We all know it’s foolish to compare Mac Jones to Tom Brady. But the similarities in their games are difficult to ignore. Sean McDonough would know, since he serves as one of ESPN’s lead college football voices, and called multiple Alabama games last season.
In an interview Monday with “The Greg Hill Show,” McDonough talked about Jones’ ascent in Tuscaloosa. Much like Brady, Jones did not start for the first three years of his college career, and wasn’t even guaranteed to start during his senior campaign. Heading into camp, all eyes were on Bryce Young, the nation’s top high school recruit. But Jones beat him out, leading the Crimson Tide to an undefeated season and national championship.
“At the beginning of the year, he was the question mark,” McDonough said. "It wasn’t even guaranteed he was going to be the quarterback. As the season went on, I’ve read the comparisons to Tom Brady — and I know it’s ridiculous to say that or even think that, given what Tom has done. To me, he’s the greatest football player of all-time, not just quarterback. But there are similarities in a lot of things.”
McDonough, who called Alabama’s opening contest of the 2020 season, says Jones’ awareness in the pocket is reminiscent of Brady’s.
“One thing that stood out to me every time I watched him play was, like Brady, he’s not the most athletic guy, but always had a great sense and feel for the rush and where it was and which half-step he needed to take to take in which direction to get the throw off cleanly,” McDonough said. “He has a real instinctive feel for that, Mac Jones does.”
McDonough is hardly the first person who’s mentioned how Jones used Brady as an inspiration to develop his game. In a recent feature story, Boston Herald Patriots writer Andrew Callahan outlines how the Alabama standout “modeled his footwork” after Brady’s and “stole elements of Brady’s game preparation.”
The similarities are also symbolic: Jones won a national championship in the same stadium Brady ended his Michigan career. They also both rocked the dad bod in their college days.
One persistent knock against Jones is how talented his teammates were, and thus, difficult to project how he’ll translate to the NFL. Six Alabama players were taken in the first round of the draft — tying an NFL record. But McDonough says that’s overblown.
“I read, ‘He had the best offensive line in college football, and the best receivers and running back,’ and all of that is true,” McDonough said. "But I still think, as they like to say in scouting, the tape doesn’t lie. When you watch the tape, and talk to him, he’s as impressive as can be."
The numbers also don’t lie: Jones completed an incredible 75 percent of his passes for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns.
“I think he’s going to have a great NFL career.”
In addition to providing analysis on Jones, McDonough offered his thoughts on the first-place Red Sox. He’ll make his debut in WEEI's Sox Booth for Tuesday’s game against the Braves.
The longtime Sox broadcaster says he’s looking forward to covering winning and likable club for the first time since he became part of the WEEI Red Sox team in 2019.
“Last year was such an aberration in the COVID year with all of the weirdness and stress surrounding that, and the team was dreadful,” McDonough said. “The pitching last year was as bad as I can remember in my lifetime for a Red Sox team. So it’s been a real pleasant surprise to see how well some of these starters have pitched. Hopefully they can continue to do that, because if they can, I think it’s going to be a real fun summer around here.”