MikeReiss/status/1438266933665837067?s=20

Mike Reiss: Question: Do you shift the play? Mac Jones: "No, I stuck to what I was supposed to do. Sometimes they don't know the answers, either. It was funny."