The Michael McCorkle "Mac" Jones Thread

JokersWildJIMED

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I am still wondering if the secret is to go back to earlier LAST year. First read, quick release, minimal risk. When he has been at his best this year, it has been with just that. My memory tells me it was the same with Zappe. Maybe thats just the secret for not so great (now) quarterbacks. Good heavy, run it 30+ times, let him throw for 200, short passes, no picks. They realized last year that can get you into the playoffs and then blown out, but nothing this year suggests Mac is ready for that next step.
Thats exactly what they try to do on virtually every drive this season, but defenses long ago figured out how to defend Mac by putting 9 or 10 in the box. Mac has had no answer.
 

Cellar-Door

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It's not great, but the system for evaluating Mac around here - anything good he does doesn't count - doesn't really work, either.
I don't think that's an accurate representation of what people are saying. They are saying that not turning it over is generally pretty good, but you have to still produce... a higher rate on INTs with more offensive production is probably better than almost no production but very few turnovers. It's about finding that sweet spot of risk/reward. Early Mac was bringing a bit more reward but at VERY high risk, they cut the offense back, now he's providing very little reward but very very little risk.

I will credit Mac, he has cut down on the INTs... in part because of his play, and in part because Patricia has made wholesale changes to the offense to reduce tough decisions and throws. They put the training wheels on and Mac to his credit, has not shit himself, but he also hasn't excelled. They are very much a team that is playing "hide the QB" on offense.

I am still wondering if the secret is to go back to earlier LAST year. First read, quick release, minimal risk. When he has been at his best this year, it has been with just that. My memory tells me it was the same with Zappe. Maybe thats just the secret for not so great (now) quarterbacks. Good heavy, run it 30+ times, let him throw for 200, short passes, no picks. They realized last year that can get you into the playoffs and then blown out, but nothing this year suggests Mac is ready for that next step.
That's been most of the gameplan since at least the Jets game. Problem has been the same as it was against good defenses late last year. Team just blitz the hell out of Mac and dare him to make throws to the boundary on a line. He's been bad at identifying blitzes, and he doesn't have the arm (or the footwork) to consistently beat teams to the edge.
 

Eddie Jurak

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I am still wondering if the secret is to go back to earlier LAST year. First read, quick release, minimal risk. When he has been at his best this year, it has been with just that. My memory tells me it was the same with Zappe. Maybe thats just the secret for not so great (now) quarterbacks. Good heavy, run it 30+ times, let him throw for 200, short passes, no picks. They realized last year that can get you into the playoffs and then blown out, but nothing this year suggests Mac is ready for that next step.
So many things are wrong with the NE offense this year, including Mac but also coaching, playcalling, execution by the other players, particularly when it comes to blocking but also route running. And sometimes just having the right personnel on the field and not getting pre-snap penalties.

Because of all that, I have no idea how to apportion blame.
 

Eddie Jurak

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I will credit Mac, he has cut down on the INTs... in part because of his play, and in part because Patricia has made wholesale changes to the offense to reduce tough decisions and throws. They put the training wheels on and Mac to his credit, has not shit himself, but he also hasn't excelled. They are very much a team that is playing "hide the QB" on offense.
I don't really buy the "training wheels" as a full explanation because he is still making enough downfield throws that if it were simply a matter of making the offense incrementally more conservative, that wouldn't be enough to explain his INT rate dropping from 5.8% in his first 4 games to 0.7% in his last 9. Even if you say he got lucky and double the INT rate to 1.4%... that would be about a fourfold difference - I don't think the offence has gotten fourfold less aggressive or something.

Between the Ravens game and the part of the Bears game he played, Mac was picked 4 times in 38 passes - Nathan Peterman-level stuff. And some of those INTs were objectively awful decisions that he hasn't really replicated since then.

I do think the training wheels were put on and had an effect - I think that is part of why he has been sacked so much. It's why they comtinue to ride (if you can call it 'ride') a short game that is fooling no one and not working.
 

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Thats exactly what they try to do on virtually every drive this season, but defenses long ago figured out how to defend Mac by putting 9 or 10 in the box. Mac has had no answer.
He ends up holding the ball too long. I watched the game with my kids today so wasnt as zeroed in as often, but did he a single decent completion that wasnt on his first read? Each week, it seems there are guys open but he doesnt see them beyond the first or at best checkdown read. When he gets the ball out quick it is good. Also makes me think hurry up will help.
 

Cellar-Door

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I don't really buy the "training wheels" as a full explanation because he is still making enough downfield throws that if it were simply a matter of making the offense incrementally more conservative, that wouldn't be enough to explain his INT rate dropping from 5.8% in his first 4 games to 0.7% in his last 9. Even if you say he got lucky and double the INT rate to 1.4%... that would be about a fourfold difference - I don't think the offence has gotten fourfold less aggressive or something.

Between the Ravens game and the part of the Bears game he played, Mac was picked 4 times in 38 passes - Nathan Peterman-level stuff. And some of those INTs were objectively awful decisions that he hasn't really replicated since then.

I do think the training wheels were put on and had an effect - I think that is part of why he has been sacked so much. It's why they comtinue to ride (if you can call it 'ride') a short game that is fooling no one and not working.
I think it's both, if my post wasn't clear. They put the training wheels on, and he has improved within that more limited purview. Both the coaches and Mac deserve credit for identifying and executing the gameplan that they think makes a win most likely.
 

Eddie Jurak

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He ends up holding the ball too long. I watched the game with my kids today so wasnt as zeroed in as often, but did he a single decent completion that wasnt on his first read? Each week, it seems there are guys open but he doesnt see them beyond the first or at best checkdown read. When he gets the ball out quick it is good. Also makes me think hurry up will help.
The obvious one was his 3rd and 5 pass to Thornton for 29 yards on the third quarter FG drive.

Edit: I think the comment you posted above about Mac being by far the worst QB in the league when being blitzed might be the key to his problems. I don't recall if Miami was blitzing, but after 2 decent drives and a 7 for 9 start, Miami got a lot of pressure and forced a 3 and out that started Mac into his 2-9 tailspin. He struggles with pressure and it affects him beyond just the those plays where the pressure is there. That's either something he can improve over time or it is the thing that will relegate him to career-backup-land.
 
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BaseballJones

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Mac was fine today. Not sure what people are hitching about.
In virtually every game, even the QBs that play well have a handful of pretty bad throws. Throws that Mac gets killed for here.

Of course, in virtually every game, even the QBs that play poorly usually have a few nice throws.

If Mac went 20-33, 203 yds, 2 td, and 0 int every game (which many people here are saying is a pretty bad performance still), he'd end up with a season line of: 340-561 (60.1%), 3,451 yds, 6.2 y/a, 34 td, 0 int, and a passer rating of 98.4, which would rank him 11th in the NFL in passer rating last year, 1st in INTs, and 8th in TD.

It would also have him ranked #28 in completion percentage and #28 in y/a and #19 in passing yards. But in the end, it would have made for an average starting QB in the NFL, which wouldn't be bad for a 2nd year pro.
 

Kenny F'ing Powers

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In virtually every game, even the QBs that play well have a handful of pretty bad throws. Throws that Mac gets killed for here.

Of course, in virtually every game, even the QBs that play poorly usually have a few nice throws.

If Mac went 20-33, 203 yds, 2 td, and 0 int every game (which many people here are saying is a pretty bad performance still), he'd end up with a season line of: 340-561 (60.1%), 3,451 yds, 6.2 y/a, 34 td, 0 int, and a passer rating of 98.4, which would rank him 11th in the NFL in passer rating last year, 1st in INTs, and 8th in TD.

It would also have him ranked #28 in completion percentage and #28 in y/a and #19 in passing yards. But in the end, it would have made for an average starting QB in the NFL, which wouldn't be bad for a 2nd year pro.
Right. I'm not saying he had a fantastic game. He missed a few short throws that he rushed, and he overthrew a few deep balls that were there for the taking.

But overall, teams can win with a performance like we got from him today.
 

FL4WL3SS

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Right. I'm not saying he had a fantastic game. He missed a few short throws that he rushed, and he overthrew a few deep balls that were there for the taking.

But overall, teams can win with a performance like we got from him today.
Can they? With a better QB playing for Miami, Mac's performance in the middle part of the game could have put them in a hole they wouldn't have gotten out of. From a raw numbers perspective, I guess I can see your argument, but anyone that watched the game can see that the offense (and Mac) was absolutely sucking the life out of the game.
 

Kenny F'ing Powers

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Can they? With a better QB playing for Miami, Mac's performance in the middle part of the game could have put them in a hole they wouldn't have gotten out of. From a raw numbers perspective, I guess I can see your argument, but anyone that watched the game can see that the offense (and Mac) was absolutely sucking the life out of the game.
Yeah, I don't like playing the "what if" game.

If the Patriots weren't missing 2 of their best corners...If the Patriots could muster more than 3 or 4 decent runs...If McCourty doesn't drop an INT that hits him right in the chest...

I'm not saying they're world beaters, but Mac played well enough today. Well enough that his play shouldn't be considered a net negative, anyway.
 

Petagine in a Bottle

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Mac wasn’t terrible, but 172 yards passing, 5/13 on 3rd downs and 14 first downs isn’t very good. Defense won this game. We’ll take it, but you won’t win many games with lines like that.
 

E5 Yaz

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Quarterback "wins" are even less meaningful than pitching "wins"
 

Cellar-Door

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Actually 6, if we're talking Mac.

Of course QB wins are dumb, as the Jets will tell you.

Mac was fine today, he wasn't a significant positive or negative, he gave a decent performance against a bad/injured D that did nothing to change the overall impression of this season (and honestly his whole career so far).
He made a few good throws and reads, he made some really bad throws and reads, he still can't figure out what a blitz is pre-snap and he still tries to make throws off his back foot that he has nowhere near the arm to make. He also has generally avoided INTs, which is nice.
 

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To his point, none of the 8 wins were against starting Quarterbacks. Granted, there are less than 32 or so of these in league. (Pitt, Indy, Atlanta, Cleveland are all not options)

Mac was OK today. Not a problem but also far from good.
Goff isn't a starting QB? What have you been watching? He got the Rams to the Super Bowl and has had a fine year. So he definitely is a starting caliber QB who will be in the league next year.
 

jk333

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Goff isn't a starting QB? What have you been watching? He got the Rams to the Super Bowl and has had a fine year. So he definitely is a starting caliber QB who will be in the league next year.
Zappe beat the Lions/Goff, not Mac.

One game doesn’t make Zappe a real prospect. And its kind of a random/quirky stat that doesn’t mean Mac is terrible. But its a good example of how citing wins for Mac is off base. I did it last year. I was very impressed with his performance as a rookie. His offense also has major issues this year. But they’ve needed defensive scores to beat teams starting Colt McCoy, Ehrlinger, Zach Wilson at QB.
 
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rodderick

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If we have to take Mac's circumstances regarding OL play and play calling into account to judge him this year, we should also note he has the 2nd best defense by DVOA and points per drive backing him before citing "his" wins. He would likely be playing better and have better numbers if the coaching situation wasn't a mess and he would likely be leading a 5-11 team is this defense were merely average.
 

Eddie Jurak

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Here's where Mac stands among 33 qualifiers for QB rate stats in 2022 (there were 31 qualifiers in 2021):

Completion percentage: 65.2%, 17th. (2021: 67.6%, 8th)
TD percentage: 2.7%, 31st. (4.2%, 13th)
INT percentage: 2.0%, 13th. (2.5%, 19th)
Yards/attempt: 6.8, 24th. (7.3%, 15th)
Adj Yards/attempt: 6.5, 25th.(7.0%, 16th)
Rating: 85.8, 25th. (92.5, 15th)
QBR: 32.5%, 31st. (50.9, 16th)
Sack percentage: 7.6%, 22nd. (5.1%, 10th)

In this case I think the numbers paint an accurate picture of the season Mac has had, and in comparison to last year. But it is also the case that he was terrible earlier in the season and has rebounded. Last 9 weeks:

Completion percentage: 65.2% (no change)
TD percentage: 3.0% (slight improvement, he'd be 29th if this was his full season number)
INT percentage: 0.7% (huge improvement - he's be best in league by a wide margin. Double it and he would be 6th in the league)
Yards/attempt: 6.5 (slight decline here, he'd be 28th)
Adj Yards/attempt: 6.8 (slight improvement here, he's be 18th)
Rating: 90.9 (he'd improve to 18th)
Sack percentage: 9.4% (decline, he'd be 32nd)

The statistical improvements are all primarily based on INT rate decline. I think the reduced yards/attempt and the higher sack rate reflect the disintigration of the OL and the shift to a lower risk short game.
 

rodderick

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Here's where Mac stands among 33 qualifiers for QB rate stats in 2022 (there were 31 qualifiers in 2021):

Completion percentage: 65.2%, 17th. (2021: 67.6%, 8th)
TD percentage: 2.7%, 31st. (4.2%, 13th)
INT percentage: 2.0%, 13th. (2.5%, 19th)
Yards/attempt: 6.8, 24th. (7.3%, 15th)
Adj Yards/attempt: 6.5, 25th.(7.0%, 16th)
Rating: 85.8, 25th. (92.5, 15th)
QBR: 32.5%, 31st. (50.9, 16th)
Sack percentage: 7.6%, 22nd. (5.1%, 10th)

In this case I think the numbers paint an accurate picture of the season Mac has had, and in comparison to last year. But it is also the case that he was terrible earlier in the season and has rebounded. Last 9 weeks:

Completion percentage: 65.2% (no change)
TD percentage: 3.0% (slight improvement, he'd be 29th if this was his full season number)
INT percentage: 0.7% (huge improvement - he's be best in league by a wide margin. Double it and he would be 6th in the league)
Yards/attempt: 6.5 (slight decline here, he'd be 28th)
Adj Yards/attempt: 6.8 (slight improvement here, he's be 18th)
Rating: 90.9 (he'd improve to 18th)
Sack percentage: 9.4% (decline, he'd be 32nd)

The statistical improvements are all primarily based on INT rate decline. I think the reduced yards/attempt and the higher sack rate reflect the disintigration of the OL and the shift to a lower risk short game.
There's very often a tradeoff between sack rate and INT rate. It's very rare for a QB to throw few interceptions without taking more sacks than average and I believe that's what happened to Mac: they drilled it into him that he should eat the ball and avoid mistakes while also cutting down the shots down the field. In the end, I think the numbers reflect the overall performance didn't really change, just the style of it.
 

Kenny F'ing Powers

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Not sure where the confusion is.

Nobody is saying that Mac played great. He'll, nobody is saying he played good/well. Just that, for the total of 4 quarters, he played OK/fine.

I'm not saying they could beat the Bills with that game from him, that he showed signs of greatness, etc. Just noting that if I were to look back on this game 5 years from now, I'm giving him a C+.

Look, I'll leave the actual breakdown to the people who will rewatch the tape (paging @SMU_Sox , where are you JonnyCakes?). But I saw some things live that I consider progress.

  • It may have been his pass down the left sideline to Bourne (I can't recall), but on a deep completion to the left sideline, Mac was getting impatient. Started with a little happy feet and even brought the ball up like he was going to throw. Then something clicked, he regained his composure, brought his arm back down and waited another second before making his throw. It was one of the few times in a sporting event you can literally see someone compose themselves mid play.
  • The Meyers TD when he was uncovered. Think about how disorganized they've been in the red zone this year. He FINALLY saw the same thing as his receiver, quick snapped, and threw a perfect ball on a playground route to him. Well executed on an ad hoc play.
  • TD route to Thornton was a well executed timing out route. Considering how many times I've seen him fuck up those throws - I had a post a few weeks ago showing him miss wide open WRs on the same throw on back to back plays - I'm marking it down as progress.
Now, again, he also missed short throws because of happy feet (the missed check route to Stevenson later in the game was egregious.) And he overthrew almost all his deep balls as if waving a middle finger to Bill "Can't throw it that far" Belichick.

But overall he played fine, limited his mistakes, and even showed some progress on staying in the pocket and making some plays. Enough to earn him a week without being heckled, anyway.
 
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Strike4

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Look, I'll leave the actual breakdown to the people who will rewatch the tape (paging @SMU_Sox , where are you JonnyCakes?). But I saw some things live that I consider progress.
There's definite progress and I think it correlates with the offense generally looking better. Inconsistency is still an issue but there's a whole lot less of the issues we saw a few weeks ago (horrid OL, plays getting in, players being out of position, etc.) For Mac specifically, I think we are still underestimating the time it takes for him to 1) get over his first NFL injury and 2) the impact of the terrible OL play on Mac as he tried to come back / protect himself. It's almost like he has a fight-or-flight response like @Kenny F'ing Powers notes in bullet #1 above, and it still resurfaces when Mac sees the pocket collapsing: happy feet, poor reads, bad throws. A few weeks ago this was happening on almost every down and Mac was really under siege due to terrible OL play. Now it's happening less but Mac still has yet to be in a place where he can feel totally confident that he can stand in the pocket and do things right without getting creamed or reinjuring his ankle. There are times when he instantly reverts and it's his fault - bad throws etc. - but now there are also times where the machinery gets in synch and Mac is flourishing with the rest of the offense. I still don't expect great results because everything can still get thrown off by a bad play call, missed blocks, bad throw, etc. Look at that horrid 4th down play where (Owenu?) was blown up. That just can't happen.

I still think the jury is out as to whether Mac is the guy. As @Eddie Jurak mentions above, things are such a mess that it can be hard to determine what's going on, but I think we're headed towards clarity with how things have gone for the offense in general the past few weeks.
 

Toe Nash

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  • The Meyers TD when he was uncovered. Think about how disorganized they've been in the red zone this year. He FINALLY saw the same thing as his receiver, quick snapped, and threw a perfect ball on a playground route to him. Well executed on an ad hoc play.
I'm going to disagree with this because I was screaming at my TV about it.

On that sequence, they had 1st and goal at the 5 after the DPI where Mac underthrew an open Meyers (easy TD) and the defender had his back turned.

First down, Mac drops back, and completely locks onto Thornton over the middle (Bourne open to his right on a bubble route). Thornton is open but the ball is behind him and high. Thornton juggles it and is OOB. Easy TD on a better throw.
Second down, Harris runs to the 1.
Third down, Pats line up heavy with Thornton wide left. Fins are late substituting, all line up at the LOS and don't cover Thornton. Thornton waving to Mac. Pats sideline calls timeout before what would be a run play.
After the timeout, Pats line up, Meyers lines up next to the tackle and then motions out left and no one goes with him. Mac notices and audibles, defender comes over late and they get the TD.

So they made a nice play (ball placement aside) but it was only after they DIDN'T see the uncovered receiver before the timeout, and after two plays just before where a better throw gets an easy TD. If the defender on the DPI turned his head he probably picks it off and ends the drive.

They're not good!
 

Reverend

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I'm going to disagree with this because I was screaming at my TV about it.

On that sequence, they had 1st and goal at the 5 after the DPI where Mac underthrew an open Meyers (easy TD) and the defender had his back turned.

First down, Mac drops back, and completely locks onto Thornton over the middle (Bourne open to his right on a bubble route). Thornton is open but the ball is behind him and high. Thornton juggles it and is OOB. Easy TD on a better throw.
Second down, Harris runs to the 1.
Third down, Pats line up heavy with Thornton wide left. Fins are late substituting, all line up at the LOS and don't cover Thornton. Thornton waving to Mac. Pats sideline calls timeout before what would be a run play.
After the timeout, Pats line up, Meyers lines up next to the tackle and then motions out left and no one goes with him. Mac notices and audibles, defender comes over late and they get the TD.

So they made a nice play (ball placement aside) but it was only after they DIDN'T see the uncovered receiver before the timeout, and after two plays just before where a better throw gets an easy TD. If the defender on the DPI turned his head he probably picks it off and ends the drive.

They're not good!
Mac “notices him”? Meyers was screaming and waving at him when no defender followed him out.

But yeah, Mac recognized it and it worked.
 

Strike4

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First down, Mac drops back, and completely locks onto Thornton over the middle (Bourne open to his right on a bubble route). Thornton is open but the ball is behind him and high. Thornton juggles it and is OOB. Easy TD on a better throw.
I don't mind this - if Mac made a better throw it's an easy TD. Thornton looked a bit jittery on it too, with time he'll get better, but we see these as TDs all the time and don't really notice how much is a QB making a good throw and how much is a WR making a good catch. We do it now because we're looking. QBs go to their binkies all the time, even when other guys are more open and Mac has had trouble with shorter throws. (If we're saying Mac can't make that throw at all, that's a different discussion.) It wasn't an INT and they did end up scoring a TD.

Second down, Harris runs to the 1.
Dolphins had 12 men on the field according to the broadcasters - not sure Mac saw it and was rushing but I think the TO came from the sidelines. EDIT - I meant the TO part.

Mac “notices him”? Meyers was screaming and waving at him when no defender followed him out.

But yeah, Mac recognized it and it worked.
Mac should have seen it earlier. The only reason Meyers got slammed is Mac threw it half a second late. If the ball is thrown on time Meyers is catching that without even leaping and the DB doesn't even touch him.

So some good, some not that good, but overall we're talking about a different set of problems than 4 weeks ago. We'll see what happens against the Bills though...
 

leftfieldlegacy

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Thats exactly what they try to do on virtually every drive this season, but defenses long ago figured out how to defend Mac by putting 9 or 10 in the box. Mac has had no answer.
If a defense is loading the box, the OC needs to design and call a play to counter that strategy. Mac has not had a great season and has not shown the growth and development we had all hoped for, but I can't blame him for not having an answer to a problem that the OC can't figure out.
 

Cellar-Door

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If a defense is loading the box, the OC needs to design and call a play to counter that strategy. Mac has not had a great season and has not shown the growth and development we had all hoped for, but I can't blame him for not having an answer to a problem that the OC can't figure out.
They try part of the problem is that blitzes require identification, which Mac lacks, and many times the weak spots in the defense require throws Mac can't consistently make. Defensive coordinators are designing how they attack the Patriots based on the weaknesses of the personnel (notably Mac, but certain line and TE weaknesses too). If Mac identifier Blitzes at a high level we'd be able to do more to hurt it, if Mac was more mobile some defensive calls come off the table. If Mac had a huge arm some coverages change.
 

Toe Nash

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Dolphins had 12 men on the field according to the broadcasters - not sure Mac saw it and was rushing but I think the TO came from the sidelines. EDIT - I meant the TO part.
TO definitely came from the sidelines, not criticizing Mac on that play too much. I think the 12th guy got off in time, which is why Thornton was uncovered. Rushing is fine there to catch them unsettled as I think they would have scored on the running play but a better organized defensive team would be set there (and not leave a receiver uncovered on the next play after they were bailed out by the timeout) so that whole sequence does not really give me much optimism.

EDIT: On further review the Patriots were lined up in illegal formation so that is why the sideline called the TO. So, Mac maybe tried to hurry to catch the defense but the team didn't line up right (not Mac's fault necessarily) so they couldn't take advantage of the defense not being set, having too many men nor Thornton being uncovered.
 
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leftfieldlegacy

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They try part of the problem is that blitzes require identification, which Mac lacks, and many times the weak spots in the defense require throws Mac can't consistently make. Defensive coordinators are designing how they attack the Patriots based on the weaknesses of the personnel (notably Mac, but certain line and TE weaknesses too). If Mac identifier Blitzes at a high level we'd be able to do more to hurt it, if Mac was more mobile some defensive calls come off the table. If Mac had a huge arm some coverages change.
Your points are valid. I just wonder if his pocket awareness would be improved with a competent QB coach to teach him blitz recognition or if a more creative OC could design better plays to make the offense less predictable. Not to mention a more consistent OL and most importantly a true #1 receiver to force defenses to think twice about blitzing and leaving a great receiver single covered. Mac will never be a mobile QB who will be a threat to defenses nor will he ever have a huge arm. I believe that mobility in the pocket and arm strength can be improved but only minimally. Mac shares responsibility for his lack of improvement this season, but there are too many other variables swirling around the Patriot offense for me to say that Mac can never be much better that he is now.
 

Cellar-Door

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Your points are valid. I just wonder if his pocket awareness would be improved with a competent QB coach to teach him blitz recognition or if a more creative OC could design better plays to make the offense less predictable. Not to mention a more consistent OL and most importantly a true #1 receiver to force defenses to think twice about blitzing and leaving a great receiver single covered. Mac will never be a mobile QB who will be a threat to defenses nor will he ever have a huge arm. I believe that mobility in the pocket and arm strength can be improved but only minimally. Mac shares responsibility for his lack of improvement this season, but there are too many other variables swirling around the Patriot offense for me to say that Mac can never be much better that he is now.
The coaching can definitely improve, and so can the playcalling, they do seem to lean on go routes too much against pressure. I get why.. They have 3 WRs who are good at them in Agholor, Tyquan and Parker, and laying it out for a guy to run into is one of Mac's better throws (sometimes he's late and underthrows it but his touch is good). But that's still a low percentage play, they need more options.
 

BaseballJones

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If a guy like Josh Allen can improve his pocket awareness and identifying what the defense is going to do, I don't see why Mac Jones can't. Mac will never have Allen's physical tools, but if Mac is coached well, there's no reason - unless he just cannot grasp the NFL game - that he can't improve on this with time and experience.
 

Strike4

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Your points are valid. I just wonder if his pocket awareness would be improved with a competent QB coach to teach him blitz recognition or if a more creative OC could design better plays to make the offense less predictable. Not to mention a more consistent OL and most importantly a true #1 receiver to force defenses to think twice about blitzing and leaving a great receiver single covered. Mac will never be a mobile QB who will be a threat to defenses nor will he ever have a huge arm. I believe that mobility in the pocket and arm strength can be improved but only minimally. Mac shares responsibility for his lack of improvement this season, but there are too many other variables swirling around the Patriot offense for me to say that Mac can never be much better that he is now.
Most times on blitzes the OL looks like in Tecmo Bowl when the defense picks your play - you just kind of hope to minimize the damage and move onto the next play. I'm not even sure recognition or OC can help at this point - some of the OL just gets absolutely blown away with regularity. Look at that 4th down play, Owenu was basically used as a cudgel to beat down Mac on the rollout.
 

kenneycb

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If a guy like Josh Allen can improve his pocket awareness and identifying what the defense is going to do, I don't see why Mac Jones can't. Mac will never have Allen's physical tools, but if Mac is coached well, there's no reason - unless he just cannot grasp the NFL game - that he can't improve on this with time and experience.
Because QBs improving in the way Josh Allen improved has pretty much never happened outside of Josh Allen.
 

rodderick

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If a guy like Josh Allen can improve his pocket awareness and identifying what the defense is going to do, I don't see why Mac Jones can't. Mac will never have Allen's physical tools, but if Mac is coached well, there's no reason - unless he just cannot grasp the NFL game - that he can't improve on this with time and experience.
I just wonder if Josh Allen's level of pocket awareness and decision making would be enough to make him a top half starter if you took away his mobility, physicality and arm strength, and even then the jump he took in those areas is pretty much unprecedented. I'm sure Mac can improve with experience and better coaching, but it is an issue that those aspects of his game were perceived as strengths coming into the draft and we're now talking about him not being good enough mentally yet. I think he has similar physical tools to Joe Burrow, that's not what will prevent Mac from succeeding in the league.
 

BaseballJones

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Evan Lazar

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#Patriots QB Mac Jones had two big-time throws in Sunday’s win. Jones’s big-time throw rate of 5% is tied for fourth-most among 33 QBs. Trails only Allen, Geno, and Rodgers. Mac now has 14 BTTs in his last six games dating back to Thanksgiving night.