FOXBOROUGH – Mac Jones was never considered a better prospect than Josh Allen, but he looked like a better quarterback when he entered the NFL. In his first NFL season, Jones was a solid quarterback. By comparison, Allen looked raw and inaccurate.
In 2021, in 17 games, the then-Patriots rookie finished with 3,801 yards to go with 22 touchdowns and 13 touchdowns. In 2018, in 12 games, Allen finished with 2,074 yards to go with 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Jones had a 67.6 completion percentage and averaged 223.6 passing yards per game. As a rookie, Allen had a 52.8 completion percentage and averaged 172.8 passing yards per game.
Through their first two seasons in the NFL, Jones had better numbers than Allen. Even after last year’s disaster, Jones had 6,798 passing yards to go with 36 touchdowns and an 89.0 career passer rating. Through his first two seasons, Allen had 5,163 passing yards, 30 passing touchdowns, and a 78.2 passer rating. Jones averaged more yards per attempt (7.1-to-6.6).
By year three, however, Allen vaulted into NFL stardom. After two rocky seasons, the Buffalo Bills quarterback developed into one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. The opposite has happened with Jones in New England.
Three seasons into his NFL career, it feels like forever ago when Jones looked like the future of the Patriots franchise. When you look at the rise of Allen, it becomes very clear how the Patriots failed their young quarterback. All you have to do is look at the roadmap set by the Bills when it comes to developing and supporting a young quarterback.
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Support Staff
The Bills hatched a plan to support Allen early in his NFL career and it started with the coaching staff. In his rookie season, Buffalo brought in veteran offensive coordinator Brian Daboll. By Allen’s second year, the Bills hired former NFL quarterback Ken Dorsey to be his quarterback coach.
Daboll was Allen’s offensive coordinator for four seasons before becoming the head coach of the New York Giants. When he left, the Bills had an easy replacement in Dorsey. Buffalo also brought in former Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady to be Allen’s new quarterbacks coach
Jones came into the NFL with an experienced offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach, Josh McDaniels. The Patriots assistant quarterbacks coach that season was Bo Hardegree.
When McDaniels left to go to Las Vegas, he took Hardegree with him. Here’s where things went awry in Foxborough.
The Patriots didn’t hire an experienced offensive coordinator or quarterbacks coach for Jones. Instead, former defensive coordinator Matt Patricia took over as the offensive play caller and former special teams coach Joe Judge took over as the new quarterbacks coach.
Unlike Buffalo, the Patriots surrounded their young quarterback with veteran coaches who had little to no offensive coaching experience. That changed this year with the hire of Bill O’Brien, but Jones looks worse with his third offensive coordinator in three years.
Offensive Weapons
Allen didn’t have great offensive weapons when he entered the NFL. In his first year, his top receivers were Zay Jones, Robert Foster, and Kelvin Benjamin.
That changed fast.
By his second year, the Bills brought in two veteran receivers, John Brown and Cole Beasley. Year 3, however, was when everything changed. That offseason, the Bills traded for All-Pro receiver Stefon Diggs. They also drafted receiver Gabriel Davis and tight end Dawson Knox. The next year, Buffalo added veteran receiver Emmanuel Sanders. This past year, the Bills drafted tight end Dalton Kincaid in the first round.
By Jones’ second year, the Patriots traded for DeVante Parker and in free agency, signed Ty Montgomery and Lil’Jordan Humphrey. They drafted receiver Tyquan Thornton. By Jones’ third year, the Patriots let go of their quarterback’s top target and close friend, Jakobi Meyers, and signed JuJu Smith-Schuster. They also signed tight end Mike Gesicki in free agency.
Allen’s rise to NFL prominence in his third season coincides with the Bills trading for Diggs. It’s a stark contrast to what’s happened in New England. The Patriots built a defensive-heavy roster and neglected the offense when it came to finding a true No. 1 receiver.
Even the way the Bills built their offensive line has been different. They drafted their right tackle, Spencer Brown, in the third round in 2021. They have a Pro Bowler at left tackle, Dion Dawkins. Their center, Mitch Morse, earned Pro Bowl honors last season.
By contrast, the Patriots haven’t had stability at their right tackle position over the past two seasons. They haven’t drafted a true tackle in the top four rounds since 2019 (Yodny Cajuste).
Jones isn’t Allen
Of course, the biggest difference between the Bills and the Patriots is the player they’re working with at quarterback.
Allen came into the NFL with rare traits. He’s a big quarterback with outstanding athleticism and a rocket arm. He occasionally struggles with accuracy but can throw the football a mile and keep drives alive with his feet.
Jones isn’t close to the same kind of athlete. Coming into the NFL, he was said to be a smart pocket passer with an accurate arm. His passing game thrives in short to intermediate spaces and he needs offensive players who can get open so he can get rid of the ball quickly.
Unlike the Bills, the Patriots gave Jones a lacking supporting cast both with the coaching staff and offensive personnel. Buffalo had a clear decisive plan. They hired veteran offensive coaches to help Allen and then added a legit offensive weapon and prioritized offensive players in the NFL Draft.
The Bills’ plan was certainly made easier by having a better prospect in Allen, but the Patriots lack of a support system for Jones made things worse.
After years of dominance over Buffalo, Bill Belichick could’ve learned something from the Bills when it came to developing a quarterback.
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