Due to COVID-19 contact tracing fans have had to, unfortunately, temper their patience and wait to see Alabama play some football again this season.
During those two weeks, the team has also had to keep themselves in game form with simulated practices and team meetings to keep its focus on the task ahead.
Nobody likes to wait for football to be played again, but waiting is something quarterback Mac Jones knows a thing or two about.
Jones famously joined the Crimson Tide when it had two high profile starting quarterbacks on the roster in Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts. With each of them showing tremendous success and having multiple years of eligibility, it created an easy excuse for Jones to move on from the program. But it’s his unique attitude and approach to the game that kept him in Tuscaloosa, and head coach Nick Saban discussed some of his traits during his Wednesday teleconference.
“We really liked Mac in high school. We liked his athleticism. He was accurate with the ball,” Saban said. “When he came as a freshman, he was probably 180, 185 pounds was not very strong, needed to mature physically. A very, very smart and bright guy that actually took advantage of being behind some very good quarterbacks, Jalen and Tua, in his time here and used those experiences. I think to help himself develop.
“But the guy had one of those attitudes where he just wanted to get better and he just wanted to improve and be a player here. That’s something that has paid tremendous dividends for him because he did make a tremendous amount of progress since he was a freshman, and he’s playing very well for us right now.”
The preparation and patience have culminated into a Heisman Trophy campaign this season for Jones, who prior to the two-week layoff had been embarrassing opposing defenses with deep and efficient passing.
So far this season Jones is yet to have a game where he completed less than 74% of his passes and has thrown for over 380 yards in four of the team’s six games. But in the moments where Jones does make a mistake, he never appears to be shaken or discouraged which is a big area of improvement over his career.
There have been numerous times throughout the season where Saban has mentioned during his press conferences how the Florida native has grown with his maturity and poise. Those are two traits integral to the success of a quarterback and it has rubbed off on the rest of the team.
“Well, Mac’s matured, and I think there’s a lot more confidence now,” Saban said back in October. “I think he knows what he has to do is stay focused and play the next play. He’s played within himself very well in the first two games and that’s something we want him to continue to do.”
To many, he has taken the country by storm with his play, but to his teammates, the success of their quarterback comes as no surprise.
“It doesn’t surprise me,” Alabama tight end Miller Forristall said on Monday. “I know it surprises a lot of people, especially on the outside. I don’t want to call all you guys out but I know a lot of people didn’t see that from Mac Jones and we have for the past two or three years the way he’s worked and prepared and turned himself into one of the premier football players in the country. I’m proud of him, he’s going to keep working and we’re excited to see what else he can do.”
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Patrick Dowd is a Reporter for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via Pat_Dowd77
