Josh McDaniels puts Mac Jones’ performance against the Titans in perspective

There have been plenty of different views of Mac Jones’ performance against the Titans.

The outside opinions have run the gamut from great to not so good, even with Jones throwing for over 300 yards, with two touchdowns, and a 123.2 quarterback rating.

Josh McDaniels’ view?

The Patriots offensive coordinator believes it’s a mix of both, and that’s just fine for a rookie quarterback.

“I think the other day was very similar to a lot of other games this year, where there’s a lot to be happy with, and then there’s definitely things to coach and correct,” McDaniels said on a video call Tuesday. “I think he touched on a few things after the game that he felt like he had an opportunity to maybe capitalize on and didn’t. I think that’s probably pretty commonplace right now.

“I’m still waiting for the perfect game. Haven’t had that yet. It’s just difficult to go through an entire NFL game and not have some things that you either make mistakes on, or learn from. I think the big thing for us is we are seeing growth in his ability to process the opponent every week. His ability to change from one week to the next, in terms of the mindset of handling, let’s just say, the problem players. Or the problem schemes that come up. But that’s an ongoing process.

“Buffalo’s defense is quite a bit different from Tennessee’s. Tennessee’s was similar to Atlanta in some ways, but there was definitely some other things that were different. So this week is going to be another big challenge there.”

Through 12 games, Jones has completed 70.3 percent of his passes for 2,850 yards with 16 touchdowns and eight interceptions. His 97.1 passer rating is 14th in the league, the best among his fellow rookies.

McDaniels said he appreciates Jones’ approach, of always wanting to do things the right way.

“He’s a very good listener,” McDaniels said. “He’s in tune with what happened. He usually gives me very good feedback for what he saw, which is a great sign for a young player . . . he usually has a really good grasp of what happened on the series that he was just out there for. We have good dialogue about it and he has good answers to any questions that I have.

“But he has a great attitude about going out there and trying to do everything right, which I love.”

Jones has shown an ability to recognize coverages quickly. He also has been able to absorb a ton of information, which comes in handy for McDaniels.

Best of all, he corrects mistakes. If he makes one, it usually doesn’t happen again in the same circumstance.

“He’s a guy that wants to do everything the best that he can, so if we, for some reason, didn’t have great success in a series, then he’s got an urgency about him and a desire to do it better,” said McDaniels.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2ZCymBY