For many a fleeting moon was Trevor Lawrence hailed as a potential footballing deity, this celestial being born into the city of Knoxville with three wise men, pretentious gifts in hand, surrounding his cozy manger. Indeed, Tennessee’s Trev was plucked first from the recent Draft following an imperiously impressive College career with Clemson: ‘With the first pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars select…’ You know the rest, and with an unconvincing grin so did Lawrence, long before this day arrived.
But what they failed to apprehend on that late April evening in Cleveland was that the sparkling key to immediate success lurked further down the chart: ‘With the fifteenth pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the six-time World Champion New England Patriots select…Mac Jones.’ And there it was. For the first time in his twenty-two-year tenure in Massachusetts, Bill Belichick had selected a quarterback in the first round of the draft. Well, William, it would appear you have chosen wisely.
Comparing Jones to the rest of the first-round rookie quarterbacks is a bit like comparing Sydney to Skegness - one is clearly better than the other (unless you’re a proud yellowbelly, of course). Week 14 is hastily around the corner; the Patriots are 9-4 and sit not just at the peak of the AFC East, but atop the conference itself. Winners of their previous seven and averaging a smidgen over 32 points per game, the cogs are turning with a smooth, oddly hypnotic, rhythm.
Competing with Tua Tagovailoa for the starting quarterback role at Alabama before his contestant departed for Miami’s palm trees and leathery geriatrics, Jones would impress in front of the watchful eyes of a nation. Victorious in the 2021 College Football Playoff National Championship (…and breathe), he’d later discover himself third in the running for the Heisman Trophy behind, yep, Lawrence, and Alabama ally and ultimate victor, Devonta Smith.
Few would have forecasted a transition this swift. ‘Sure, the kid’s good, but is he that good?’ New England have been blessed for a generation with the greatest to ever grace a football field, God’s sporting kin himself, Tom Brady. Even in his Florida retirement home he continues to find his receivers with surgical precision, but the legacy he instilled amongst the Foxborough crowd is unsurpassable. Think Aaron Rodgers replacing Brett Favre: an unripened twenty-one-year-old emerges from College, is selected later than anticipated in the first round, and by a franchise who just so happen to have an ageing legend as their signal caller. Yep, it turned out pretty good.
And this would have flickered nervously in Jones’ mind. Stepping through the garish doors of an organisation synonymous with success, and the Super Bowl itself, is a daunting enough task for someone chosen in the early picks. But the Patriots didn't have a choice, and after the failed experiment with Cam Newton, they needed a fresh chapter, desperately. Step into December, where five crucial weeks are all that remain for those in pursuit of the play-offs, and where Jones has stunned a sporting world, leaving their jaws scraping against the floor.
2,869 passing yards later, Jones is convincingly clear of his first-round foes in almost every category. Slinging seven more touchdowns than Lawrence, and with a completion rate of 70.3% — 12.3% greater than the current Jaguars incumbent — all the early signals place the Patriots’ QB in a vividly auspicious light. Rare it is to see him holding onto the ball for lengthy periods, his ability to consistently find his receiver both in and out of the pocket has aroused the footballing hedonists, allaying concerns over his ability on the grandest stage of them all.
On sparse occasions does a team attempt three or fewer passes in a game, let alone depart victorious. Still hiding beneath the turf are the Buffalo Bills, on the wrong (and slightly embarrassing) end of a 14-10 scoreline on Monday night. 44 run plays, three passes thrown; winning doesn't always have to be pretty. Although it’s far from showcasing his true abilities in the position, it rather displays his footballing intelligence and patience. It got the job done, and that’s all that ever matters.
Into a bye week he strides at the summit of the festive standings. A close couple of eyeballs peered over his competitors; a venture to Indianapolis follows before the visits of Buffalo and Lawrence’s Jacksonville, as they complete their schedule in Miami. Many a hurdle closing in, many a point yet to be scored, but only to emulate his predecessor does Jones have immediate sights for.
Comments