Most criticisms of Mac Jones revolve around his fringy throwing strength. And Tom House, a longtime throwing coach for Tom Brady, believes he can help the New England Patriots quarterback become a better downfield passer.
Have the two recently been working together? Let's go over some recent social media activity.
In late January, House "liked" a tweet from a Patriots fan speculating about him and Jones putting in work.
A few weeks later, House tweeted that he'd had the opportunity to work with someone "new." He did not offer any specifics but indicated he would at a later date.
Jones, not a particularly active Twitter user, "liked" that tweet. He did the same for the following tweets from House.
That brings us to Saturday night, when House, a former MLB pitcher who in retirement has become a renowned biomechanics expert and pitching/throwing coach, received the 2021 Legacy Recognition Award. The honor is the highest bestowed by the National Quarterbacks Club.
Well, Jones was in attendance, as evidenced by photos and videos shared by Todd J. Anson, a Michigan-based lawyer. Anson apparently caught a "charity" pass from Jones, with the proceeds going to ALS research. Among his tweets from the event is a photo of himself with Jones and House.
You can draw your own conclusions, but it's hard to not assume that Jones and House have done some work together.
While speaking last month with Tom E. Curran and Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston, House expressed confidence in his ability to improve Jones' throwing strength.
"I don't know the farthest that Mac has ever thrown a football, but I guarantee you we can train him to do it," House said of the Patriots signal-caller. "We can repattern and retrain his delivery to handle consistent 60-yard throws if necessary. ... I could look Coach (Bill) Belichick in the face and say, 'If you need him to throw five 60-yarders this game, he can do it for you.' "
Jones endured some struggles in his rookie campaign, particularly toward the end of the season, but he nevertheless played at a high level for the Patriots after being selected as the No. 15 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. The Alabama product compiled a 10-7 record and completed 67.6% of his passes for 3,801 yards and 22 touchdowns to go along with 13 interceptions.
Jones displayed the kind of accuracy, clutch play, leadership and toughness that make it easy to envision him as a franchise quarterback. If he eventually channels Brady and improves his average arm strength, Jones could take his game to a higher level.
