IS THERE ENOUGH RECEIVING TALENT TO ENHANCE JONES?
When Mac Jones dropped back to pass while playing for Nick Saban at Alabama, he had his pick of elite weapons to target.
Fellow 2021 first-round picks DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle pretty much retrieved everything thrown in their direction by the Patriots starter, while John Metchie III, who is still a member of the Crimson Tide, was another stud Jones could count on, as was running back Najee Harris.
How will the Patriots receivers stack up? Are they good enough to help bring out the best in Jones? Or will he be the one to bring out the best in them?
Currently, even with considerable cash being spent on Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne in free agency to upgrade the wide receiver group, there are still concerns whether the in-house receivers will provide enough of an impact.
Earlier in the month, Pro Football Focus ranked the Patriots as having the 26thbest group of pass-catchers in the league, which doesn’t exactly move the needle. The good news? Along with tight ends Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry,
there’s at least one player in the receiver mix Jones will surely count on.
Jakobi Meyers.
On one hand, it’s crazy that an undrafted wide receiver is the best guy in the room, but through training camp and the preseason, Meyers continued to impress with his ability to get open.
He looked even better than last season, when he had to take the reins from Julian Edelman, and provide a passcatching presence.
Former Patriots star Deion Branch, who has been on hand in previous seasons working with the receivers during camp, isn’t surprised at how much Meyers has grown.
The Super Bowl XXXIX MVP also feels pretty strongly that the receiving group will surprise people.
But let’s start with Meyers. Branch had an inkling back when Meyers was the last guy in the receiver line, which is where he sat at the beginning of his first and second seasons, that the former NC State wideout was going to rise up the ladder.
“You could see that this guy never gave up,” said Branch, when reached recently. “He came to work with his hard hat on every day, and with all the injuries they had last year, he was thrust into a position he always wanted to be in.”
After Edelman’s departure Week 7, Meyers picked up the slack, and wound up with 59 catches for 729 yards during the final 11 games. He racked up a whopping 81 targets. He also converted 37 first downs.
Talk about rising to the head of the class, now he’s at the front of the line, leading the group in drills.
He became Cam Newton’s go-to-guy in 2020, and he continues to be that guy a year later. His short-area quickness and ability to defeat coverage in the middle of the field allows him to be effective in the slot — even if he’s 6-2, 200 pounds, which is a far cry from the prototype of most slot receivers. The succession of Patriots (Troy Brown, Wes Welker, Edelman) who starred at the position were all under 6 feet tall.
But much like his predecessors, all Meyers does is get open, and catch the football.
“He’s confident. His catch radius is unbelievable … he’s not a speed guy but he gets open,” said Branch. “That’s the point of playing receiver. It’s not about who’s the fastest and all this stuff, because some fast guys can’t even get open.
“Jakobi has decent speed, but he’s always open and he catches everything,” Branch went on. “The quarterbacks know what he is. This guy is a former quarterback. So he knows exactly what Mac is thinking every play. It’s a great advantage to have. And I think this guy’s work ethic is impeccable.
“Remember, he was undrafted. So he knows he has to put the work in. He’s always playing with that chip on his shoulder.”
But what about the rest? The Patriots had a leaguelow 18 catches collectively from the tight ends last year.
And the last few years, the group of pass-catchers were among the slowest, and least effective in the league.
With respect to the tight ends, if Henry and Smith can stay healthy, they will provide a tremendous boost. Devin Asiasi also shows some promise, and a connection with Jones, catching four passes in the final preseason game.
But the passing offense will likely revolve around the Henry-Smith duo. Smith is more explosive, but both should help move the sticks, and also help in the red zone.
As for the receivers, Agholor has shown well during practice, but hasn’t been able to bring it to games as yet. His speed should cause opposing teams to pay attention, which in turn, opens lanes for the others.
His career-long issue with drops surfaced during joint practices and games. So it remains to be seen how reliable he’ll be for Jones.
Bourne, meanwhile, has flashed at times, but needs to be more consistent. Ditto Gunner Olszewski, who has been plagued by drops recently.
As for N’Keal Harry , he starts the season on IR with a shoulder problem and carries the baggage of being a bust thus far, and wanting out before training camp. He should be able to come off after the first few games.
Still, Branch sees it coming together.
“I know the organization knows what they have,” said Branch. “I think as an entire receiver unit, those guys are super excited about the upcoming season and what they can accomplish.
“They can only get better. If you think about it, it was only Jakobi last year. Julian was out, and what, how many catches did the tight ends have? Jakobi was literally trying to hold the fort down for the entire receiver unit and the pass game in general.”
In theory, they are improved, even without a true number one receiver. But it still seems like Jones is going to have to make it all
work.
On Thursday, prior to the Patriots getting Labor Day weekend off, Bourne spoke to the notion Jones would put the receivers in position to succeed.
Bourne lauded Jones for how well he makes his reads and goes through his progressions to find the open receiver.
“We’re moving fast, but it’s slowed down (for Jones),” said Bourne. “For him to see what’s going on to make the play change, that’s what’s key. And he’s seeing it well, so he’s putting us in the best position to make the plays.”
Bourne didn’t have much doubt the rookie would make it work with whoever was on the field.
“He seems ready for the moment … I’m excited to be a part of it, and play my role,” said the wideout, who was with the 49ers before signing a free agent deal with the Patriots. “We got a little connection already, so, just plan on growing that. And all in the room, keep it growing, and see where it goes.”
Bourne also believes Jones, who celebrated his 23rd birthday over the weekend, was “built” to handle the pressure of being an NFL starter.
“I think he’s more ready than anybody really knows,” said Bourne.
Drew Brees a Mac Jones fan
Newly retired Drew Brees, who has moved into an analyst role with NBC’s “Football Night in America, thinks the Patriots got the “steal of the draft” by landing Jones at No. 15.
Not only that, but Brees went out on a limb with this bold prediction about the Patriots starter: “I think Mac Jones is going to have the most success out of any rookie quarterback. Not just this year but probably for the next few years.”
Part of the reason Brees feels that way, is because of the four quarterbacks taken before him in the first round (Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, Justin Fields),
he believes Jones is the most NFL-ready.
Here’s Brees’ explanation: “His level of execution last year at Alabama — and I know we can sit here and argue he has the best players on the field on his side, on both sides of the ball — but in watching the national championship game, that’s where it became very evident to me: This guy’s level of execution, his level of understanding of offensive football, his timing, his rhythm, his ability to not only make the routine throws but to make throws that you’re going to need to make at the next level in order to win games, and to take care of the football the way that he did, I felt like he was the most NFL-ready.”
Linebacker heaven
The Patriots are stacked at linebacker. No wonder Jerod Mayo is smiling.
But with a cast that features Matt Judon, Josh Uche, Kyle Van Noy, Dont’a Hightower and Ja’Whaun Bentley, who gets most of the reps?
During a Zoom call last week, Mayo, who serves as the Patriots inside linebackers coach, basically said it would be impossible for all of them not to have meaningful time.
“I would first say, you know, we’re a multiple defense and we’re also a game-plan defense … we change each and every week,” said Mayo. “Sometimes the guys who didn’t start the game would have the most snaps when you look at the end of the game. And so the whole starter, who’s on the field, who’s not on the field, that doesn’t really matter to us and I think we have a very unselfish room that understands that and know that they all will play, and hopefully will all play at a high level.”
Romo high on Jets QB
While Brees was pumping up Jones, Tony Romo, speaking on a video call to promote CBS Sports NFL coverage, gushed over Jets rookie Wilson.
“I think Zach Wilson is going to be in the discussion as one of the top three to five quarterbacks very quickly. Within the next couple of years I think you’re going to see him rise. I think he’s unbelievable. His ceiling is so high,” said Romo, the former Cowboys quarterback and current analyst.
“It’s rare for me to say someone has the ability to get in the stratosphere of a (Patrick) Mahomes , but I think this kid actually has that ability. So when you have a quarterback like that, I think there’s no telling how good you can be. He can make up for a lot of weaknesses in a lot of areas for a football team.”
Wow. Let’s just say Wilson is going to have to be a magician to make up for the Jets weaknesses, this year especially.
Defending champs primed for opener
The defending Super Bowl champion Buccaneers open up the NFL season Thursday night against the Cowboys.
Rob Gronkowski enjoyed a few of those Thursday night openers while a Patriot. He told the Tampa media he was really looking forward to this one.
“I’ve played before in the opener on Thursday night, and it’s a great game,” Gronkowski said during his media session Friday. “What I’m most excited about is the atmosphere, too. I mean, the preseason games, we were pretty popular … to have a sold-out stadium with 70,000-plus fans, it’s going to be pretty wild. More loud than the Super Bowl. There was only like 20,000 people there (because of COVID-19 restrictions) so it’s going to be pretty exciting.”
Naturally, Gronk was also asked about the Week 4 matchup with the Patriots.
Reminded that hotel prices have already been jacked up for that week, Gronk came back with this gem: “I got my house there still, so I could rent it out for a week and get four times the price … Airbnb that weekend.”
Final thought
Learning about the passing of former Patriots receiver David Patten on Friday was shocking to say the least.
When reflecting on his career, Patten was such a critical presence during the early championships.
Unfortunately, the greatness of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, and the ongoing debate about who was more responsible for the Patriots success, overshadows the contribution of players like Patten.
He affected the outcomes of many games throughout his four seasons with New England, none more than the stretch of playoff games during the 2001 championship run.
He was enormous in the infamous Snow Game, catching eight balls in a blizzard. He caught touchdown passes in the AFC title game and Super Bowl. His play was pivotal to setting the championship run in motion.
“Those moments don’t happen if David Patten doesn’t make those plays,” Rodney Harrison agreed. “As much as we all see Brady in the headlines, it’s guys like David Patten that really made it possible.”
Belichick said it best saying Patten was an “essential” player in the course of Patriots history. Patten also “epitomized” what the Patriots were looking for in a player then, as well as now.