An 'NFL Insider' is Getting Texts from Patriots Sources Saying How High They Are on Mac Jones
Lord knows it's hard enough judging the Cam Newton-Mac Jones competition from the training camp media tent, the press box, the sofa on game night, or even sitting five rows behind the Patriots bench like a true elite. It's all the harder when the team is practicing in Philly with a limited media coverage and a day off today before tomorrow nights preseasoner against the Eagles. Until my astral projection skills are such I can view things remotely (I'm working on it), it's just a lot of other people's opinions.
What we're told is that both looked good while splitting practice reps this week, with a lot of emphasis on red zone work:
That one Newton pass almost killed a depth tight end at a time when tight end depth is at the breaking point:
And that Newton has at least one vocal critic on the Eagles:
Source - “I’m just aggressive, in my approach to the game and who I go against,” Wallace said. “I feel like whoever is the opposition, I do my best to get in their head. To say what I need to say, to do what I need to do to beat them, to win, and I felt like at the time, there were a lot of checkdowns going on.”
Also, that while both QBs are getting reps with the starters, the man handing out the job assignments is warning everyone not to read anything into who is playing with whom. Especially when the who is a quarterback and the whom is the offensive line. From Belichick's most recent presser, when he was pretty unequivocal about what an exercise in futility that practice is:
"We've told all the players from back in May when we started, which is the absolute truth, is not to spend a lot of time worrying about who else is out there with you. Worry about what you're doing and try to get it right. I think that's the most important thing for each and every one of us is if we would focus on what our job is, how to do it well, how to do it better, how to improve on it. Again, that's all of us; coaches, players, everybody. That's really what we're trying to do. Spend a lot of time worrying about who else is doing something else and who else is out there and not out there or whatever is honestly a total waste of time and energy. It's not productive, so we don't need to worry about it. I think it's a lot more important for the offensive linemen to play with the offensive linemen than it is for the quarterback to play with the offensive line."
So where Cam vs. Mac: The Palindrome War is being judged inside the building is anyone's guess. I've made it clear since well before the draft that I was on Team Jones, and nothing I've witnessed has shaken my faith. Either in the rookie's progress, or in his chances of getting Josh McDaniels' final rose. But I'm biased. I've wanted Jones since that midseason losing streak when the possibility of drafting him started to become plausible. So I'm looking for any sign from inside the organization I can get. And they have been nonexistent.
Maybe, until now. This isn't exactly smoke coming out of the Vatican chimney, but it's the best I've gotten so far.
Boston.com - On Wednesday['s] … ESPN’s morning show “Get Up!” was NFL insider Jeff Darlington, who offered comments from a source he said was with the Patriots.
“I just got a text from somebody within the Patriots organization who pointed out that Mac Jones is handling things ‘very well, very smart, very hard worker, steady progress,'” said Darlington. “These are all the things behind the scenes that you want to feel about Mac Jones.”
“Yes it matters what we personally see in practice and preseason games,” Darlington explained, “but what’s happening behind the scenes in that building, the fact that he’s making that type of progress, to me, … this is a competition.” …
According to Darlington, Jones is making it a legitimate quarterback competition with his performance so far.
“To me, Mac Jones has done enough already to insert him into that conversation,” Darlington added. “How far he takes it now is the question before Week 1.”
Let's address the fact that we don't know for sure if this is legit. Whether Jeff Darlington is the pawn in a disinformation campaign from some Mac & Cheese loyalist or playing a Psy Ops game with Newton to get him to keep pushing himself, and by extension, Jones. But as always, when I'm not sure what to believe, I go with the thing I want to be true. I might be in good physical condition. Elizabeth Hurley could come onto me and make my own gracefully aging Irish Rose jealous. Perhaps Mr. Kraft will make me his personal guest to a road game aboard AirKraft One. People in the Pats organization might be putting this out there to signal my QB is winning the job and will start against Miami in Week 1.
Advertisement
True or not, it makes me happy after watching last year's starter get benched three times and throw multiple TD passes in a game exactly once. And frankly, it confirms what virtually everybody's eyes have been telling them. That Jones generally speaking has looked better than Newton, with a full season less in the system.
Thursday night's game in Philly will again be a huge determining factor. But if you believe this report, as I do, you get an entirely different perspective on how to view it.