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For the second consecutive season, the New England Patriots are taking an unconventional strategy to their quarterback room. A yr after letting Matt Patricia and Joe Judge do some on-the-job learning as co-offensive coordinators, the team cut backup quarterbacks Bailey Zappe and Malik Cunningham. Although the group hopes to retain them on the follow squad, they must clear waivers, leaving Mac Jones as the only quarterback on the roster.
After a dalliance with Zappe underneath middle throughout Jones’ harm, and the group’s offensive struggles in 2022, the Mac-churian Candidate has the gig all to himself. It’s curious as a result of New England has a brand new playcaller in Invoice O-Brien, and theoretically a brand new offense, as effectively. Whereas any construction and competence is an enchancment over Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb, we didn’t see a lot of Jones within the preseason in any respect.
This wouldn’t be an enormous deal for a longtime quarterback, or perhaps a journeyman, however Jones is coming off a yr through which he regressed mightily. Once more, not all his fault, and O’Brien has a great deal of expertise to assist out his third-year QB, but it’s a bizarre vibe.
Jones and O’Brien met briefly whereas one was offboarding and the opposite was onboarding in Tuscaloosa, and the sign caller was reportedly completely happy about an official working relationship in Foxborough when it was introduced. So, why can’t we see it? Let it rip.
Jones went 6-of-9 for 52 yards, getting sacked twice, in his very restricted preseason work, and maybe that was by design for Invoice Belichick who has at all times loved just a little gamesmanship. Far be it for me to query the Hoodie’s strategies…
On the identical time, that is the man who OK’d the Patricia-Choose combo, which set again his younger quarterback for at the least a season, and has made some out-of-character front-office strikes even for Belichick.
JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker, and Hunter Henry head up a bunch of cross catchers that excite actually nobody. Rhamondre Stevenson is a beast of a working again, and he’ll must be with the corpse of Ezekiel Elliot serving because the resident backup. Oh, and the offensive line allowed 11 sacks in three warm-up video games.
Regardless of lacking three video games in 2022, solely 10 different QBs had been sacked greater than Jones (34). Sure, that was final yr, and that is solely preseason, however sooner or later, we have to see the Mac Jones of two to 3 seasons in the past to confirm that he nonetheless exists. Till then, it may not be the worst concept for the Patriots to have at the least one reserve quarterback on the roster.
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