Mac Jones doesn’t have the strongest arm, nor will he be the fastest player — or even quarterback — on the field during New England Patriots training camp. But he has one asset that sets him apart from other players at his position, according to his former offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, now the coach of the Texas Longhorns.
“He certainly has all the tools to be successful, but if you asked me what I think his best trait is, I’d say his preparation,” Sarkisian said after the draft. “Having spent four years at Alabama, preparing and playing for games at the highest level, he really learned a lot about the value of preparation, and through his preparation he was able to go out and perform week in and week out at an extremely high level.”
Jones’ best examples of strong preparation came not only in his season as a starter in 2020, but also in 2019, when the Crimson Tide needed Jones to step in for their injured starter Tua Tagovailoa. Jones helped Alabama beat Tennessee in the game when Tagovailoa got injured. Jones then won three of his next four games, with a loss to Auburn, where Jones was 26 of 39 (66.6%), 335 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions.
“He responded really well when he took over for Tua because he had been preparing like a starter all along,” Sarkisian said.
Jones’ ability to absorb information will be paramount as he prepares for a rookie season in New England. Quarterbacks Cam Newton, Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer will present strong competition with Jones eying the starting job. Newton, in particular, put together a hellish schedule, which included just four hours and 50 minutes of sleep, in order to learn the playbook last year. Jones is likely to endure something similar. But, of course, Sarkisian doesn’t anticipate there will be issues.
“Mac has an outstanding work ethic, he’ll put in the work,” Sarkisian said. “He’ll do whatever is asked of him by Coach McDaniels and Coach Belichick to put himself and the team in a position to be successful. He’s detailed oriented, a very well-prepared guy and demands the best of himself and those around him.”
