New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick still has a massive question mark looming over the quarterback position with just a few weeks to go until the start of the regular season. Should the team stick with 2020 starter Cam Newton under center or plug-in highly touted rookie Mac Jones right away?
Former Patriots executive Michael Lombardi also has a few questions of his own about the quarterback battle, but thinks that Belichick and the coaching staff would be better off staying patient with the 2021 first-rounder.
In an episode of “The GM Shuffle” podcast with himself and Adnan Virk, Lombardi explained that New England should be sure that Jones is ready before trotting him out under center. If the team were to let him play and later bench him if he struggled, the former Patriots exec is worried that would have a detrimental impact on the young quarterback’s confidence.
“If you’re Belichick, do you put Mac in to start the season?” Lombardi posited on the latest episode of the podcast. “And then if Mac struggles and doesn’t look good, are you going to bench him? And then how will you get him back again? How do you renew his confidence? You’re better off being patient. You’re better off letting the crops in the field grow. You’re better off letting it have a little more time to sink its roots.”
Interesting to hear @mlombardiNFL on The GM Shuffle podcast, where he discussed the different situations facing teams with rookie QBs. Here’s a portion of what he said on Mac Jones and the Patriots. Mike watched the Patriots and Eagles practice Tuesday.https://t.co/UCd4C2wsd5 pic.twitter.com/SH4DdqdjbT
— Phil Perry (@PhilAPerry) August 18, 2021
The Patriots have been impressed with Jones thus far in training camp and he played well in the team’s first preseason game a week ago. He completed 13 of his 19 pass attempts for 87 yards and looked fairly comfortable in his first time on the field as a professional. Still, Newton handled the reps with the other starters at the beginning of the game against the Washington Football Team.
Jone was selected as the No. 15 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and figures to jump the veteran Newton on the Patriots depth chart at some point. However, at just 22 years of age, he still needs time to develop before he’s thrown into a regular season game.
Time will tell who the Patriots trot out under center in Week 1 of the regular season on Sept. 12.
The post Ex-Patriots Executive Reveals His Preference For Mac Jones appeared first on The Spun.
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