Arguably the most impressive thing about Mac Jones is his poise.
He sure doesn't present himself as a rookie quarterback. Jones gives off an aura of confidence, and it helps that he seldom makes mistakes on the field. There's just something very veteran-like about him.
But when it comes to interfacing with the media, Jones' reluctance to do anything other than be completely robotic is a little surprising and at times uncomfortable -- such as his refusal to say he has a favorite Christmas movie. He has a personality, supposedly, but he seldom lets it shine publicly.
Rodney Harrison thinks it's because that side of being a professional football player is overwhelming Jones.
"I don't think this is him trying to be a jerk, trying to be mean, I think this is him letting everybody know, 'Hey, I'm a rookie quarterback. It's a lot being a quarterback, playing for coach (Bill) Belichick with all this microscope and all this scrutiny and 18 games, all the practices and COVID. It's a lot,'" Harrison said Wednesday on Merloni & Fauria, via WEEI.com. "This is his way of telling people, 'Look, I'm a little overwhelmed. I need to back up,' and I think it's smart to let people know that (he's) a little overwhelmed. Basically, that is what he's letting you know. Has he hit the rookie wall? Yeah, of course he's hit the rookie wall just like 1,000 other rookies in the National Football League.
"I think this is his way, and if (PR head) Stacey James or coach Belichick need to get involved and just tell him to stick to the script, do the clichés, but at the end of the day we have to understand this is a rookie quarterback and he has a lot on him. He's playing great. The Patriots are playing well and this is just one week out of the season he can learn from."
That's definitely something that Jones will be more comfortable with in time. But it's a tough situation for a 23-year-old to walk into, basically being asked by the fanbase to bring the New England Patriots back up to a level that became familiar over the last two decades.
So, maybe he is overwhelmed. That's not the most surprising, nor unforgivable, thing.
