Patriots DB talks benefits of practicing vs. Cam Newton, Mac Jones

New England Patriots defensive back Jason McCourty believes in the benefits of practicing against both Cam Newton and Mac Jones. He mentions the duo’s distinct and different styles when playing quarterback as a reason why.

“It’s something that I think is great for the season, because it’s something that we see week in and week out,” McCourty told the Boston Herald. “The game plan that we have for like, a Lamar Jackson, if we see Baltimore, we’ll be a little different than if we play Tennessee and we’ve got (Ryan) Tannehill. It’s something that we talk about. That we’re paying attention to.”

While practicing against the more mobile Newton, the Patriots have an opportunity to see the zone reads they’ll be trying to stop when they play Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. On the other hand, Jones and his ability as a pocket-passer will come in handy when Tom Brady and the Buccaneers come to Foxboro.

Different styles

With the Patriots schedule featuring a good mix of both pocket passers and mobile quarterbacks, it’s invaluable for the defense to learn how to go about stopping them. Along with players like Allen, Brady and Tannehill, Atlanta’s Matt Ryan, Los Angeles’ Justin Herbert and Dallas’ Dak Prescott are also on the schedule.

McCourty knows it’s not every year that you have the opportunity to see two different quarterbacking styles at practice. As the Patriots prepare for the season, the defensive back is grateful for the unique situation. 

“With quarterback you don’t always get that in a training camp to have two guys that have pretty different styles. But it’s great work for us as a defense because, obviously you have to play to those styles,” McCourty told the Boston Herald. “But it builds the communication. Whatever calls, whatever things that we like against one guy, you might not like against the other guy.”

New New England Patriots

The Patriots underwent drastic changes this offseason, specifically through signing free agents. This season, both the team’s offense and defense will look different.

Specifically, the defense should be vastly improved. The team signed linebackers Matthew Judon and Kyle Van Noy, the latter returning for his second stint in New England. Also, safety Jalen Mills is coming over from Philadelphia, joining McCourty in the secondary. 

Additionally, there’s a lot of talk on the offensive side of the ball about when Jones, New England’s first-round pick, will unseat Newton as the Patriots’ starting quarterback. It’s seemingly a match made in heaven, with Jones going from Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide to Bill Belichick’s Patriots.

Alas, Jones isn’t being named the starter just yet. While his impact on the field is up in the air at the moment, Jones is still helping his defense prepare. That in turn could be just as important to the Patriots’ success this season.

As McCourty states, the biggest thing for defenses in the NFL is communication. At practice, that’s been the challenge when switching between Newton and Jones, but it’ll pay off in the long run.

“So, we have to pay attention, no matter who is in the game of communicating that and getting to right call,” McCourty told the Boston Herald. “So that’s been a challenge. It’s something that we’re trying to stay on top of.”

Image courtesy of Kathryn Riley / Stringer via Getty Images