Count Dan Orlovsky among those who have been impressed by New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones through two weeks.
And Orlovsky’s reasoning seems pretty simple: The first-rounder is doing exactly what is asked of him.
“He’s playing exactly the way they want him to,” Orlovsky said during an episode of “Get Up!” on Monday, one day after Jones’ first career win over the New York Jets.
“If we’re going to get on here and talk about young quarterbacks trying to do too much, he’s doing exactly what the Patriots are asking him to do,” Orlovsky continued. “To beat New England this year you’re going to have to out-grind them. That’s just the reality. And that’s the style of ball Bill (Belichick) wants you to do. You’re going to have to play four clean quarters of football ’cause I promise you No. 10 isn’t going to give you games when you play against the New England Patriots.”
Not everyone seems to agree with Orlovsky, though. FS1’s Nick Wright, specifically, dragged the Patriots for giving Jones what he called the “training wheels” treatment.
And while it’s true that Jones is not doing too much, not pushing the ball down field or even throwing balls into the end zone, it seems to be the way offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels wants the No. 15 overall pick to play.
Jones essentially is managing the game. He threw first downs on 27.3% of his passes during Sunday’s win while 73.3% of his attempts (22-for-30) were either caught of dropped by his receivers, according to SportRadar.
“He’s being decisive. He’s going to the right place with the football. He’s playing tough. He’s being accurate. He’s not missing reads.,” Orlovsky said. “That’s the truth.
“And the saying is sometimes laughed at: ‘To beat New England you’re going to have to beat them. You’re not going to luck into a win.’ They’re not going to give it to you,” Orlovsky added. “Tom Brady was never known to push the ball down field until he got Randy Moss. So he’s (Jones) doing exactly what that football team is asking him.”
Jones helped the Patriots get back to .500 with a 25-6 win over the Jets. The rookie signal-caller and the Patriots now welcome the New Orleans Saints to Gillette Stadium for a Week 3 clash.
