NFL GM on Patriots rookie QB Mac Jones: ‘He’s legit’
By Aaron Wilson, SI.com
The replacement for former NFL Most Valuable Player Cam Newton after beating the veteran out in a training camp competition served notice that the Patriots have an up-and-coming quarterback one year after Brady left as a free agent to join the Buccaneers and led them to a Super Bowl championship.
When Jones completed 19 consecutive passes against a veteran-laden Buccaneers defense, it represented the longest streak by a rookie over the past four decades as he surpassed Russell Wilson and Mike Glennon’s 16 straight completions.
“I think you’ve got to have fun in those moments,” said David Morris, the founder of QB Country and a former Mississippi quarterback who has coached Jones and several other NFL quarterbacks, including Eli Manning and New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones. “If you’re kind of in the zone, it’s important to be in those moments and not just hover above them or beneath them. Emotions can flow. Mac does a very good job of managing them After a touchdown pass, you saw a bunch of low fives with teammates and then he went directly back to the bench to study.”
“It’s the frame of focus. As you’re trying to execute and have successful plays, it’s all about that play and not thinking about the next drive. As long as you can stay within the play and not hover over it and be pretty locked in, you have a better chance of having success. Then, it’s over and it’s on to the next one. Every play is its own entity, so be in the moment. Mac is a guy who’s ultra-competitive. It was a heartbreaker against Tampa Bay because he plays about as good as you can play and you don’t win it, so that’s frustrating. But Mac is a guy who has persevered through a lot. Most people don’t realize his road to getting there. He’s been very patient. When your moment comes, he took advantage of it.”