Mac Jones may look the part of quarterback for the Patriots. But that doesn’t mean he’s the right guy for the future.
On The Greg Hill Show Friday, Keyshawn Johnson downplayed Jones’ ability to one day lead the Patriots to a Super Bowl. In Johnson’s mind, Jones just isn’t good enough.
“He’s a good little piece to what New England wanted to do. When he had to play quarterback, it didn’t work out in their favor,” Johnson said.
Ouch. While Jones put up impressive numbers for a rookie — 67.6 completion percentage, 92.5 QBR — he didn’t show he’s capable of putting the Patriots on his back and throwing for 300 yards en route to a victory. Admittedly, that’s a high bar, but it’s something all elite quarterbacks must be able to accomplish.
In Jones’ defense, the Patriots played conservatively on offense, preferring to establish the run at the start of most games. When Jones was asked to throw downfield, the Patriots were often trailing.
He surpassed 250 passing yards on eight occasions.
Johnson says the Patriots tried to mask Jones’ limitations.
“They protected him as much as they could and got enough out of that. And because he looks the part like the New England quarterbacks of the world — the Scott Zolak types — they think they got something,” Johnson said. “He’s a good player, but he ain’t not Josh Allen. That’s a problem for them.”
That much is true: Jones probably won’t turn into Josh Allen. As Johnson mentioned, he’s not Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow or Justin Herbert either.
But few are. Unfortunately, the path to winning in the NFL usually involves an elite QB.
“We can cover it however want to make it look, but I ain’t no damn fool. I know what I see,” Johnson said.
Listen to the clip here:
