Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots: Jack Jones Future, Next Man Up at CB, Mac Jones Potential in 2023

Episode Date: June 22, 2023

As New England Patriots cornerback Jack Jones' legal woes continue to take center stage, coach Bill Belichick and the Pats brass face a difficult decision regarding his future on an NFL field. Joining host Mike D’Abate is Mark Schofield of SB Nation, as the duo discuss the latest on Jones’ legal situation, as well as his future with the Patriots. They also provide their thoughts on the Pats quarterbacks, including Mac Jones, Bailey Zappe, Trace McSorley and Malik Cunningham.Find and follow Locked On Patriots on your favorite podcast platforms:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/locked-on-patriots-daily-podcast-on-the-new-england/id1140512627Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1c5ZxFmwg3WbfxAU3tR5Ve?si=k196wH-yRqifUcQQz8SjIQStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/locked-on-patriotsAnd follow host Mike D’Abate on Twitter, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the New England Patriots and talking with fans.Twitter: @mdabateNFLSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!BirddogsGo to birddogs.com/lockedonnfl and they’ll throw in a free custom birddogs Yeti-style tumbler with every order.FanDuelMake Every Moment More. Don’t miss the chance to get your No Sweat First Bet up to ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS in Bonus Bets when you go FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG(CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat(CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If Jack Jones is sidelined, who is the next man up for the New England Patriots at perimeter cornerback? Stick around. You're about to be locked in to the Locked On Patriots podcast. You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful. Thank you once again for making Lockdown Patriots a daily part of your new england patriots coverage and also your first listen every day don't forget we are a proud part of the locked on podcast network your team every day subscribe or follow for free on youtube or

wherever you get your podcasts to ensure that you get the latest episode as soon as it's available i am your host mike today and i cover your and I cover your New England Patriots for Patriots Country of Sports Illustrated. So please reach out to me. Let me know what's on your mind on Twitter at M-D-A-B-A-T-E-N-F-L. And while you're out there showing some love to the Twitterverse, please be sure to follow

the Locked On Patriots account as well at L-O underscore Patriots. As always, a tip of the cap, a special shout out to all of you everydayers out there, all of you everydayers out there, all of you Lockdown Loyalists that continue to make Lockdown Patriots possible. My unending gratitude, my humbled appreciation. I'm honored by your support each and every day. And today here on the pod, folks, it's time to bless the reins. And as we welcome back

the host emeritus here on Lockdown Patriots, my good friend and mentor, Mark Schofield of SB Nation. And being the quarterback whisperer that Mark is, he's going to enlighten us on his thoughts surrounding Matt Jones, Bailey Zappi, Trace McSorley, and Malik Cunningham. We're covering all the quarterbacks today, so definitely be sure to stick around. You're going to love what Mark has to say.

And Mark is also going to pull upon his previous experience as an attorney and he's going to give us the latest legalese on the jack jones situation tons to come here today so stay locked in all of you faithful out there great show on tap for you this afternoon but first as jack jones's legal woes continue to take center stage here in foxborough new england patriots and coach belichick they face a difficult decision regarding jack's future on an nfl football field now as you all know jones was arraigned on tuesday morning in east boston district court stemmed from his arrest at lo Airport on Friday evening. He was detained and taken into custody for attempting to board an aircraft with two loaded firearms. As a result, Jack Jones is

facing a litany of charges. He was arraigned on those charges yesterday, pleaded not guilty, released on $30,000 worth of bail, and Jones now could be subject to significant prison time if he's convicted. So his legal issues are going to understandably be his top priority. No one is arguing that, but his uncertain playing future does present a little bit of a problem for the New England Patriots. There's a degree of uncertainty in their defensive backfield right now if for any reason Jack is not able to fulfill his duties. If the team decides to part ways with their talented second-year cornerback, or if the league steps in and prevents him from seeing the field.

But how will the Patriots fill that significant void in their defensive backfield? Because, let's face it, in only one season, Jack Jones really built up quite a reputation and really had a lot of people excited to watch him on the field this year. I'll be honest, I was one of them. Loved watching him during OTAs, loved watching him during minicamp, always played with a really high motor. I've written about it several times. I've called his style of play high octane, and I think that's the best way to describe it. Jack truly is a player that seeks the football and goes after it. 13 games last year, 454 defensive snaps taken, 30 tackles, six passes defended, one forced fumble, one recovery, two interceptions, including one for the touchdown return. And that touchdown return came in his first career start in the Patriots

Week 4 matchup against the Green Bay Packers. In the first half, that was also the game where Jack Jones had his forced fumble and his recovered fumble, nabbed the pick six off of former Packers quarterback and now New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers. And despite New England having dropped that game in overtime 27 to 24, Jones walked away from it the start of the day. He was only the fourth player in NFL history to return an interception thrown by Rodgers for a touchdown joining Tenard Jackson William Jackson III and Jamel Dean pretty elite company not an easy guy to replace but with Jones is standing still in question the Patriots do have to answer it and here is a look at New England's top three options

at outside corner heading into 2023 in my humble opinion and we'll start with the rookie the guy with all the eyes on him and maybe just a little bit more pressure Christian Gonzalez I think Christian has the chance to become the Patriots most versatile yet most athletic performer at this position since Stephon Gilmore manned the position a few years ago. He's going to be the team's primary boundary cornerback, and as we said here yesterday on the pod with Claire Cooper, I believe that was the plan all along, whether Jack was going to be a significant part of this defensive backfield or not. You come in the door at the number 17 pick overall in the first round,

you're going to be expected to contribute from day one. I don't think this has changed Christian's outlook, and I don't think it has changed the Patriots' plans for him. Maybe it puts a little more pressure on him from a media standpoint, from a fan standpoint, because now he's going to have to really step up and deliver right from day one. He's at his best in man coverage, but he can also exceed in zone coverage because he always maintains eye contact with the quarterback. All of you everydayers out there know that I've mentioned this several times here on Locked On Patriots. His ability to read the quarterback, especially his eyes, is going to set him apart from his peers. Already shown enough athleticism

and field savvy to ensure that at the very least, he's going to be a notable part of their core of cornerbacks for many years to come. Whether he's a starter on day one, I think is determined in training camp. But again, in my humble opinion, I think he's ready to go right off the bat day one. So if Christian Gonzalez is going to be your alpha corner this year, who becomes the other guy on the other side of the perimeter? Well, next up, in my opinion, is Jonathan Jones. And we all know that he's one of the most versatile defensive backs that the Patriots employ in their stable.

First five seasons in the NFL, he was among the top, if not the top slot corner in all of professional football. But after JC Jackson left via free agency and signed with the Chargers, Jones made the switch to perimeter and he compiled 69 total tackles, 11 passes defended, four interceptions, one of which he took back for a touchdown, and three forced fumbles in 16 games last year. For those of you wondering whether or not he can handle the coverage, Jones held his own last year in 2022.

He surrendered 47 catches on 87 targets for 547 yards and six touchdowns. But he was the Patriots' most reliable contributor last year throughout the entire season. And I think that spills over again into this year. He's got the leadership. He's got the veteran savvy. Learned from some of the greats here in New England, whether it be Gilmore, whether it be McCourty, spent a lot of time absorbing the wisdom and counsel of the Patriots veterans.

So if there's a guy that can come in and take a little bit of the pressure off of Christian Gonzalez and play a solid perimeter, Jonathan Jones is the guy. If you need someone to try to spell Jack Jones, he's not going to necessarily give you that ball-locking ability, but John will hold his own quite nicely in the Patriots secondary. He'll still be a formidable force on this team. Now, one player I think that it's smart to keep an eye on is Jalen Mills, because even though Jalen can align in multiple positions within the Pats secondary, he spent the majority of his time at perimeter corner for the past two seasons here in New England. 78 total tackles, 12 passes defended, two interceptions, and one fumble recovery so far in New England.

And in 2022, he was a pretty serviceable option as a starter on the right side of the Patriots' defensive backfield. That's when he was on the field, though, folks. A hamstring injury did sideline him for a game last season, and then a groin injury forced him to miss the final six games of the 2022 campaign. But even though he did, he still locked 31 tackles, broke up five passes, and he intercepted two of them. When quarterbacks decided to test Jalen Mills, they completed only 27 of 45, 333 yards when targeting him. So in that regard, it wouldn't surprise me to see him now step up and maybe play some perimeter corner if Jack Jones is not available.

We all know that throughout OTAs, throughout minicamp, we saw Jalen play a lot more free safety than we have in years past. As a matter of fact, when Jalen kind of exited and re-entered the fray here in New England, it looked like that was going to be a foregone conclusion. Jalen himself tweeted out that he would be playing safety, and a good amount of it, but it wouldn't surprise me to see him move back up to the perimeter if the Patriots feel they really need some help at that position. He might give you a little more physicality than John Jones, where I think John excels with his speed. Jalen can mix it up a little bit, and I think that might force the

Green Goblin back to the outside in 2023, even though during the workouts we saw him align at safety. So keep a sharp eye on Jalen Mills. But again, if Jack Jones is not available, I think the Patriots go with Christian Gonzalez, Jonathan Jones. And let's not forget, the team also has options in the slot, like Marcus Jones, even Miles Ryan. They could step up and see a few snaps on the perimeter if need be. The team's got a couple of rookies that might be intriguing. If they have a strong training camp, stranger things have happened.

One of these guys could find their way onto the 53-man roster and i'm talking about amir speed i'm talking about isaiah bolden they've also got a pair of veterans that could make an impact here as well sean wade quandary mosley so the patriots have a number of different players at this position and of course let's not forget that all of this may even be a moot point jack jones could end up playing for the pats in 2023 after all and in just a moment mark scofield is going to don his legal cap and he's going to let us know what to expect in the coming days regarding his situation and regarding exactly how possible it is that we see Jack on the field in 2023. All this and at least one more Toto reference.

You've got to make them every time Mark stops by. That will all happen and more. This episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. But first, folks, today's episode is brought to you by our good friends over at FanDuel Sportsbook. Baseball season is in full swing and there is no better place to get in on friends over at FanDuel Sportsbook. Baseball season is in full swing, and there is no better place to get in on the action than FanDuel, America's number one sportsbook, because right now, new customers get a no-sweat first bet up to $1,000. That's up to $1,000 back in bonus bets if your first bet doesn't win.

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Patriots fans, thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage and here today to talk about the story of the day, the story of the week here in New England and that is, of course, the arrest and arraignment of Jack Jones is one of

our very favorites. You know his voice well. The host emeritus here on Locked On Patriots. So many credits to this man's resume. I can't name them all in a half hour show, but he is a columnist extraordinaire, analyst extraordinaire for SB Nation. My good friend, Mark Schofield, drops by the pod today. Mark, thanks so much for coming back to Locked On Patriots.

Welcome home. Mike, it so much for coming back to Locked On Patriots. Welcome home. Mike, it's great to be back. It always is great to catch up with you before shows, chat some ball with you. I do understand you're making me put the lawyer hat back on. It's a hat that I had taken off many moons ago, but we'll put it back on today. And I'll put it back on for you anytime, though.

And excited to dive in. Definitely. And we're excited as well. And we thank you from the bottom of all of our hearts here on for you anytime, though. And excited to dive in. Definitely. And we're excited as well. And we thank you from the bottom of all of our hearts here on Locked On Patriots, listeners and hosts alike. And it always seems like we have a legal matter to discuss when we have you on here on Locked On Patriots, Mark. Whether it be Antonio Brown or whether it be Robert Kraft, Jack Jones' legal woes continue

to take center stage. Mark, I opened today's show by talking about the difficulty that the Patriots may have in making an on-field decision about Jack Jones' future, because we don't know what legalities may keep him or may not keep him from the football field in 2023 and beyond. Mark, we've heard some conflicting reports out there. Several legal minds have indicated that if there is a charge that sticks here, that there's going to be mandatory jail time as a result of it. Some have predicted up to 30 years in prison.

Other have tempered it to be more of like the 18-month variety. In your legal opinion, and judging from what you've seen on this case, is there a realistic expectation that Patriots fans or really NFL fans can set here? Or is it way too early for something like that? I mean, first, I think it's generally way too early. You know, two firearms, which is why you've got up to, you know, the 10 counts that he's facing, right? Two counts each of possession of a concealed weapon in a secure area of an airport, two counts possession of ammunition without a firearm identification card, two counts unlawful

possession of a firearm, two counts carrying a loaded firearm, and two counts possession of a large capacity feeding device. So that gets you the 10, two guns, five charges for each. Now, the biggest and perhaps most severe comes with possession of a concealed weapon in a secure area of an airport. I mean, that's, you know, bringing a loaded weapon onto a plane. That's a big time offense. It's interesting to note that for criminal cases, for criminal statutes, for criminal violations, there is a mens rea, a mental component often attached with these. What sort of mental status

did you need? Did you have to affirmatively intentionally do something? Is just merely thinking about doing something like that mental component is a part of it. And that's why his attorney made the statement that he didn't intentionally do this because on the most severe charge, the statute reads as follows, knowingly have it in his possession or in his control and knowingly conceal it. That's the key language right there. And the pushback from his attorneys is going to be, and it already has been, he didn't intentionally do this. He had put that in his bag months ago and then he didn't realize that it was still in there. And then he packed for this trip and put his clothes on top of it, didn't know that this box was in there. He didn't intend to do this. It was just basically an accident.

You know, that's what they're going to rely on. And so, you know, that mental component, that mens rea, as we say in the legal world, is going to be a critical part of this. I also think it's important to keep in mind, we've got other sort of precedents in case law and situations, both in the NFL with Barry Switzer and in the sort of political world, Madison Cawthorne, there was a Delaware state Senator who were found to have a loaded gun at an airport. And in most of these cases, the result is a plea agreement, a misdemeanor, and a sort of don't do this again, otherwise we'll drop the world of the federal law enforcement on your head. In all likelihood, that's where this goes with Jack Jones.

And so from a sort of legal perspective, I think we could sort of A, understand that it's pretty early. B, tamp things down a little bit because most cases end up with some sort of pre-trial resolution. One of the first things my law school advisor taught me, like day one, week one of law school, was if a case goes to trial, one or both of the lawyers screwed up. The system is sort of built to put in sort of an impetus to resolve things pre-trial. In my personal practice before I was doing this, when I was a lawyer for 10 years, I was primarily on the civil side,

but even the smaller criminal matters that I would sometimes handle, you resolve stuff pre-trial because going to trial, civil side, criminal side, carries an element of risk. Better to get something, and if it's not everything you want, and you know you're going to get something out of it, then go into trial and roll the dice,

whether it's a criminal case, a civil case or something like that. So this likely resolves before this goes to trial with some sort of plea agreement, misdemeanor, community service, you know, big fines, things like that. You know, maybe even a forfeiture of one of the weapons or both of the weapons, like there's things that can be done. I think the bigger question for people listening to the show and for Jack Jones is, what about his Patriots future? You know, because, look, he had the suspension last year when he was injured. He had some previous suspensions when he was in college,

some previous sort of disciplinary matters when he was in college. You know, his legal concerns, you know, as a citizen is one thing, but his Patriots future is something different. And, you know, he may end up with a plea agreement or a misdemeanor, but the Patriots might decide, you know, what, is it worth it? You know, we've already had now a team suspension and now this incident, this is year two, and we're already got two strikes against you in a sense. Do we really sort of want to keep going down this road? So ultimately, long answer short, the legal matter that he's facing,

kind of too early, but in all likelihood, it gets resolved with some sort of plea agreement. But his Patriots future might be the bigger concern. And I think that is even more dope. Yeah, there's no question about it. And I know that Jack's attorney yesterday, Rosemary Scaficchio, definitely placed a degree of blame on social media and the sensationalistic journalism, I think, surrounding this case and cases like it for jumping to conclusions. She believed it put her client in a negative light. She did praise the New England Patriots for taking a temperant approach on this and saying that, you know, they're not feeding into it. They're grateful that they're allowing Jack to at least tell his side of the story or at least

present his side of the story before a decision is made. We know there have been legal matters that have plagued this team in the past. And generally, the Patriots are very quick and very decisive in their action when it comes to matters like this. Taking off on what you just said, based on your legal knowledge of the situation and based on what we know of the history of the New England Patriots when it comes to legal matters like this, can you envision a scenario where he's allowed to take the field on 2023? I mean, if an agreement is reached, if some sort of agreement to a misdemeanor charge or something like that is reached, I think he could certainly see the field. I think it would be a situation where if I'm his attorney, and I think she has done a good job by her client already, like you said, one, the statements that she made that i referenced about you know intentional he didn't intentionally do this i think was you know a nod to where her defense is going to go and number two

the discussion about the rush to judgment on social media you know that's a nod to a potential jury nullification kind of situation so she set that up well already you know i think she's probably going to work to get a rather quick resolution on this to sort of clear up that side of it and so make it easier for him to return to training camp to return to the field you know if it's still an ongoing legal matter you know i i'm not quite sure how it works under the cba if the or you know the commissioner's exemplist would the commissioner step in would the patriots decide that we're not going to let him practice while this is i don't think so you know because he's entitled to his day in court you know

innocent until proven guilty and all that so i think he could return to the field either you know in from his perspective in a best case scenario having reached some sort of agreement on this pled to a misdemeanor fines forfeiture community service something like that or it's a situation where it's still an ongoing legal matter and he's entitled to his day in court. And until that happens, he can return to the field. I would be surprised if somebody steps in prior to the legal matter being resolved and saying, look, we're not going to let him play. Now I've been surprised before. I've been wrong before about legal matters. I'll be wrong again about legal matters. But that's just sort of my off the cuff

response. No, I think that's definite a possibility.. I'll be wrong again about legal matters. But that's just sort of my off the cuff response. Now, I think that's definite a possibility. And I think that's great analysis, Mark. And I appreciate it. And I know all of our listeners appreciate it as well. And it is a very slippery slope, folks. And I think it's very important. And I preached this yesterday here on Locked On Patriots.

And again today, that not all the information is known yet, folks, where a lot of this is speculative, including legal experts and things of that that you're going to hear over the course of the next couple of weeks. Give all the information a chance to come out to light or at least as much of it as possible before informed opinions or start being shared out there. the New England Patriots, Mark, absolutely have to field a competent team, especially on defense, especially at the cornerback position in 2023 with a lot of the high-octane offenses that are going to be on this schedule. If playing devil's advocate for a moment, Jack Jones is not a member of this team in 2023, or he does face some time away from the field as a result of this. When you look at this cornerback group, how much pressure do you think this places on guys like Christian Gonzalez as a rookie coming in to perform well at a high level from the outset?

Or does this place more pressure on the depth options or the secondary options like a Jonathan Jones or maybe even a Jalen Mills switching back to outside corner, guys like Sean Wade? How much pressure does this put on the cornerback room now to rise to the level they need to if they're going to be without one of their more dynamic talents? I mean, I think it's a situation where it places more stress on the depth. And part of that answer is because of my confidence in Christian Gonzalez.

I mean, this was my favorite corner in the class, somebody that I absolutely loved studying, somebody that I thought was, you know, he was built in a lab to play corner for Bill Belichick. And, you know, when he sort of slid on draft night and when the Patriots traded out a 14, I probably experienced a couple of moments that gave my cardiologist something to worry about because my heart was slowly starting to break.

So I think that Christian Gonzalez, I'm supremely confident that Gonzalez is going to be able to step in and be the corner that I think he can be, that many thought he was coming out of Oregon and why the Patriots drafted him in the corner that the Patriots think he can be. You know, I think it stresses the depth, you know, because we're going to get injuries. You know, we're going to get situations that come up. You're going to get, you know, sometimes you might just have to switch some guys in and out. I think that's the main stress is the depth behind this starting corner group.

Now, you know, the Patriots are going to want to mix and match a little bit. They're going to want to move people around a little bit. There might have been some weeks going forward where they thought that Jack Jones might have played a bigger role, where they might have wanted him to do a little bit more. And if he's not available to them, that might reduce what they can do. That might reduce some of the matchups they wanted to play, some of the schemes they wanted to play, the coverages that they wanted to play.

And so I think around the edges there might be a problem. But ultimately, I think this is, in my mind, a depth issue. Because, again, Gonzalez, I have all the faith in the world in him. Marcus Jones, Jonathan Jones, they're going to move them around a little bit. I've seen on social media, on Patriots Twitter, some rumblings about, does this mean more Miles Bryant? I understand the sort of concern there. And, again, that could be a situation where if Jack Jones is not available

and that means more snaps for Miles Bryant, I can understand why Patriots Twitter has been grumbling a little bit the past 24-48 hours because you know we've seen some inconsistencies there and you know you might see well if you've got Phillips if you've got Duggar if you've got Peppers all sort of on the field that safeties does that open up an opportunity for Mills to play some more boundary corner maybe that's the way they sort of get around it. But I think it's really more of a depth issue than a top flight issue. But it does put, again, playing corner is hard.

Playing corner as a rookie in the NFL is hard. I think Gonzalez is up to it. But I'm saying this on June 21st, not September 21st. We have yet to see what that looks like in an NFL regular season. Yeah, correct. I really agree with you in every aspect of that. I talked a little bit about this yesterday with Claire Cooper, who was my guest, and we talked about the inherent pressure. Absolutely, we do love Claire. She is the Countess of Clads. In that

regard, there is a situation where, you know, the Patriots, we talked a little bit about how there is an inherent pressure on a number one pick no matter what to come in and to perform at a high level right from the outset. I think you're going to see that on Christian Gonzalez. I share your feelings on him 100%. I believe he's up to the challenge. I believe he's going to be everything is advertised, maybe even more. Getting a chance to view him on the field just in a limited capacity in offseason workouts and in minicamp, you can see that this kid has tremendous athleticism and a future ability, if it's not there already, to lock down his side of the field.

Where the Patriots may miss Jack, and I talked about this to open the show today, is his ability to be a ball hawk. That, I think, is where Patriots fans are a little worried that they might be missing something at the cornerback position. So it will be interesting to see, folks. Again, we caution you to keep an open mind on the subject until all matters have been at least presented to make an open-minded decision.

And we'll continue to monitor that right here on Locked on Patriots. But Mark, we are eternally grateful for your legal insight, something I am not qualified to provide. And I know our listeners appreciated that very much. But you also offer a lot of expertise and a lot of knowledge on another subject, my friend. You can offer pretty much on any subject when it comes to the football field,

but we don't call you the quarterback whisperer here on Locked On Patriots for no reason. We're going to talk a little bit more levity in our next segment, or maybe not, depending on how the conversation goes. But at the same time, we are going to talk quarterbacks. We're not going to talk that Jones, folks. We're going to talk the other Jones, meaning Matt Jones, Bailey Zaffney, Trace McSorley, Malik Cunningham. What does it all mean for the Patriots in 2023? Mark Schofield is going to

let us know in just a moment when this episode of the Locked On Patriots in 2023. Mark Schofield is going to let us know in just a moment when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. Patriots fans, thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. We are your team every day. And because of that, your questions are very important to us. Audio problems prevented us from being able to air the Milebag Monday episode with our good friend, the kind of Murphy Fisto himself, Thomas Murphy.

I am proud to tell you that tomorrow we will be airing that episode. Murph joins me. We're going to take your questions, your comments, your concerns, and you definitely are not going to miss what he had to say this week, folks. It's going to be a fun one. So definitely check that out. Stay locked into Locked On Patriots. But here today, my good friend, Mark Schofield of SB Nation, the host emeritus here on Locked On Patriots, joins me. We're blessing the reins here in the studio of Locked On. And my friend, we did talk about Jack Jones in the previous segment an awful lot.

But you know there are a lot of Joneses on this roster, and we're going to talk about, up until Friday, the Jones that made the most headlines in the offseason for a lot of reason than he is the starting quarterback of your New England Patriots, and that is Mack Jones. So much has been made about his pairing with Bill O'Brien this year that we're going to see a rejuvenated Mac Jones. We're going to see the Mac Jones of old, of 2021. We've seen him on the field a little bit. Mac does look more comfortable. He looks more confident. He's getting a little bit more responsibility down near the line of scrimmage, which is something that we haven't seen in these last two seasons. But you and I both know that until we start to see Mac take these reps in more competitive drills in preseason games and maybe even into the regular season, we're not going to know truly the O'Brien effect on Mac

Jones this year. As the quarterback whisperer, as the guru himself, when you look at Mac and you look at what we've seen so far and what we need to see from him, what are you looking for in Mac Jones this year to tell you he's turned the corner, now he's ready to show the world what he can do? Yeah, and I think it sort of stems in a way, Mike, from something you mentioned there, which is the responsibility at the line of scrimmage. Because when you have that freedom and responsibility at the line of scrimmage, you kind of lock in a little bit more as a quarterback.

And I think it sort of gets to the decisiveness factor. I mean, I want to see a decisive Matt Jones, somebody that's making appropriately aggressive decisions in the downfield passing game, getting the ball out of his hands quickly when he needs to. Something you and I have talked about for two years now is identification of pre-snap pressures and being able to take advantage when you know, okay, they're bringing this splits look.

I'll replace it with the ball. I'll get it out quickly. I'll do X, Y, or Z to beat that look. It's something he struggled with as a rookie, something we certainly saw last year that he sort of struggled with. And when you have that freedom at the line of scrimmage, when you have those responsibilities at the line of scrimmage, it puts more on you mentally, mentally yes but it sort of helps you

identify figure those things out as a quarterback and then make the right decisions quicker if you're not if you're not in the mind frame of oh well line's going to take care of that center's going to take care of that i can do this i can look elsewhere when that comes the line might be ready for it and do the right thing but you're not ready and it sort of messes your decision making window it messes your thought process and so when you sort of get locked into that hey there's a nice little segue there when you sort of get locked into that at the line of scrimmage it makes you a better quarterback after the snap and so i think that's critical and so and something that you know i think we are going to see a lot of and something that i think is important we're hearing a lot about Mike Giusecchi. Our good friend Evan Lazarus talked a lot about how you're seeing a lot of

Hunter Henry, Mike Giusecchi on the field at the same time. I do think the 12 is going to be their preferred personnel package this year. I think we are going to see it. And again, Mike Giusecchi, you might want to call him a big wide receiver, but technically we'll say that's a two-tied end 12 personnel package. Look, as a rookie, Jones had an adjusted net yards per attempt of 7.2 when using 12 personnel that was seventh among quarterbacks last year I mean two years ago as a rookie last year that crater 2.1 percent adjusted net yards per attempt that was like 24th in the league last among

qualified passers they they took a big step back with that I'm like 24th in the league last among qualified passers they they took a big step back with that i'm a firm believer in the idea that sort of nfl football is cyclical and you know we know 12 was a big personnel package years ago but now everybody's getting you know spread three four wide receiver packages two high safeties everybody's getting lighter and faster and all things like that you We're seeing more quarters coverage. Cody Alexander had a great graph on the rise of too deep safety looks since 2018 and the sort of golf McVay Rams offense. I think we're going to start to that trend, come back a little bit. I think we're going to see more 12, 21 throughout the league. Max Toscano, who does great work at SB Nation for Shook the Valley, has been talking about this a

lot this summer. And I think New England is going to be at the forefront of that. I think we're going to see a lot of two tight end looks this year. And I think, you know, that gives you flexibility to both run and throw, obviously puts the impetus on the defense to decide how they're going to defend that. I think 12 is going to be a lot of what they do this year. And I think it's going to get to decisiveness from Mac Jones. It's going to get to, you know, the ability to run some play action stuff, go deep off of play action, which is something that Jones did extremely well at Alabama,

both in the traditional play action passing game and the RPO type of, you know, RPO deep throws off of RPO looks. And so that's what I'm kind of looking towards. That's what I'm going to have my eye on when we get into training camp and preseason games. Are we going to see a lot of 12? Is that going to be their preferred personnel package? Don't forget Darren O'Brien's earlier stint. They did do a lot of stuff out of 12,

so it wouldn't surprise me to see them get back to that. But with respect to Jones specifically, it's decisiveness both at the line of scrimmage in terms of getting stuff set, identifying pre-snap pressures, getting ahead of that stuff with his mind. Because this was a big issue that I had with Jones. And something I thought he was going to be better at, given what he did at Alabama, was, okay, he's not the uber athlete that, say, you know, some of the other quarterbacks in that class, like Justin Fields was, or even Trevor Lawrence. But as long as he could get ahead of stuff with his mind, he could

then beat pressure looks if he had to with his feet, with his athleticism. There was a play against Notre Dame in the semifinal where he saw a blitz look. He knew it wasn't going to get blocked up. responsibilities he'll be given at the line of scrimmage now, maybe he can get back to that quarterback that I saw in Alabama who when he needed to could escape from pressure looks if he was able to identify them before the snap. Yeah, and I think that's such a big part of the growth that we're all hoping to see from Mac Jones, something I've been keeping my eye on. And it's difficult at this stage of the game, folks,

because without the pads on, without contact, you're not really going to be able to simulate pressure all you want, but it's definitely not the same. Those strategic blitzes, Mark, and we've talked about these several times, you and I, offline as well as here on Locked On Patriots, that come from the second and third level of the defense, that's where Mac Jones had his biggest difficulties. Even as a rookie, you saw him struggle. And last year, you really saw him struggle with that.

It's going to be imperative that those guys on the edges of the offensive line always are very cognitive that those could be coming at any moment. And Mac needs to be more aware in the situation. Maybe the comfort level and the responsibility that Bill O'Brien gives him might give him that confidence and that comfort and maybe heighten his awareness when it comes to the pressure that seems to be closing in around him. Always great stuff, Bud, and we appreciate your insight on Mack. Before I let you go, though, I do have one more question.

Patriots also carry three other quarterbacks on this roster right now. I don't think anybody's questioning whether or not Bailey Zappi is the unquestioned second on this team. There might be some that believe that he can challenge Mack for that top spot. The jury is still out on that. We haven't seen enough yet to know whether or not there is a true quarterback controversy or a competition brewing here in New England. We'll know more when we see Bailey take a few more snaps in training camp. But there seems to be some questions surrounding Trace McSorley and even Malik Cunningham and the dynamic athleticism he brings to the table. And Malik, when you look at this, can you see the Patriots carrying three quarterbacks into this season,

especially knowing that that reserve emergency quarterback rule now is in existence? I think they go three. I mean, it does does i was a bit surprised i'll admit when i saw you know that malik conahan's getting a lot of run wide receiver you know because i really thought that they were going to look at him as a developmental prospect at the quarterback position given some of the traits that he showed at louisville some of the things that he could do well i thought you know obviously like he needs room to grow and develop as a quarterback as a pocket passer.

But I thought he showed flashes at Louisville, some dig routes, standing in the face of pressure, where I thought there was something to work with. But it seems like they're going to really try him at receiver. Makes me think that he's going to be a, you know, practice squad candidate. And then they're going to try to figure out how they can bring him on. But with that sort of third quarterback emergency rule, like, I think there's a role for a third quarterback. And it does look like McSorley will probably be the option there given what they're doing with Cunningham. And I think it is smart.

I mean, let's not forget that Packers game when Hoyer got the start and then immediately Zappi came in. Like what was the plan after that? And I think because of the way the rule has been altered, because of what we saw with Brock Purdy, teams are going to probably have that third quarterback just in case. It's kind of like NASA, right? You have a backup plan for your backup plans.

And so I think that they're probably going to carry three quarterbacks. I look at Cunningham and the way they're using him as a wide receiver as, okay, he'll be your practice squad candidate, and they'll have three quarterbacks. And in a worst-case scenario situation, you've got a guy that's got an NFL start under his belt to come in as your QB3. So I think that's the approach.

But like I said earlier, Mike, I've been wrong before. I'll be wrong again. I'll be wrong again five more times before this day is over, at least according to my son. So there you go. Well, folks, if he's wrong, I haven't seen it yet. I always call you the excellence of execution, my friend, simply because that is how we see you here on Locked On Patriots.

Every day I take the microphone, still trying to get this job right in your honor. That total poster remains in front of me, folks, not behind me in the news studios. But I'll tell you what, next time Mark comes on the show, we're going to unveil that total poster. Everybody thinks it's a figment of my imagination. I assure you, folks, it is not. I've seen it. It is folks it is not i've seen it is a total and it does exist and we would definitely be more than happy to share that with you the next time mark is on the airwaves but buddy what can i say from your legal expertise when it came to jack jones to the quarterback expertise when it comes to mac jones you always knock the wisdom and counsel meter off the charts here on Lockdown Patriots,

and we cannot thank you enough for it. Before we let you go today, please let everyone know where they can reach out to you, interact with you on social media, and what we can expect from the great Penn, the great voice of Mark Schofield. We're in this sort of NFL quiet zone, but since I'm just a basic sports writer now, I've got the college world series you know we we got um we're down to the final four we get lsu we get florida we get way forest uh we get tcu um so we got two of those games today i'll be covering those i'm doing a lot

of f1 coverage i'm wearing the team haas hat right now um i'm interviewing drivers i'm going to be going races and stuff um But yeah, once we get back into, and I'm saying this right now for one listener, one listener in particular, and that's my mom, who's getting frustrated that I'm not writing as much football stuff. When we get back to August, mom, it's going to be a lot of football stuff and I'll start writing the X's and O's stuff. That's the stuff that everybody knows me for. But you know, in June and July, it's a lot of baseball. It's a lot. I'm going to be doing Wimbledon coverage. I mean, I get to do it all, which is a ton of fun, but yeah,

the football stuff is near and dear to my heart. We'll be getting back to that once we get into training camp. Music to our ears, bud, to hear that you're going to be doing a lot more football coverage. We love it, but folks check out anything that Mark does. It is appointment, listening, viewing, reading, and you're always much more informed, as you are today, here on Locked on Patriots, for this man

getting his wisdom and counsel, and his time here today to enlighten us on all things New England Patriots. Buddy, we look forward to you coming back on the show very soon. As for all of you folks, thank you so much for continuing to make Locked on Patriots a daily part of your New England

Patriots coverage and your first listen every day. Don't forget, tomorrow here on Locked On Patriots, the Count of Murphy Fisto, the Green Master of Disaster joins me here, and we are going to take on your questions on Mailbag Monday on Thursday. Sounds weird, I know, folks, but

you know what? Murph's wisdom and counsel is going to wake up for it. You're going to love it. Stay locked in to Locked On Patriots. In the meantime, please continue to stay safe, stay well, be the change you wish to see in the world. On behalf of my good friend, my mentor, and the host emeritus here on Locked On Patriots, the great Mark Schofield, I'm Mike DeBate.

Have a great day, everyone. We'll see you tomorrow here on Locked On Patriots.