Why Josh McDaniels Still Believes In Mac Jones Amid QB’s Nosedive

There aren’t many people left who believe in Mac Jones, but Josh McDaniels is fully aware of what the Patriots quarterback is capable of.

McDaniels coached Jones when he was a rookie in New England. That season, Jones put together one of the best statistical campaigns for a rookie QB in NFL history. Obviously, things haven’t been the same for Jones and the Patriots in the year-plus since McDaniels left for Las Vegas.

At the lowest point of his career, Jones will reunite with McDaniels on Sunday when the Patriots visit the Raiders. And though Jones is coming off consecutive stinkers and might be down to his last strike, McDaniels this week insisted Jones is a better player than he’s shown.

“He’s a very talented player,” McDaniels said, via a transcript provided by the Patriots. “Accuracy has always been a huge part of his game, touch, anticipation. He has all those things at a very high level. They’ve battled the same bug we’ve battled honestly, with the turnovers and losing opportunities through change of possession. So, I’m sure that’s something that they’re going to work hard at limiting and getting rid of, and it’s the same thing we’re talking about.

“But this is a guy who’s a very capable passer in every situation. He’s played big in big games. He’s battled against really good teams, made some high-level throws and hung in there. Very tough in the pocket, gets hit and gets right up and goes to the next play. So, a lot of respect for him, a lot of admiration for what he did when I was there. It’ll be a big challenge for us this week.”

Jones will start in Vegas. We know that for a fact.

But if the third-year pro implodes again, New England reportedly won’t turn to Bailey Zappe for the third game in a row. Instead, third-stringer Will Grier could be the next man up at quarterback.

However, that decision won’t even need to be made if Jones somehow can find the form he enjoyed while playing for McDaniels.