Not so long ago, it seemed like the New England Patriots had already found their guy.
Mac Jones made a strong impression right out of the gate, and while he was never the most explosive athlete out there, he looked poised and NFL-ready from the jump.
However, he regressed last season, and some antics and tantrums on the sidelines made some people question whether he was mature enough to lead the team going forward.
But now that Bill Belichick has decided to keep him as the one and only quarterback in their 53-man roster ahead of the upcoming campaign, most of his teammates rallied to show their confidence in him, as reported by NFL.com.
“Obviously, Mac is our quarterback. We’ve got a lot of belief in him,” Patriots special teams standout Matthew Slater said on Tuesday, via The Boston Globe. “We support him. I’m sure, and I don’t know much, but I’m sure there will be another quarterback at some point and time. You don’t usually go into a game with one quarterback.”
“He makes it fun to go out there and play,” tight end Mike Gesicki added. “We’re always joking around, but when it’s time to lock in, he’s leading the offense and has done a great job.
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Jones’ work ethic has been his calling card since his days with the Alabama Crimson Tide.
He knows he didn’t do well last season, and vowed to lead by example since before the beginning of OTAs, vowing to win his teammates’ respect back this season.
It seems like he’s succeeded in that regard.
Reports from the Patriots camp show that he had his highest completion percentage in training camp since he entered the league, and his rapport with DaVante Parker is promising.
Having Bill O’Brien design the offense around him should grant the team much better results than the ones they got last season, although it’s not like the bar was very high to begin with.
Whatever the case, the Patriots are ready to roll with Jones, and it seems like his job is safe for now.
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