Mac is Ready to Attack in 2022
Paul Rutherford | USA TODAY Sports
As the Patriots’ offseason continues and we move on towards minicamp, the leader of the team’s offense seems to be ready for the seventh hardest schedule in the NFL. Here’s why Mac Jones is ready to make a splash in his sophomore NFL season in 2022-23.
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As reported in the past weeks during voluntary workouts, Jones has been seen as “slimmed down” according to reports. This can be a sign of a want for more mobility in the pocket. To Patriots fans, this is a positive, as Jones hasn't been seen as a mobile quarterback since he entered the league. Now this doesn’t mean he will necessarily be mobile, but this will help with his extending of plays if he doesn’t like the way certain plays are developing. Additionally, this loss of a few pounds and addition of muscle mass could help with him being lighter on his feet, and delivering more strikes down the field.
“He’s in the best shape of his life. He’s definitely a lot more in shape than he ever was, just dominating in conditioning” said Patriots receiver Kendrick Bourne, according to ESPN. It’s important to think that Jones would like to keep up this physique not only for mobility, but also for the hits taken as a quarterback in the pocket. This will evidently allow for more durability throughout the course of a season and his career.
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When mandatory camp opened last week on June 7th, Mac Jones had a more than impressive start. He began camp completing twenty consecutive passes, and went an overall 24/26 for the day. This was of course a non-contact practice split up between seven-on-sevens and full offense against full defense, but a great start is exactly what Jones needed for his first full NFL offseason. Already seen as one of the first ones in and last ones out, Jones has shown that his competitive nature is so important in how he practices and prepares. This is a recipe for success for anyone playing or working under Bill Belichick. Belichick so far has been seen to be very hands on with the offense, even taking snaps at the center position, to increase full morale and trust between his players as well as their developments.
So far, Jones has become a Patriots fan favorite, and is now looking to become a team locker room favorite as well. According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, the main thing the Patriots will want Jones to be working toward in the near future is vocal command within the team. Jones has shown no signs of his competitive nature decaying, even competing with third and fourth string guys on both sides of the ball. This season will be different with there currently being no one at the offensive coordinator position. With coaches like Joe Judge and Matt Patricia sharing offensive responsibilities, it will take a lot patience and grit from Jones to transition well and lead this offense from evidently the most important position on the field.
Although the quarterback room might not be as big of a competition this year from the way things look as of now, it is definitely refreshing to see how serious Jones is taking his sophomore season, as he works on progressing his mobility in the pocket and leadership with the team in the upcoming weeks of camp.
