They call it the "Alabama lobotomy." When players arrive in Tuscaloosa, they undergo intensive media training, only to reemerge as cliché machines who never veer from the talking points.
But that didn't happen to Mac Jones. He willingly engaged with the media, always quick to flash a smile or share some of his football knowledge. During one press conference last year, Jones ran down Missouri's entire defense, even providing a brief scouting report on the defensive coordinator.
It was the kind of insight that isn't always provided in the bowels of Bryant-Denny Stadium, where unpaid college students are asked to field questions from reporters while decked out in official Crimson Tide polos — all under Nick Saban's watchful eye. But Jones never seemed intimidated.
"You hear a lot of the same answers, and it's not even worth going out to Tuscaloosa, because you'll just get the same BS cardboard answer," said Drew Carter, a sports anchor for CBS 42 in Birmingham, Ala. "Mac Jones will actually give you decent stuff. He was a joy to cover."
There are legitimate questions as to whether Jones will develop into an NFL quarterback. But the No. 15 overall pick will be comfortable fielding them all season long, at least according to those who covered his rise from third-string freshman to Heisman candidate.
Few reporters know Jones better than Michael Casagrande, who covers the Crimson Tide for AL.com, and lived in the same building as the QB. For one memorable story, Casagrande chronicled Jones' run as a head coach in the annual sorority flag football tournament. While Jones couldn't talk to Casagrande on the record — backups are prohibited from speaking with reporters — he still allowed the veteran sportswriter to tag along.
Over the years, Casagrande met several members of Jones' family. More than anything, he says Jones is down to earth.
"He's sharp and he's smart and he's funny," Casagrande said. "He understands the whole dynamic of reporter-player interviews. That's the most you can ask for."
Saban runs a rigid environment, much like his good friend Bill Belichick. Though press access is limited throughout the SEC (the conference bars reporters from the locker room), it's especially tight at Alabama. Saban talks twice per week, and selected players are made available on Monday and Tuesday. Oftentimes, the sessions are excruciating. There is rarely a chuckle in the scrum.
Jones was the exception.
"So many times, these guys are just staring straight at you, trying to get it over with," Casagrande said. "Not that Mac was up there every day begging to talk, but it didn't seem like it was torture to him. He was always very open, good sense of humor. One of the better guys we had to talk to."
Dubbed "The Joker," Jones kept it light with teammates, and provided moments of levity that are rare to find around Tuscaloosa. Infamously, Lane Kiffin once said he only had fun "14 times" in his three seasons coaching under Saban.
So what a refreshing sight it was, when offensive lineman Landon Dickerson performed cartwheels behind Jones during an interview with NFL Network, or whenever Jones would break into a spontaneous dance in the locker room.
"When your leader on the field is able to keep things light, that's really cool," Carter said. "I think that environment needs it. Mac Jones' personality oozed through the entire roster."
Granted, it's easy to be lighthearted when you never lose. The Crimson Tide steamrolled through the SEC last season and captured their third College Football Championship in six years. Jones' experience in New England almost certainly won't be that smooth.
The biggest shortcoming of Jones' college career came in the 2019 Iron Bowl, when he threw two pick-sixes in a demoralizing loss to Auburn. It was Jones' biggest game since taking over the starting job from Tua Tagovailoa, who was out with season-ending injuries.
After the game, Jones stood in front of the assembled press, and took full responsibility for his two intercepted throws. " I was getting tackled. I should've thrown it away," Jones said. "The other one, I've made that throw since I was 5 years old 100,000 times. I missed the throw to Jerry (Jeudy), and they picked me off and scored. It was a bad throw, and it was my fault."
With that performance in mind, Rocco DiSangro, the sports director at WHNT in Huntsville, Ala., says he thinks Jones will handle the tough Boston media with aplomb.
"The way he answered questions, you could tell he's been there before and knew what he was doing," DiSangro said. "He'll be prime in the pros to talk to reporters."
Replacing Tom Brady is a tall order, but if anything can compare to the experience of being the GOAT's heir apparent, it's being the quarterback at Alabama. Jones, a three-star recruit who waited his turn instead of transferring to another school, was one of the state's biggest stars — right behind Saban.
"I think a lot of people here say, 'I would like my son to be like Mac Jones,'" Carter said. "He became kind of a hero here."
For now, Jones is just a rookie looking to back up Cam Newton, at least as far as Belichick is concerned. Given Belichick's draft night commitment to Newton, it seems likely that Jones will start the season on the bench.
Jones' time in the spotlight may come. But to start, the quarterback story will be more about Belichick. If he struggles in training camp, it will probably be viewed as an indictment on the coach, not the player.
In a weird way, replacing Brady might actually take some of the pressure off.
"As far as pressure, it's not on Mac Jones," said WEEI's Mike Mutnansky. "It's on Bill Belichick to do what Don Shula never did, and that's find a replacement for Dan Marino. "There's much more pressure on Belichick than Mac Jones."
———————————————————
Schefter is full of crap on Aaron Rodgers: Adam Schefter says Aaron Rodgers played no role in the avalanche of Draft Day stories about his apparent desire to leave Green Bay.
Give me a break.
On "The Dan Patrick Show" Thursday, Schefter said his bombshell report about Rodgers "being so disgruntled with the Green Bay Packers that he has told some within the organization that he does not want to return to the team" wasn't built on any particular source. Instead, it was just an accumulation of what he's heard all offseason. Right.
"I've heard people say, 'Aaron Rodgers wanted that out before the draft.' I can assure you Aaron Rodgers didn't want it out before the draft," Schefter said. "I've had people say, 'the Green Bay Packers planted that. It was a very pro-Packers story.' I can assure you the Packers didn't plant that. When people guess at where stories come from, more often than not, they're usually wrong. In this case, they're wrong. This was an accumulation all during the offseason of hearing people talk and observing."
So we're supposed to believe it was just a coincidence that every NFL Insider broke the same story about Rodgers' unhappiness at the same exact time? Sorry Schefty, but that doesn't pass the smell test.
Barstool controversies becoming trite: Nantucket Magazine has apologized, and then kind of retracted its apology for writing a glowing cover story about Dave Portnoy's campaign to raise money for small businesses impacted by COVID-19. The whole routine is tiring at this point.
Whenever Barstool controversies arise, the same playbook emerges: "blue checkmark" Twitter people trudge up oft-repeated stories about Portnoy's sexism and misogyny, while Barstool employees circle the virtual wagons. It's been the same debate for years.
Here's where we are now: The Barstool of 2021 is a media conglomerate that hires NFL Hall of Famers and commonly hosts celebrities on its various shows. Portnoy's reputation as an outrageous character far outweighs the reality these days.
ESPN already stepping on NHL: This week, ESPN anchor and former NESN host Randy Scott erroneously compared Sidney Crosby to headhunter Tom Wilson after Crosby had engaged in a tussle Wednesday night.
As Andrew Limberg at The Fan in Pittsburgh points out, Scott's tweet would be the equivalent of a personality ripping Tom Brady before their network takes up NFL rights. For hockey fans in Pittsburgh, ESPN's foray back into hockey is already beginning on a regrettable note.
