The New England Patriots are set to open up the 2021 regular season on Sunday and will do so with rookie Mac Jones as their starting quarterback. That was a rather shocking development early last week as the Patriots elected to cut 2020 starter Cam Newton after a summer where it appeared the veteran had the inside track at the Week 1 job. While Newton's release was a stunner, that hardly had anything to do with Jones' play throughout the preseason, which was very promising for what's to unfold over the next few months. In fact, one former Patriots linebacker further pulled back the curtain on Jones being fast-tracked to QB1 and could also have revealed why the team elected to cut Newton.
While speaking on The Dan and Ninko podcast, former Patriots linebacker Rob Ninkovich said that Jones was helping Newton learn the offense throughout points this summer.
"From everything that I understand now, Mac was basically helping Cam learn the playbook," Ninkovich said, via WEEI.com. "So, imagine that. Learn that. Learn that right now. Absorb it. Learn it. Because Mac was having less M.E.'s — mental errors, that is what M.E. is in football, mental errors. He was having less mental errors in having a better understanding of the offense. We didn't see Cam run any two-minute. We didn't see him run any no-huddle. … You have to run no-huddle. That's vital."
The Patriots did seem to run Jones situationally throughout the preseason, deploying the hurry-up at various points and seeing what the No. 15 overall pick can do within a two-minute drill prior to halftime on numerous occasions. Newton didn't see such usage during the preseason, which looks like may have been an indicator to which way things were heading hidden in plain sight.
Whether Ninkovich's claims are true or not about Jones giving Newton pointers on the playbook, the rookie did show a strong command of the offense, which is quite impressive given that the Patriots famously have an offense that is difficult to grasp.
This preseason, Jones completed 36 of his 52 passes for 389 yards and one touchdown while Newton completed 14 of 21 for 162 yards, a score and an interception.
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The Mac Jones era in New England has begun following the stunning release of Cam Newton. How will the rookie fare this season and what does it mean for the rest of the Patriots' players? Download the CBS Sports app to find out! Plus, get insight from our resident Patriots insider, Tyler Sullivan. If you already have the CBS Sports app, make sure to pick the Patriots as your favorite team for up-to-the-minute news.
