Quarterbacks are built up to be torn down.
It’s the reality of the position, especially in the cut-throat world of the NFL. There is a fine line between love and hate, pleasure and pain.
It happens to Hall of Famers and backups. Really to anyone not named Tom Brady, whose fists of Super Bowl rings shielded him from the critiques of mere mortals.
Popularity and perceived perfection at the quarterback position are waning, just ask Patrick Mahomes. The road from Next Big Thing to disappointment is shorter than you’d think.
When it comes to Patriots rookie starting quarterback Mac Jones, the buildup has to be nearly complete as it’s reached atmosphere-challenging levels in Patriot Nation.
In case you haven’t noticed, Jones is the second-coming.
Of who exactly? Well, you decide.
The No. 15 overall pick out of Alabama’s bandwagon is overbooked these days. They’ve even had to stop selling standing-room-only tickets to his coming out party.
And the bandwagon bus driver is none other than ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky, the former UConn star and NFL journeyman backup QB previously best known for rolling out of the back of the end zone for an unforgettable safety.
Now settling in nicely as an entertaining, energetic, emotional, reactionary hot-taker, Orlovsky loves him some Jones like a fat man loves a buffet.
“I think Mac Jones is the best rookie quarterback I have ever seen when it comes to knowing who to throw to, when to throw it and then how to throw it," Orlovsky gushed this week.
Whoa! There it is. Recency bias or not. Attention lure or not. Jones is the best ever! (Or at least best Orlovsky has seen, which let’s assume is a lot of people.)
Sorry, but let’s also jam on the bandwagon anti-lock brakes.
Reality is just around the bend and would like a word with not only Orlovsky but so many of the other Jones-loving hype men who’ve begun work on the young passer’s bust while also starting to design the Patriots next Super Bowl ring.
Jones is a very good young quarterback. So far he’s by far the best of the 2021 rookie QB bunch. He’s earned four NFL wins in eight starts. Has a high completion percentage and a low “what the hell was that?” percentage.
He beat out Cam Newton for the job because he was indeed that much better than the former MVP.
He’s the clear, stabilizing present at the quarterback position in New England. He’s the Patriots new franchise passer with a very bright future.
This is not about hating on Jones.
Nope.
This is about reality. Perspective. Allowing things to play out and giving time for a sample size to develop. You know, the kinds of things that are frowned upon or forgotten in today’s social media driven culture.
Reality says that Jones landed in a great spot in New England. Has a better team around him and a far better foundational coaching staff than most high-pick rookie QBs, certainly better than that of the rest of his draft class. Reality says that Jones was perceived to be “NFL ready” prior to the draft and is proving that accurate. That in pre-draft lingo he was a prospect with a high floor but a ceiling that was very much debatable.
Perspective would note that even Jones admitted after one of his games that the other team had too many chances to touch the ball, even if they didn’t result in lowlights or resume-altering interceptions.
Sample size indicates that eight games in the NFL is like zooming in from space on Google Earth and trying to figure out where the hell you are on the planet. New England build-him-up-to-tear-him-down veteran and former MVP Drew Bledsoe would tell you that. Oh wait, Bledsoe never won an MVP? Well, he might have if eight games were the criteria for absolutely anything.
This may be a news flash to Orlovsky and the Jones bandwagon band leaders, but there have been good rookie QBs before. Some panned out, some petered out. Andrew Luck took the Colts from No. 1 overall pick to the playoffs. Ben Roethlisberger went 13-0 as a starter for the Steelers on the way to the No. 1 seed while putting up really efficient numbers.
Sorry, but Jones may not be quite as a special as some are painting him out to be, because special takes time.
And while he’s riding the wave of early-career, honeymoon-period buildup right now, sooner or later he’s going to reach the top of the roller coaster that is life as an NFL quarterback. Then come the pot shots, critiques and probably exaggerated emphasis on his short comings. Then his yes-man answers to every reporter’s question and goofy laugh may seem more awkwardly uncomfortable than endearing.
Maybe that will come later this season, now that so many have promoted Jones’ Patriots to true playoff contenders. Some are even labeling that still-lofty goal as an expectation at this point. Others have at least brought up Super Bowl possibilities for Jones and Co.
Maybe, though, the harsh reality of his high-glory and high-stress job will hold off until his second season. Then he’ll face an offseason of Year 2 Jump talk and even more aggressive buildup. He’ll have experience on his side and expectations on his shoulders.
But rest assured, the tear-down is coming.
Jones and all of Patriot Nation should enjoy the rookie QB’s current lot in life. Enjoy that he’s the toast of an entire football-loving nation. That his advocates are everywhere while his critics silenced under the sheer volume of his praise.
Whether it’s turning the corner to the second half of his first season, including Sunday’s trip to Carolina to take on a Panthers defense that’s probably his toughest test to date, sooner or later Jones is going to face adversity and criticism.
How he deals with that next chapter in his young career, well that will decide just how great an NFL quarterback Jones really is and is going to be over the long haul.
The buildup of the young Patriots star is nearly complete. The tear-down is coming. It’s a matter of when, not if.
Good luck, Mac.
