It's possible Mac Jones would have won the New England Patriots' starting quarterback job even if Cam Newton had participated in every training camp practice.
But Newton's five-day August absence -- the result of a COVID-19 protocol "misunderstanding" -- had an undeniable impact on New England's QB competition.
Patriots linebacker Kyle Van Noy confirmed that this week during an appearance on "Green Light with Chris Long." When Long, a former Patriots defensive end, asked when Jones won his teammates over, Van Noy pointed to that one pivotal week.
"What's been impressive I would say with Mac is, and I don't want this to sound bad or anything, but when Cam was out for that week, and it was the day before we went against the Giants (in joint practices), he was balling against us," Van Noy said. "It was like, 'Oh, this dude's good.' "
Jones also excelled in one of the Patriots' two joint practices with the Giants, receiving the lion's share of first-team reps with his competitor sidelined. One week later, New England cut Newton and installed Jones as their Week 1 starter.
Since then, Jones has put together a stellar season by rookie standards. His 70.3% completion rate would be the best ever by a first-year signal-caller, and his 97.0 passer rating would be the sixth-best ever among rookies with at least eight starts. Thirteen weeks in, he's Pro Football Focus's sixth-highest graded quarterback, regardless of experience level.
The first-round draft pick also was able to quickly earn the trust of New England's veteran-laden roster.
"When I tell you (Jones) loves football and he's a Patriot, that is him, bro," Van Noy told Long. "I love him, too. He's good. He's really good. I've been impressed. For being 23, to handle the things that he's handled, to be respectful, to get the teammates -- like, he's cool with all the teammates, vets, younger guys -- it's impressive, bro. That's tough to do."
Jones is the clear front-runner for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, and his Patriots enter their bye week with the AFC's best record, winning each of their last seven games.
"His development, the way he wants to work and (his) attention to detail is impressive, and he's only going to get better," Van Noy said. "The more he sees it, he's like, 'All right, I saw it. I can diagnose it again. I'm good.' The more he can see reps, the better he's going to be. It's going to be impressive to watch, and I'm very, very happy I'm on his team."
