{"id":107078,"date":"2022-07-19T22:44:43","date_gmt":"2022-07-20T02:44:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clnsmedia.com\/?p=107078"},"modified":"2022-07-19T22:44:43","modified_gmt":"2022-07-20T02:44:43","slug":"lazars-most-important-patriots-in-the-2022-season-number-one-mac-jones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.clnsmedia.com\/lazars-most-important-patriots-in-the-2022-season-number-one-mac-jones\/","title":{"rendered":"Lazar’s Most Important Patriots in the 2022 Season: Number One, Mac Jones"},"content":{"rendered":"

Counting down the most important Patriots players heading into the 2022 NFL season.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Methodology: taking a concept from veteran NFL reporter Dave Dameshek, the most important Patriots series is like a giant game of Jenga. If we were to pull this player from New England’s lineup, who would cause the tower to fall completely or become unsteady the most?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Most Important Patriots: No. 1, QB Mac Jones\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

For an organization that’s still putting the finishing touches on its rebuild, the brightest light for the Patriots is their second-year quarterback.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As we know from two decades with Tom Brady at the helm, elite quarterback play makes you a contender to win a Super Bowl every season. Although Jones isn’t elite yet, there were signs from his rookie season that the 2021 first-rounder could develop into a top-tier QB.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Based on most metrics, Jones was already an above-average quarterback in his first season despite several new receivers to New England’s system and lacking a true number weapon.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

New England’s quarterback was 11th in Pro Football Focus grading, 12th in Defense-adjusted yards over average (DYAR), 16th in ESPN’s QBR metric, and 14th in expected points added; regardless of your statistical preference, Jones ranked in the top half of the league’s regular starting quarterback as a rookie.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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(via Ben Baldwin)<\/p>\n

Furthermore, Mac Jones also had one of the best rookie seasons among first-year quarterbacks over the last decade, producing at a very similar rate on a per drop-back basis as Bengals star Joe Burrow. Burrow, of course, would lead Cincinnati to the Super Bowl in his second season.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

From the very beginning in the season-opener against the Dolphins, Jones’s command of New England’s complex passing system, poise, and mental acumen was on full display.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite then-Dolphins head coach Brian Flores spinning the dial on the rookie, Mac read out post-snap coverage rotations and made great decisions with the football from the jump.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n