New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones smacked his hands to the ground after throwing the ball to safety Adrian Colbert.
It was a glaring mental error — and Jones’ final throw of spring practices. The Patriots offense was practicing a very specific situation. The offense got one play to set up the kicker, who would run onto the field — sometimes with the clock running and sometimes not — to try to get points on the board. Jones failed the test, in a way. He did the one thing he shouldn’t in that scenario: turn over the ball. That wiped away any chance the team had at getting points. It was, by definition, a rookie mistake. And one he’ll have weeks to think over as he prepares for training camp.
His practice was filled with ups and downs, but he was clearly outplayed by quarterback Cam Newton, who was as consistent as he’s been in the spring practices in front of the media. He looked very in control of the offense and acutely aware of how to function in each situational drill, working different parts of the field and managing the clock well. It was a starkly different day than Tuesday, when Jones outplayed Newton.
Here are our other observations from the final minicamp session and the Patriots’ final practice before training camp starts at the end of July.
