The Michael McCorkle "Mac" Jones Thread

[Ed Hillel]

View: https://twitter.com/danorlovsky7/status/1590035217229971456?s=20&t=xsSzr1--LmRXnIdg0OuBnA
[/QUOTE]

Am I missing something? Someone is wide fucking open at the sticks waiting for the ball to his right, but Mac is laser locked over to the other side of the field. Maybe he should look more than one place?

 

[Rico Guapo]

View: https://twitter.com/danorlovsky7/status/1590035217229971456?s=20&t=xsSzr1--LmRXnIdg0OuBnA

Am I missing something? Someone is wide fucking open at the sticks waiting for the ball to his right, but Mac is laser locked over to the other side of the field. Maybe he should look more than one place?

By the time that receiver is standing wide open the right side of the line has collapsed forcing mac to move to his left leaving him with a difficult throw if he's even able to see the receiver there in the first place.

 

[GeorgeCostanza]

By the time that receiver is standing wide open the right side of the line has collapsed forcing mac to move to his left leaving him with a difficult throw if he's even able to see the receiver there in the first place.

Right when the clip says “now” and he pauses it, he’s got a pristine pocket, guy wide open right with the defender backpedaling.

 

[E5 Yaz]

Wait? Are we going to go through the same debate we had when that video was first posted 28 posts ago?

 

[DJnVa]

Wait? Are we going to go through the same debate we had when that video was first posted 28 posts ago?

God I hope so.

 

[ShaneTrot]

Well, Orlovsky is an expert on poor quarterback play.

 

[johnmd20]

I think some of it is he that doesn’t have an effervescent, glib, sound bite personality. And because that makes their jobs harder, media people view that as a moral failing, rather than a personality trait. The attacks on him and his competence definitely feel at least partially personal to me, right down to the digs about his weight. I’m not saying he’s a great coach, but I find it hard to believe Bill would willfully keep a bad coach around just out of loyalty, or spite, or whatever.

13-29 as a head coach in his career.

He didn't exactly set the world on fire. It was the Lions, I know, but he was given 2+ years to figure something out and he failed pretty badly.

And I am someone who listened to that Pardon My Take interview and Patricia came across as one of the biggest assholes in the world. It was a combination of being utterly humorless (he had to actually work to be humorless because of the layups he was getting and he did the work) and thinking he was smarter and above the guys asking the question. And if that is the case, don't go on the show.

But since that interview, I have rooted against Patricia. It really was that off putting. Sometimes you hear someone talk (Greg Schiano would be another) and it just sullies that person forever. I was extremely sad when he was hired back by the Pats. One thing Belichick needs is some new blood that doesn't have the last name Belichick.

 

[ShaneTrot]

I was listening to Robert Mays' Athletic football podcast this morning and they savaged Patricia and Judge on the Mosely and Leonard calling out the plays debacle. They also said that think of all the offensive coaches that have been busting their balls working their way up the ladder and get to see these two running an NFL offense. It's hard to make fun of the Saturday hiring when this is going on in NE. The success of the Giants after subtracting Judge and not adding much to that team is a huge indictment of him as a coach. I feel like Patricia has been given half a season and besides running a dumbed-down, max protection offense with Zappe against two shitty teams, he has managed to make everyone worse on offense but Stevenson (who is doing it on his own), Owenu (who has been great all year), and Meyers who is going to get paid. I was onboard the trust BB train but this is a shitshow. Look at their schedule after the bye, the Pats have a top 5 defense by DVOA, and they might be favored over the Raiders, Jets, and Cardinals. Will this offense score more than 10 points against Buffalo in either of those two games? There is a decent amount of talent on this offense. They shouldn't be this bad against a top-10 defense which is where Indy is ranked by DVOA.

 

[BaseballJones]

Friendly reminder that a coach's failure as a HC is literally ZERO reflection on his abilities as a non-HC level coach. The list of guys who were great coordinators and assistant coaches but terrible head coaches is so long as to be difficult to fathom. McDaniels, Weis, and Crennel are three Patriots coaches that immediately come to mind.

This isn't to say that Patricia and Judge are, or will be, good as an OC (with or without the title), but citing their failure as head coach is utterly meaningless as to whether they can be effective offensive coaches.

 

[Patsfan1983]

I don’t know if it’s been said and he’s old and has been out of the league for a while , but why not bring back Charlie Weiss as a consultant to try and straighten shit out,

 

[SMU_Sox]

I asked JT O'Sullivan (The QB School) on Patreon about Mac Jones and the controversy with the Patriots offense. Let's hope he reviews the Colts or the Jets game tape and dives in. It will be behind a pay-wall if he does post it or respond but maybe for a week or two I can drop my login information here and let people use it or maybe host a zoom or something? We can cross that bridge with the dopes here if we come to it. One of the things I like about JT is that he generally knows what the progressions are on plays and I do not. So like with Bourne being open on that clip is he the 4th prog? Is he the 3rd? 2nd? It makes a difference. If he's progression #4 I can forgive Mac for missing him. If he's progression #2? Less forgivable.

 

[Mystic Merlin]

I asked JT O'Sullivan (The QB School) on Patreon about Mac Jones and the controversy with the Patriots offense. Let's hope he reviews the Colts or the Jets game tape and dives in. It will be behind a pay-wall if he does post it or respond but maybe for a week or two I can drop my login information here and let people use it or maybe host a zoom or something? We can cross that bridge with the dopes here if we come to it. One of the things I like about JT is that he generally knows what the progressions are on plays and I do not. So like with Bourne being open on that clip is he the 4th prog? Is he the 3rd? 2nd? It makes a difference. If he's progression #4 I can forgive Mac for missing him. If he's progression #2? Less forgivable.

I think route progressions are much harder to diagnose than people think. Sure, if you’ve seen a curl/flat concept or Y Hoss, you know the primaries, but the progression expected with other route concepts isn’t always straightforward. Same goes for certain coverages; sometimes you can’t tell who blew their assignment, the S or the CB.

If you watch an NFL telecast, at least a handful of times a game one of the commentators will exclaim ‘this guy looked open!’, as if a QB can scan and process every part of the field at all times. They wear helmets, the other players are FAST, and it’s a big field.

 

[BaseballJones]

QBs, career stats:

Mac Jones: 67.2%, 7.2 y/a, 26 td, 20 int, 88.4 rating
Trevor Lawrence: 61.2%, 6.3 y/a, 23 td, 23 int, 77.2 rating
Zach Wilson: 56.2%, 6.4 y/a, 13 td, 16 int, 71.4 rating
Jacoby Brissett: 60.8%, 6.6 y/a, 43 td, 22 int, 83.7 rating
Carson Wentz: 62.6%, 6.7 y/a, 150 td, 63 int, 89.7 rating
Baker Mayfield: 61.2%, 7.3 y/a, 98 td, 60 int, 87.0 rating
Jared Goff: 64.0%, 7.4 y/a, 140 td, 70 int, 91.5 rating
Marcus Mariota: 62.7%, 7.5 y/a, 89 td, 52 int, 89.5 rating
...
Gardner Minshew: 63.5%, 7.0 y/a, 41 td, 12 int, 93.9 rating

Minshew has had two games in his entire career with more INT than TD passes. Two. He's had four games with the same number of INT as TD. Four. The rest of his games (21 total) he's had more TD than INT. And of those four games with the same number of INT as TD, two of them were games where he threw just two passes each.

So.....

Can anyone adequately explain why Minshew isn't a starting quarterback in the NFL?

 

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

The answer I've read is arm strength for Minshew. No idea how true, but that's something I've seen a lot about his abilities.

 

[Jimbodandy]

QBs, career stats:

Mac Jones: 67.2%, 7.2 y/a, 26 td, 20 int, 88.4 rating
Trevor Lawrence: 61.2%, 6.3 y/a, 23 td, 23 int, 77.2 rating
Zach Wilson: 56.2%, 6.4 y/a, 13 td, 16 int, 71.4 rating
Jacoby Brissett: 60.8%, 6.6 y/a, 43 td, 22 int, 83.7 rating
Carson Wentz: 62.6%, 6.7 y/a, 150 td, 63 int, 89.7 rating
Baker Mayfield: 61.2%, 7.3 y/a, 98 td, 60 int, 87.0 rating
Jared Goff: 64.0%, 7.4 y/a, 140 td, 70 int, 91.5 rating
Marcus Mariota: 62.7%, 7.5 y/a, 89 td, 52 int, 89.5 rating
...
Gardner Minshew: 63.5%, 7.0 y/a, 41 td, 12 int, 93.9 rating

Minshew has had two games in his entire career with more INT than TD passes. Two. He's had four games with the same number of INT as TD. Four. The rest of his games (21 total) he's had more TD than INT. And of those four games with the same number of INT as TD, two of them were games where he threw just two passes each.

So.....

Can anyone adequately explain why Minshew isn't a starting quarterback in the NFL?

He's 6'1" with no pedigree.

 

[BaseballJones]

The answer I've read is arm strength for Minshew. No idea how true, but that's something I've seen a lot about his abilities.

Yeah, I've heard that too but....... his numbers are a lot better than a lot of guys currently starting in the NFL. Turns out...he's actually a pretty good quarterback in the real world, ya know?

 

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

Yeah, I've heard that too but....... his numbers are a lot better than a lot of guys currently starting in the NFL. Turns out...he's actually a pretty good quarterback in the real world, ya know?

I think the NFL is no less prone to the "we're not selling jeans here" phenomenon than any other sports are.

 

[phineas gage]

Something doesn't add up re: Minshew and the numbers you posted. It seems like a number of NFL teams might as well give him a shot given who they are starting right now. As an example, are the New Orleans Saints really better off with Andy Dalton?

 

[P'tucket rhymes with...]

Something doesn't add up re: Minshew and the numbers you posted. It seems like a number of NFL teams might as well give him a shot given who they are starting right now. As an example, are the New Orleans Saints really better off with Andy Dalton?

Probably nothing more than risk-aversive GMs. Much easier to stake your job on "a kid with a ceiling" (Jones, Lawrence), a "proven winner" (Wentz, Dalton), or "someone who knows the system" (Brissett) than on a guy who wasn't supposed to be much of anything.*

*No, I can think of no reason for signing Mariotta.

 

[Super Nomario]

I asked JT O'Sullivan (The QB School) on Patreon about Mac Jones and the controversy with the Patriots offense. Let's hope he reviews the Colts or the Jets game tape and dives in. It will be behind a pay-wall if he does post it or respond but maybe for a week or two I can drop my login information here and let people use it or maybe host a zoom or something? We can cross that bridge with the dopes here if we come to it. One of the things I like about JT is that he generally knows what the progressions are on plays and I do not. So like with Bourne being open on that clip is he the 4th prog? Is he the 3rd? 2nd? It makes a difference. If he's progression #4 I can forgive Mac for missing him. If he's progression #2? Less forgivable.

That's fair, and I don't know how they coach it, but it doesn't appear he ever looks to the right side at all. He identifies TT as the pre-snap matchup he likes, which, OK, but then when Thornton doesn't get open, it kinda seems like he's at a loss as to how to proceed. He eventually gets to the checkdown. Maybe they coach it as a half-field read, but it seems like he should have come off the fade earlier.

 

[johnmd20]

I think the NFL is no less prone to the "we're not selling jeans here" phenomenon than any other sports are.

Minshew is not only a pretty solid QB but he's an interesting guy, too.

It is hard to believe he hasn't been given a real shot, while middling dreck like Dalton, Baker, Mariota, Jacoby, and Wentz keep getting chance after chance.

Because there is no world where Carolina is worse off with Minshew versus Baker or PJ and Atlanta with Minshew could actually be a great team. Gardner runs just as well as Mariota and is a better passer.

The Jets with Minshew could be a legitimate threat in the playoffs because of that current defense. But with Zach, they have almost no chance. It is definitely weird.

 

[tims4wins]

Could it be a case where the stats don't tell the whole story of how productive he is?

The comparison I am thinking of is Carson Wentz. Last year he was at 62.4% completions, 6.9 YPA, 27:7 TD:INT, 94.6 rating. Compare that to Minshew's line of 63.5%, 7.0, 41:12, 93.9.

The Colts moved on from Wentz because he wasn't good / productive enough. Everyone agreed with this despite the stats saying he was a decent QB.

I know ESPN's QBR is a black box, but Minshew's ratings in that category were 44.6 (14 games 2019), 44.0 (9 games 2020), and 66.2 (4 games 2021). Wentz last year was a 60.6.

Minshew was also 22nd in QB DVOA in 2019 and 27th in 2020. Wentz was 16th last year.

So the advanced stats don't seem to like him.

 

[BaseballJones]

Yeah that may be a good explanation, T4W.

 

[rodderick]

Minshew is the definition of a garbage time merchant. He'll be down 14-3 in the second quarter and throw a 3 yard out on 3rd and 8 without an inkling of doubt. He's a lot worse than his numbers.

 

[SamCassellsStones]

Minshew is the definition of a garbage time merchant. He'll be down 14-3 in the second quarter and throw a 3 yard out on 3rd and 8 without an inkling of doubt. He's a lot worse than his numbers.

I had never heard the term “garbage time merchant” before - but now I will associate it with Gardner Minshew until the end of my days.

 

[Justthetippett]

Minshew is the definition of a garbage time merchant. He'll be down 14-3 in the second quarter and throw a 3 yard out on 3rd and 8 without an inkling of doubt. He's a lot worse than his numbers.

Hasn’t Kirk Cousins made a career out of this? (Before he became Kirk Thuggins). I won’t be convinced Minshew can’t play until he gets an actual chance and fails.

 

[PC Drunken Friar]

Hasn’t Kirk Cousins made a career out of this? (Before he became Kirk Thuggins). I won’t be convinced Minshew can’t play until he gets an actual chance and fails.

The Vikings are 8-1.

 

[Justthetippett]

The Vikings are 8-1.

And he’s 67-60-2 in his career, which is…fine, and has made him plenty of money.

 

[Kenny F'ing Powers]

And he’s 67-60-2 in his career, which is…fine, and has made him plenty of money.

Put up those numbers playing for Washington then come talk to me.

 

[rodderick]

Hasn’t Kirk Cousins made a career out of this? (Before he became Kirk Thuggins). I won’t be convinced Minshew can’t play until he gets an actual chance and fails.

Cousins suffers from this syndrome as well, but both his numbers and his win percentage are much better than Minshew's. He's near the best possible outcome for that type of guy.

 

[DJnVa]

Cousins suffers from this syndrome as well, but both his numbers and his win percentage are much better than Minshew's. He's near the best possible outcome for that type of guy.

Minshew has thrown 81% of this passes when trailing in a game. That's a BIG number--for comparison Trevor Lawrence has a 6-21 record and is at 68%, Davis Mills, who is 3-16-1, is at 65%.

Without breaking it down even more (I can't find the numbers regarding specific game state) it would seem that Minshew gets to throw a lot when defenses simply aren't geared up to worry about it.

 

[BaseballJones]

Minshew has thrown 81% of this passes when trailing in a game. That's a BIG number--for comparison Trevor Lawrence has a 6-21 record and is at 68%, Davis Mills, who is 3-16-1, is at 65%.

Without breaking it down even more (I can't find the numbers regarding specific game state) it would seem that Minshew gets to throw a lot when defenses simply aren't geared up to worry about it.

I guess. I mean, what would the argument be if Minshew threw 81% of his passes when leading in a game? "Oh the defense isn't thinking pass because they're worried you're taking time off the clock with the run." ??

I suppose there's a reason why Minshew isn't a starting QB in the league. Maybe multiple reasons. It's just that I see a lot of mediocre-to-bad QB play, and see that over a not-so-small sample size, his actual stats are much better than many guys in starting roles, and I just wonder why. I have no particular love for the guy and this isn't me necessarily advocating for him. I'm just thinking, man, there must be something to him that teams don't like...I wonder what it is.

 

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

Minshew got a bunch of starts for the 2020 Jaguars, who were a 1-15 team and dreadful in every way. He actually put up decent points as well, but with the defense so bad for them that year he spent the vast majority of the season trailing in games.

 

[DJnVa]

I guess. I mean, what would the argument be if Minshew threw 81% of his passes when leading in a game? "Oh the defense isn't thinking pass because they're worried you're taking time off the clock with the run." ??

Not sure. I'd probably argue that the coach is an idiot--the greatest winner history has ever known, TOM BRADY, has thrown 46% of his passes when leading. Or I guess I'd argue it's not realistic.

We're hunting for reasons--I think the fact his teams are pretty much ALWAYS behind means that he gets to throw a lot in situations that maybe aren't high-pressure. That said, he does well, and like SJH said, his defenses sucked. He's clearly not responsible for putting them in situations leading to losses.

 

[ShaneTrot]

Are the Pats' defense and special teams good enough that they can just run the Zappe offense with Mac (play action and a lot of max protection) and be competitive? I am guessing no because the schedule is harder down the stretch but if Mac just doesn't do anything stupid against most teams, the Pats are probably in the game.

 

[tims4wins]

Are the Pats' defense and special teams good enough that they can just run the Zappe offense with Mac (play action and a lot of max protection) and be competitive? I am guessing no because the schedule is harder down the stretch but if Mac just doesn't do anything stupid against most teams, the Pats are probably in the game.

I think the answer is yes vs. like 60-70% of the teams in the league, i.e., enough to get you to the playoffs. But it's probably not good enough to beat playoff teams. Therein lies the dilemma.

 

[Justthetippett]

Put up those numbers playing for Washington then come talk to me.

I’ll consider doing this after Snyder sells to RGIII.

 

[BaseballJones]

I think the answer is yes vs. like 60-70% of the teams in the league, i.e., enough to get you to the playoffs. But it's probably not good enough to beat playoff teams. Therein lies the dilemma.

Exactly. They really tried to open the offense up earlier this year because they knew - and Lord knows the WEEI people were going on and on about it before the season started so it was a major talking point - that they needed to be able to go toe to toe with the big time offenses in the league if they wanted to be a championship caliber team.

And it worked. Kind of. Like, before Mac got hurt, he was among the league leaders in average yards downfield per pass attempt. He was airing it out big time. And it had some success. In the first three games, Mac averaged 8.1 y/a on 66% completions. Here were the three games:

at Mia: 7 points scored, Mac had 213 yds, 7.10 y/a
at Pit: 17 points scored, Mac had 252 yds, 7.20 y/a
vs Bal: 26 points scored, Mac had 321 yds, 10.03 y/a

So there was progression there.

HOWEVER, that progression came with a cost. And the cost was....lots of turnovers. Mac had five INT over those three games, three of them against the Ravens when he really aired it out. But here's the thing with THAT. Even with his turnovers, which were killer, they STILL had a chance to go win that game, because he WAS throwing some really nice balls in that game. And that game came to a screeching halt not on a Mac interception, but on the Agholor fumble after a gorgeous throw by Mac that netted a 28 yard gain, getting the ball to like the Ravens 30 or whatever, but then Agholor got stripped from behind. They were, I was convinced, absolutely driving for the go-ahead score there, but alas.

That is the kind of offense they were looking to build. One that could put up plenty of points, and sometimes in a hurry. That was the next evolution of Mac Jones.

But it all went to hell. And now he's operating a TOTAL dink and dunk offense. Last two starts:

at NYJ: 22 points scored, Mac had 194 yds, 5.54 y/a
vs Ind: 26 points scored (7 defensive), Mac had 147 yds, 4.90 y/a

So they've gone away from what they were trying to do at the start of the season. It's "safer" for sure. It's also less explosive.

 

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

Key question: Are they going back to dink and dunk because he's still not fully healthy after the ankle injury?

 

[tims4wins]

Key question: Are they going back to dink and dunk because he's still not fully healthy after the ankle injury?

Guessing it is more the lack of quality opposition plus some skill position (edit: and O-line) injuries, but you’ll never find out the truth from this staff.

 

[Cellar-Door]

Key question: Are they going back to dink and dunk because he's still not fully healthy after the ankle injury?

I think it's much more that the line is struggling and they can't trust Mac to make his progressions and make the right choice downfield.

 

[mauf]

I guess. I mean, what would the argument be if Minshew threw 81% of his passes when leading in a game? "Oh the defense isn't thinking pass because they're worried you're taking time off the clock with the run." ??

I suppose there's a reason why Minshew isn't a starting QB in the league. Maybe multiple reasons. It's just that I see a lot of mediocre-to-bad QB play, and see that over a not-so-small sample size, his actual stats are much better than many guys in starting roles, and I just wonder why. I have no particular love for the guy and this isn't me necessarily advocating for him. I'm just thinking, man, there must be something to him that teams don't like...I wonder what it is.

Part of the reason Minshew hasn’t gotten another shot is because the Eagles know what they’ve got. He’s probably the best backup QB in the NFL. For a team that was coming off a playoff berth and expecting to be better this year, that’s valuable. The Eagles weren’t going to trade Minshew for a mid-round pick, and no one was going to make the Eagles an offer they couldn’t refuse for a guy who’s a free agent after the season.

If I had to pick someone to be next year’s Geno Smith, it would be Minshew. I’d love to see the Pats sign him and let him compete for the starting job with Jones and Zappe in training camp next year.

Edit: Should note that my son is a Jags fan and disagrees with me on Minshew. Thinks he’s a good backup QB, but nothing more.

 

[SMU_Sox]

The problem to me is that everything is bad. The line is bad, the play calling is bad, the spacing is bad, and Mac is playing inconsistently. There are so many bad things going on at once it’s hard to know how much of it is on Mac. I’m not sure any QB could elevate the offense. I had hoped the coaching would be better but it is exactly what the skeptics thought it would be. They definitely can’t be executing a vertical offense or use a lot of slow developing plays with this line. It seems their best look might be spread and 11 shotgun but that brings up a good point by the Pats Pulpit guys - that doesn’t match up at all with their under center inside zone and gap/power run scheme (with some other looks mixed in). The whole thing is a mess honestly. They need to figure out what they are in the macro as an offense and then tie that to better micro (playcalling).

 

[BrazilianSoxFan]

And yet, right now, the Pats are in a playoff spot.

 

[rodderick]

And yet, right now, the Pats are in a playoff spot.

Sure, but the hard part of the schedule is coming up now. If they can make the playoffs against this remaining slate, it probably means they figured something out on offense. On the other hand I think the league absolutely blows this year aside from maybe the Chiefs, so it's conceivable they can go 10-7 without making meaningful improvements.

 

[BrazilianSoxFan]

How much of the remaining SoS is just the AFC East being a monster this year? The Pats have a better record than any other second place team and would be leading the AFC South right now.

 

[wilked]

How much of the remaining SoS is just the AFC East being a monster this year? The Pats have a better record than any other second place team and would be leading the AFC South right now.

I’d say more than anything it’s having 25% of the games be against the Bills. Take the Bills out (you can’t) and it’s a reasonable schedule.

Jets/Vikings/Cards/Raiders/Bengals/Dolphins isn’t too big of mountain to climb. It’s adding on the two Bills games that makes it a real challenge.

 

[rodderick]

I’d say more than anything it’s having 25% of the games be against the Bills. Take the Bills out (you can’t) and it’s a reasonable schedule.

Jets/Vikings/Cards/Raiders/Bengals/Dolphins isn’t too big of mountain to climb. It’s adding on the two Bills games that makes it a real challenge.

Jets, Vikings, Bengals and Dolphins have a combined winning percentage of .700. And the Cards and Raiders have some talent. I think it'd be a hard stretch even without the Bills.

 

[astrozombie]

The problem to me is that everything is bad. The line is bad, the play calling is bad, the spacing is bad, and Mac is playing inconsistently. There are so many bad things going on at once it’s hard to know how much of it is on Mac. I’m not sure any QB could elevate the offense. I had hoped the coaching would be better but it is exactly what the skeptics thought it would be. They definitely can’t be executing a vertical offense or use a lot of slow developing plays with this line. It seems their best look might be spread and 11 shotgun but that brings up a good point by the Pats Pulpit guys - that doesn’t match up at all with their under center inside zone and gap/power run scheme (with some other looks mixed in). The whole thing is a mess honestly. They need to figure out what they are in the macro as an offense and then tie that to better micro (playcalling).

Spot on.

 

[ShaneTrot]

The problem to me is that everything is bad. The line is bad, the play calling is bad, the spacing is bad, and Mac is playing inconsistently. There are so many bad things going on at once it’s hard to know how much of it is on Mac. I’m not sure any QB could elevate the offense. I had hoped the coaching would be better but it is exactly what the skeptics thought it would be. They definitely can’t be executing a vertical offense or use a lot of slow developing plays with this line. It seems their best look might be spread and 11 shotgun but that brings up a good point by the Pats Pulpit guys - that doesn’t match up at all with their under center inside zone and gap/power run scheme (with some other looks mixed in). The whole thing is a mess honestly. They need to figure out what they are in the macro as an offense and then tie that to better micro (playcalling).

What if Mac just got the ball out quicker? He seems to do best with the 5 wide quick game. Of course, all QBs love that.