As arguably the most impressive rookie quarterback from the 2021 class, Mac Jones has already grabbed the attention of Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy.
This Sunday, McCarthy and his Dallas squad will travel to New England to take on Jones and the Patriots. And ahead of this matchup, the longtime NFL coach had some high words of praise for the 23-year-old signal caller.
“Mac Jones, I think he looks very, very comfortable. Confident. In command of the offense,” McCarthy said in a press conference on Thursday, per NESN. “I think it doesn’t look like they’re holding anything back. Can make all the throws. So I think he’s off to an excellent start.”
With a star quarterback in Dak Prescott at the helm, McCarthy likely wasn’t too concerned about this year’s crop of incoming QB talent. That didn’t stop him from admiring what Jones was able to do at the collegiate level though.
In his senior, national championship-winning season with the Crimson Tide in 2020, Jones set an NCAA record with a 77.4 completion percentage. Translating that accuracy to the NFL level, the former Alabama standout now ranks fifth in league completion percentage at 71.1.
“Lot of my opinion has been consistent with watching him in Alabama and watching him in the Rose Bowl,” McCarthy added. “He’s definitely a young quarterback that’s high on instinct and awareness. I think that’s definitely transferred to the NFL. Like the way he anticipates… for as young as he is in the process, he has excellent command of the offense.”
When Jones was selected by the Patriots with the 15th overall pick in the draft, many wondered if he would be able to replicate the system that Tom Brady ran with the franchise for two decades.
McCarthy feels he’s on track to do just that.
“You can see the coordination of how they gameplan each week,” he said. “If you take their offense over a five week period you see a tremendous amount of volume schematically. But then as you watch them week to week, conceptually they do a very good job of targeting the matchups and it’ll definitely be a challenge to our defensive scheme.”
Looking for their fifth straight win, McCarthy and his high-powered Cowboys offense will head into Gillette Stadium to take on Jones and the Pats this Sunday.
The post Mike McCarthy Reacts To What He’s Seen From Mac Jones appeared first on The Spun.
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