Mac Jones gave us plenty to overreact to in his unofficial New England Patriots debut Thursday night.
The rookie quarterback didn't light up the box score, but he did impress with his accuracy and ability to manage the game. In his first taste of NFL action, Jones looked as composed as a veteran signal-caller. He was quick and decisive as he completed 13 of his 19 passes for 87 yards in the Patriots' 22-13 win over the Washington Football Team.
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While it's only the first preseason game, The Boston Globe's Dan Shaughnessy was thoroughly impressed with what he saw from Jones. He even went as far as to compare the Alabama product to the young version of the man who brought six Super Bowl titles to New England.
"There's a tendency to go overboard here. I know we're all doing it. It was a solid performance," Shaughnessy said Friday on Early Edition. "I thought he was a great pocket presence. He was quick. He didn't try to do too much. He managed the game. You don't want to say a young Tom Brady, but he played a little bit like a young Tom Brady. Just kind of not doing too much and staying within himself, and I thought all of it worked. The offense looked like the old offense of 2002."
The QB competition with Cam Newton will continue next week when the Patriots take on the Philadelphia Eagles, but Shaughnessy believes it's clear who should be starting Week 1.
"I was so encouraged by what I saw, and in my view, this guy is gonna be your quarterback," he said. "What are we waiting for here? I know Bill hates rookie quarterbacks, I get that. I know it's a small sample, a preseason game, all that stuff. But at this point, having seen Cam last year and Cam throwing the ball behind James White on a third and short in the second series last night, I'm ready. Just go with this because it felt like, again, the old Patriots and you can manage the game and build on this guy."
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Watch the full segment with Shaughnessy below: