Getty Mac Jones
M
ac Jones appears to be doing all the right things and the New England Patriots are more than happy with what the quarterback has been doing this offseason.
Jones is entering his second season in the NFL. In 2021, he had an impressive rookie season racking up 3,801 yards, and 22 touchdowns. Throwing the most touchdowns of any rookie that season, Jones brought a state of calmness to a position that has experienced a high level of turnover and uncertainty since the departure of Tom Brady.
2022 will be a crucial season for Jones. Fans will be waiting to see if he steps up or has a slump in his sophomore season in the NFL.
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Jones has been putting in a ton of work this offseason. Down in Florida, he held an unofficial throwing camp with various Patriots teammates in April.
According to The Athletic’s Jeff Howe, the Patriots brass are quite pleased with Jones’ effort this offseason.
“This shouldn’t be very surprising, but the Patriots sound ecstatic with quarterback Mac Jones’ offseason dedication,” Howe stated. “Jones has spent long hours at Gillette Stadium, often beating the coaching staff into the building to get a jump-start on film study for the day. He is also taking ownership of the offense, willing to vouch for plays and concepts that he likes and pump the brakes on the stuff that hasn’t worked.”
Why 2022 is so Important for Mac Jones?
On top of Jones needing to take the next step in his NFL career, there are other reasons why 2022 will be such an important year for Jones.
Jones will be entering some uncharted waters along with the rest of the Patriots offense. Josh McDaniels is no longer offensive coordinator and Joe Judge has been working with Jones this offseason.
While New England’s offense will have a good chunk of players returning, the offense will look different. McDaniels won’t be calling plays and Judge will be joined on the sideline by Matt Patricia who will also be coaching on the sidelines. For a young player such as Jones, having consistency and familiarity within the organization would make his development as a quarterback just that much easier.
Jones will need to adapt to a new system and build on the quality rookie season that he had in 2021. If he is able to put up similar numbers in 2022, fans will realize that his rookie season was indeed not a fluke.
Leading The Way
As stated by Howe, Jones is taking ownership of the offense. He’s no longer just running the plays that are called, he’s influencing decisions and telling the coaching staff what is working and what will not.
These leadership qualities are exactly what fans want to see in a quarterback. He is the captain of the offense and leads the unit into battle. Especially for a 23-year-old, it’s impressive to see how Jones carries himself both on and off the field.
So if the Patriots are ecstatic about Jones so should the fans, 2022 may just end up being a breakout year for the quarterback.