The Michael McCorkle "Mac" Jones Thread
- Thread starter SeoulSoxFan
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Thanks for this. I really wish Harry had been more of a red zone threat to make his routes credible. They don’t even seem to put any attempts to him on tape. Of course the D will collapse on Henry. Doesn’t excuse this particular decision by Mac, but the route combos aren’t opening up the intended spaces.
Mac Jones apparently gifted his entire offensive line Bitcoin.
Yes. bitcoin.
https://bitcoinmagazine.com/culture/patriots-quarterback-mac-jones-gifts-bitcoin-to-offensive-line
I was wondering what he gifted his OL after Karras was asked about it at his Press conference today. Though the way Karras talks about it, I would think it’s more than just bitcoin related. .
Yes. bitcoin.
More at the above link
https://bitcoinmagazine.com/culture/patriots-quarterback-mac-jones-gifts-bitcoin-to-offensive-line
I was wondering what he gifted his OL after Karras was asked about it at his Press conference today. Though the way Karras talks about it, I would think it’s more than just bitcoin related. .
https://nesn.com/2021/12/patriots-o-line-got-big-haul-of-christmas-gifts-from-mac-jones/
has one of the yell boxes come out about how this will disrupt the locker room and cause a distraction and make them lose to the bills and lose the season and McCorkle’s career is over?
Tom rewarding just his offensive line way back turned out OK.
View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=a209lYNetOc
Yeah but that was like a different lifetime.
don’t get me wrong. I’m not particularly concerned. I mean, it is one of those weirdnesses of life in tbe NFL…but whatever. I just expect the yell heads to yell about it.
Well... today is the biggest game of Mac’s young NFL career. Temps in the upper 30s. No real issues otherwise in terms of weather.
I doubt the Bills have figured out how to stop the run, but I also doubt the Pats will completely take the ball out of Mac’s hands either. So he’s going to need to make some plays today. Let’s hope this is the game where we all say, yep this is THE MAN.
I doubt the Bills have figured out how to stop the run, but I also doubt the Pats will completely take the ball out of Mac’s hands either. So he’s going to need to make some plays today. Let’s hope this is the game where we all say, yep this is THE MAN.
Two weeks in a row now, Mac has shown that he loses composure when punched in the mouth (metaphorically speaking), and as he goes the Pats offense goes. He doesn't quit, as evidence by his making some plays later in the games, but he goes into a funk where he makes uncharactersic mistakes. Staring down a receiver - something he is usually good at not doing - and getting picked off. Forcing in a ball he shouldn't. Losing accuracy, one of his strong suits as a QB.
He has a lot to work on during his offseason.
He has a lot to work on during his offseason.
He's also taken a helmet square on the jaw the past few weeks. Dunno if we should worry that he should be in concussion protocol or not, but he's come out and made some inexplicable throws following.
He's also a rookie. He'll be back next year in better shape, with better footwork, and a season's experience.
The biggest concerns for this team are still OL and DB.
He's also a rookie. He'll be back next year in better shape, with better footwork, and a season's experience.
The biggest concerns for this team are still OL and DB.
Mac avoiding the practice question this week with a 'not looking back at the past answer.' He was hard on himself and didn't make any excuses.
He graduated early and with honors from BB university’s press conference program.
Mac played poorly against the Bills - had happy feet in the pocket and his receivers didn’t seem on the same page. Missing Nelson hurt as well.
Bills #1 pass defense likely played a role in the performance as well - seems to be something people are forgetting.
Bills #1 pass defense likely played a role in the performance as well - seems to be something people are forgetting.
He shouldn't. He was objectively bad this week. That doesn't mean he is a "loser" ( a term that is oddly having a resurgence around these parts of late after decades of more thoughtful sports analysis) or won't improve. However he played poorly and it would be disingenuous to say that the contrast between him and Allen in this game wasn't stark. Allen was a big part of why the Bills won. And Jones' play was a big part of why the Pats lost. My hope is that a decent amount of the delta is a function of experience more than anything but there is a skills deficiency that bears watching, at least for me.
We do need to remember that Allen was trash as a rookie. Hopefully Mac improves as well.
Belichick broke Mac when he didn't let him throw in the first Bills game.
All joking aside, he's been trash and the team is not going anywhere if he doesn't improve. Fair or not, sometimes you need to put the team on your back and carry them to the finish line. We needed him to do that today and he couldn't.
Still a lot of questions about his ability to throw the ball. His footwork was awful today, he couldn't feel the pressure, and he floated a ton of balls. His arm still looks suspect and he's not putting the ball where his receivers can catch it cleanly. Was hoping for a ton more progress by this point in the season.
He'll look good against Jax and everyone will be slogging him off again, but I have serious questions about him.
All joking aside, he's been trash and the team is not going anywhere if he doesn't improve. Fair or not, sometimes you need to put the team on your back and carry them to the finish line. We needed him to do that today and he couldn't.
Still a lot of questions about his ability to throw the ball. His footwork was awful today, he couldn't feel the pressure, and he floated a ton of balls. His arm still looks suspect and he's not putting the ball where his receivers can catch it cleanly. Was hoping for a ton more progress by this point in the season.
He'll look good against Jax and everyone will be slogging him off again, but I have serious questions about him.
I acknowledged the difference in experience. But the contrast in skills was undeniable here. That isn't doing anyone a disservice - its accepting reality.
Sure, I think it's a pointless comp anyway, Allen has elite physical tools in his size, agility, speed and cannon arm, Mac doesn't have those. They're never going to be remotely similar players.
There’s a reason that the most playoff games a rookie has ever won is two (twice) and the furthest one has ever gone is a conference title game (three times) and in all of those cases it really was because those teams didn’t have to ask the QB to do much. The fact that they played in a December game with the Bills for essentially the division is an accomplishment. Plus they lost and he played poorly but he’s not really the reason they lost. When the D can’t force a single punt most QBs are going to lose.
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Mac was wild high today and couldn't find the plate. But perhaps people should check their expectations of a rookie QB, particularly one playing with some of his toys inactive/ineffective. He missed both receivers and a key running back and he doesn't run. He sucked today, but this one's not on him.
Allen also spent his first two seasons completing under 60% of his passes. That is bad in this era of passing offense. Mac will never have Josh Allen's physical tools, but if he can improve his arm strength and show the elite accuracy he has flashed (and showed during college), the Pats can win with a guy like Mac. To be fair to Josh, he did almost complete 70% of his passes last year and was a legitimate MVP candidate.
The point remains. Josh Allen's skills have improved CONSIDERABLY since his rookie year. Everything about his game has improved. I mean, even his second year wasn't any great shakes.
Allen year 1: 52.8% completion, 6.5 y/a, 10 td, 12 int, 67.9 rating
Allen year 2: 58.8% completion, 6.7 y/a, 20 td, 9 int, 85.3 rating
Mac year 1: 67.2% completion, 7.2 y/a, 18 td, 12 int, 90.2 rating
Of course Allen adds rushing to that, but still. It's just not fair to compare Allen - his production or his skills - as a four-year vet and two-time MVP candidate, to Mac Jones as a rookie. Allen is fantastic. Mac isn't fantastic - yet. But he's way better as a rookie than Josh Allen was. And he has, in fact, been better as a rookie than Josh Allen was in Allen's second year too.
I am not debating any of this - you are correct that Mac is having a very good rookie season comparatively. To be clear, my base case is that he is their long term solution at QB. However the fact remains that the last few games the combination of his inexperience as well as his relatively limited skill set has shown. It stands to reason that a player with Jones pedigree and reputation will improve over time, especially as he gets more familiarity with the league etc. His physical limitations (vs his peer group - of course Jones is an elite athlete next to the vast majority of the world) are another story and they raise more questions than answers.
Edit: and to clarify, its absolutely unfair to criticize Jones for not being Allen. However if they are going head to head, it seems fair to compare their performances. YRMV
Yes he has some physical limits. He can still be an excellent QB. But he has some growth ahead of him.
If he doesn't look good against Jacksonville, I will have some serious questions about him.
I'm saying it's pointless to compare them, they are completely opposite types of players coming out of college, they aren't going to play or develop in at all the same way.
According to this it was 2005 , which makes sense because the commercial has the Bridget Moynahan doppelgänger, and Brady had moved onto Gisele by the 2007 playoffs. And Brandon Gorin was trade in 2006.
my recollection was that was several years earlier…I was going to guess 2002 or 2003. For example, one of the players only played for the Pats between 2002-2005.
yeah, I looked up one of the players I didn’t recognize, rather than just googling when those ads aired. Makes sense, right?
inthink the bigger point was that it was early in his career and his career turned out ok.
edit: so apparently there was one that aired in 2007, and there were earlier ones. I’m having trouble tracking the first one. Hmm. Maybe it was 2005 as Zedia mentions.
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Jones just played in his 15th game of the season which is already more than a typical SEC season. He is playing in weather he rarely if ever saw in the SEC. He's dealing with the COVID nonsense. He's done about as good as to be expected, that being said, who knows what he will bring to the table next few years? His skill set definitely has limitations, but are those limitations significant enough to prevent him from having a successful career as a top level QB?
If a below average QB is as good as to be expected then what are we doing with him running the show? The Patriots clearly invested a ton of money and thought they were going to contend in the playoffs. It sounds like you're making a lot of excuses and adding a ton of window dressing. He's trash and needs to be better, end of story.
Russillo did a segment on this at the start of the year but the most likely scenario for a good rookie QB is basically prime Andy Dalton. Most rookie QBs suck. Even the good ones only kinda suck. I may be slightly off on the specifics but the general point holds.
i believe you are talking about this podcast from April?
https://www.theringer.com/2021/4/16/22388054/draft-day-stories-with-julius-erving-damien-woody-trent-dilfer-kanell-plus-first-round-qbs-ranked
The last 2 games have shown that jury is still out on Mac. Not in terms of whether he is good enough to be an NFL starting QB - he's established that much - but in what kind of upside he has, what kind of improvement is possible from the baseline he has put down this year.
There's obviously a lot of room for improvement. Some of it physical - can he make some offseason gains in arm strength and/or improve his mechanics so that he can get more out of what he has? But there is a lot of room to improve in his areas of strength, too. Passing accuracy is a key strength of his, but he has lost it at time these past couple of weeks. Reading defenses is a strength, but he's been fooled at times. Looking off the safety is a strength, but we've seen him lock in on a receiver and get picked off. Running an offense is (allegedly) a strength but the number of plays the Pats have run that have looked DOA right from the snap suggests that there is more he could do with that.
On top of all of that, he's not been great under pressure, at least not consistently, though he has at times been able to make plays.
Next year will tell us a lot.
There's obviously a lot of room for improvement. Some of it physical - can he make some offseason gains in arm strength and/or improve his mechanics so that he can get more out of what he has? But there is a lot of room to improve in his areas of strength, too. Passing accuracy is a key strength of his, but he has lost it at time these past couple of weeks. Reading defenses is a strength, but he's been fooled at times. Looking off the safety is a strength, but we've seen him lock in on a receiver and get picked off. Running an offense is (allegedly) a strength but the number of plays the Pats have run that have looked DOA right from the snap suggests that there is more he could do with that.
On top of all of that, he's not been great under pressure, at least not consistently, though he has at times been able to make plays.
Next year will tell us a lot.
This post is perfect.
Next year will tell us a lot. We should see him continue to improve physically probably for a few years, so I wouldn't say that next season will give us a clear view of his ceiling either. But it will tell us a lot.
I hope that folks aren't getting too down over some sailed throws and happy feet. He's a rookie. This shit is inevitable.
A few weeks ago, yesterday, a month ago. This poor kid has been getting pummeled to smithereens over this last run of games, so I'm inclined to give him a bit of a break in that regard. The Bills came out and got in his grill from the get-go, then he took a cheap shot to the jaw and the rest of the game was Happyfeet McSailathrow. I think when you're talking about a QB with some obvious physical limitations you're going to have a top-tier offensive line which they clearly don't. With a top line Mac can be the "system QB" people said that Brady was and if they can fill in their other holes smartly they should be able to contend with the best in the AFC and maybe sniff a SB or two.
I really hope this off-season is spent with a good strength coach who can try to squeeze everything possible out of that arm. I feel like we are really limiting the playbook and while part is too keep
It “simple” I worry part is because they don’t yet trust his ability to get the ball
Into tight spaces. I don’t expect a Josh Allen arm but I’m hoping we get at least a bit more than this.
It “simple” I worry part is because they don’t yet trust his ability to get the ball
Into tight spaces. I don’t expect a Josh Allen arm but I’m hoping we get at least a bit more than this.
I'm always fascinated as why a certain 2 games means something, but the other 10 do not. As if the Browns game, against a good defense, is meaningless in the face of the Bills game. Or the Bucs game. Or the Cowboys game. Or the Ten game. But that Bills game, well that tells us everything we need to know about why he might not be that guy.
As I said before, it was a poor game. But I'm not sure why extra meaning is being paid to it other than people are upset we lost.
As I said before, it was a poor game. But I'm not sure why extra meaning is being paid to it other than people are upset we lost.
It's really a lot more about a throwing coach than a strength coach, but yes, it will help.
Allen showed off athleticism and cannon yesterday. There's really zero chance that Mac’s going to be doing designed QB runs, but he can get closer to the cannon part.
Throwing "off platform" is something that he never had to do before. He has been sacked twice as much this year than he was last year. He looks awesome throwing with his body behind him. But when he gets rattled and his mechanics are the slightest bit off (back foot or cross-body), enter the ducks.
Good mechanics coach will help him stay on platform even when things speed up.
Who said that the other 10 mean nothing? The fact that he's hitting a wall and not progressing is cause for concern and is what is being pointed out here. Has he shown flashes, of course, but he's also demonstrated that he can't be counted on to win games currently. He's needs to get A LOT better to be a consistently good NFL QB. He's not even a consistently average QB right now.
The next two games will be very informative. They'll squeeze into the playoffs, but I have very little faith they can keep up with a good defense right now.
The only silver lining is that if Mac gets rid of the silly interceptions, then the rest of the stuff isn't as critical. He's absolutely killing the defense right now. Limit the turnovers and extend a couple of drives and suddenly the defense and the team look a lot better.
I went through the Indy game drive by drive and Mac played a lot better than I first thought. A couple of terrible, godawful mistakes, but he also made a bunch of really nice throws. That game was derailed by ill-timed penalties and drops and such. Mac's mistakes definitely hurt no question about it. So he must shoulder some of the blame. But he was better in that game than I originally thought.
Yesterday...he just wasn't very good, period. Though the drop by Harry was killer - instead of a big gain, it was an incompletion and it led to the tipped interception on the very next play. Game changer for sure.
Yesterday...he just wasn't very good, period. Though the drop by Harry was killer - instead of a big gain, it was an incompletion and it led to the tipped interception on the very next play. Game changer for sure.
And the same thing happened the week before. A dime to Meyers who drops it followed by the blocked punt/touchdown. Two game changers. Which leads me to believe the lack of skill talent is killing this team. When you have a bunch of 3 and 4 receivers it’s going to be tough to overcome a small margin of error.
Well Buffalo had a huge drop yesterday too. Sanders dropped a wide open TD pass, but Buffalo still managed to put points on the board. In the Pats' two instances, they had turnovers IMMEDIATELY following the drops. So drops and such can happen to anyone. But the Patriots aren't skilled enough to overcome them, especially when they are struggling on defense.