QB guru David Morris on Mills, Jones: ‘I couldn’t be prouder of those guys’
By Aaron Wilson, SportsTalk 790 AM
Davis Mills and Mac Jones shared a private quarterbacks coach along with several Zoom calls with Peyton Manning and Eli Manning, imparting valuable knowledge to the rookie quarterbacks before the NFL draft.
During one of those calls, Peyton Manning shared the perspective of his ignominious NFL rookie record for interceptions. The Hall of Fame quarterback uncorked 28 interceptions for the Indianapolis Colts in 1998, one more than Jim Zorn for the Seattle Seahawks threw in 1976, and four more than Terry Bradshaw did with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1970.
It was a valuable conversation for the two friends and NFL starters as they prepared for their respective rookie seasons with quarterback guru David Morris, the founder of QB Country in Mobile, Ala.
“I’m close with Peyton and Eli and they had had a lot of Zoom calls with Mac and Davis during draft prep, and Peyton said, ‘I’d be really excited if one of you guys beats my interception record,’” Morris said in a telephone interview. “It gives that perspective of knowing those bad days are going to happen. It’s about, ‘How do I prevent them and learn from the bad days?’ Each play is its own entity. I couldn’t be prouder of those guys.”
“Both Mac and Davis are very resilient, very tough,” Morris said. “Davis is one of those guys who’s very even-keel, very balanced and not real emotional at all in the big moments, in the challenging moments. Obviously, this position involves a lot of emotion and a lot of roller-coasters and ups and downs. Davis reminds me of El Manning. Whether it’s a four-pick game or four touchdowns, he’s the same. He’s not shrugging anything off. He learns from every moment. Both of these guys know how to prepare and how to get ready. You’ll see two guys playing good football on Sunday.”