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Yet here we have Mack Jones, a 24-year-old NFL sophomore running the Patriots’ offense, who has made it clear over the past two weeks that he’s not afraid to show how he feels. When the jury is out on whether that’s a good or bad sign of where Jones is in his overall development — Patriots insiders are likely to say they love it, detractors are likely to call him out for it — there’s no disputing the development. A former prominent public figure in Alabama.
By now you’ve surely seen the bleep videos or tapes of Jones’ loaded %$@ moments in Monday night’s win over the Cardinals and the previous Thursday night’s loss to Buffalo.
On the wrong end of a one-sided blowout at home against the Bills, Jones closed the game yelling, “Throw [expletive] Ball! The [expletive] Fast game is bad! ” And early in the win at Arizona, with some big passes and some defensive plays before, Jones was caught showing his anger again, the first time the team had to burn the last timeout of the second half in just two games. third quarter. Like Ralph in the holiday classic “A Christmas Story,” Mac’s emphatic exhortation as he left the field was not “Fuuuudge.” He reversed the same F-word later in the game, throwing up his hands and asking “What [expletive].”
The inner rage has gone public, but if NFL watchers are wondering, they need only look at Jones’ scouting report, which has always included an element that he needs to control his emotions. And it’s coming from his college coach and Bill Belichick’s best Nick Saban.
“That was probably Mac’s biggest hurdle to overcome as a player,” Saban said on his Hey Coach & Nick Saban Show last fall. Saban shared the highlight of Jones’ transformation into a national championship quarterback when he recorded the QB in practice and showed how, as a coach, he could tell if Jones had completed a pass just based on his body language. It was these stories that led Saban to call his prized recruit “John McEnroe,” referring to Jones’ tennis-loving family.
“Can control his emotions. Especially playing the quarterback position. To not get so upset or frustrated when he throws a bad ball or makes a bad read or whatever,” Saban said. “And he had the mentality of a tennis player. It was, ‘Do you realize how you affect everyone else?'”
In some ways, it’s important for his teammates to see Jones’ frustration because they see the urgency to get it right and understand how important it is for him to get it right. That those teammates voted Jones a captain his sophomore year says they’re willing to look to him as a leader, to emotionally take a cue from him. That’s why assistant coaches Matt Patricia and Joe Judge, the de facto architects of this middle offense, insist they’re better at it.
“You love to watch it,” Patricia said Tuesday morning. “You always try to make sure you approach it in a way that helps everybody get better in those moments. That’s the biggest part as a coach.”
As the Patriots continue their weeklong stay out West, practicing ahead of Sunday’s game in Las Vegas, the conversation has continued to revolve around Jones and his hot streak. Fair or not, quarterbacks are always in the spotlight, and Jones shined on himself. It was reported Wednesday that Jones ended practice by reminding his teammates not to be on vacation, evidence that his inner voice continues to rise. Two veteran captains, Matthew Slater and Devin McCourt, are urging him to use it.
“It’s hard sometimes when you have a guy like Devin, you feel like you have to put him down all the time, but I think Devin is really intentional about saying, ‘Hey, this is your team. You have to speak up,” Slater told reporters Wednesday, according to NESN. “You have to take ownership,” and I think he did. And it’s tough. I don’t care who you are, it’s going to be tough the second year.
“But he did a very good job of it. It’s great to see him continue to grow in this role. I know we’re looking to him for that leadership and he’s done a great job. “
One outburst.
Tara Sullivan is a columnist for The Globe. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @Globe_Tara.
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