Can Mac Jones be the quarterback to lead the New England Patriots back to Super Bowl success?
After a frustrating 2022 season, there is optimism among the team that he can. New England hired Bill O’Brien as the offensive coordinator, and he’s injected energy into Jones. The third-year quarterback has had a successful offseason and is excited about the potential to get All-Pro wide receiver, DeAndre Hopkins. Some have their doubts about Jones as the guy, but an ESPN analyst believes in the Alabama football alum. Kirk Herbstreit called Jones a ‘Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback’ on the Pat McAfee Show.
“I’m 1000% behind Mac Jones and without a doubt that offense will be much improved”@KirkHerbstreit #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/dIpmft6Xko
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) June 22, 2023
“He will be in the top three most improved quarterbacks in the league,” Herbstreit said about Jones. “The Patriots will be one of the top three most improved offenses. I am 1,000 percent behind Mac Jones. Of all the younger quarterbacks that have not had an opportunity to prove their consistency in what they can offer, I am telling you right now that Mac Jones is going to be a Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback very shortly. Whether it’s this year or the next coming years, he is that good.”
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Herbstreit said Jones had no chance last season.
He did not have any weapons around him, and the coaching staff did not set him up for success.
“To blame him for what happened last year is a bunch of bulls—-,” Herbstreit continues his defense of Jones.
“You get Bill O’Brien, who is as good of an offensive mind as there is, to come in and work with Mac Jones, I am telling you that you are going to see a drastic change in what he’s doing as a quarterback and what the Patriots will be able to do on offense.”
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Herbstreit was impressed with Jones in his lone season as a starter for Alabama in 2020.
He orchestrated the most dynamic offense in the Nick Saban era, averaging 48.5 points per game. The combination of Jones and Steve Sarkisian propelled the Crimson Tide to an undefeated College Football Playoff National Championship season. Jones set a single-season school record for passing yards (4,500) and touchdown passes (41). He became a Heisman finalist, Consensus All-American, and a first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. We will see how he bounces back for New England in the fall.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
