Patriots’ Josh McDaniels high on Mac Jones, the way he handles mistake

On Tuesday, the Patriots made a surprise move and cut Cam Newton while naming rookie Mac Jones their starting quarterback for 2021. 

The two players shared snaps throughout camp, but Jones took over all of the first-team reps while Newton was away from the team due to a COVID-19-related miscommunication for most of last week. It was during that week and in the subsequent game against the Giants that Jones really began to shine and show significant improvement.

Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who has had two stints with the Patriots from 2001-2008 and since 2012, had an extensive list of compliments for the former Alabama star. 

“When you look at the whole body of work since he’s gotten here…he’s been well-prepared each day to come in and do the things we ask our players to do…he’s improved,” McDaniels told the media. “He’s generally taken care of the football. He’s giving the other 10 guys on the field the opportunity to do their job effectively and produce positive plays.”

It’s not about Jones’ mistakes, it’s what he does following them

McDaniels is especially fond of the way the rookie handles mistakes. 

“He made mistakes in [last week’s practices],” McDaniels said. “That’s to be expected of any young player, really any player, but specifically any young player. And I thought we had a chance to make some progress off of those mistakes as well, so every rep he takes is valuable. Every young player is in the same boat. They don’t have a ton of experience in every situation, so the more you can put them in those positions and let them experience things, the better.”

Young players often get flustered, and it negatively impacts their play. With Jones, that does not appear to be the case. 

“He’s a great listener, and he tries not to make the same mistake twice,” McDaniels added. “I’m not saying that he never does, but I think he’s really shown a strong aptitude at a young age to try to put those mistakes behind him and then move on and try to continue to improve as a quarterback.”

Jones went 36-for-52 with 389 yards and a touchdown this preseason. He did not throw an interception.

The Patriots open the regular season against the Dolphins. Jones will start against his former Alabama teammate Tua Tagovailoa.