Richard Sherman thinks Mac Jones criticized unfairly

[DeAngelo Beason]

Not necessarily endorsing Jones, but I do agree that mobility is overrated.  It's a band-aid that masks other glaring issues.

[davos]

Quickness to process, read, and release is key the less agile the QB is.

Mac seems to be pretty quick on his feet and is quite good with finding the right guy to throw it to, but it's not an obvious, glowing "OMG this kid is awesome" type thing.   He's pretty darn crisp in the pocket but I dunno.  I'd like to see the kid at least in the Tannehill/Rodgers range of pocket movement these days.  It really seems the less agile QBs struggle unless they're on a Brady level these days.

I think best case with him is he produces Derek Carr type numbers and you need a lot of talent around him to win.

[Catsfan69]

49 minutes ago, d-dave said:

I can see Sherman wanting to stick up for a guy with percieved physical limitations, like what caused Sherman to slip.

But jones has much more going against him than the physical limitations.  He's hard to evaluate.  When has an Alabama QB lived up to the hype and produced in the NFL?  Tua?  Mac couldn't beat out Tua.  

To me, that is the biggest problem I have with Mac Jones.  He is physically limited, and he also comes from a system that made it easy for him with the best athletes in the world around him.  It's hard to figure him out.

When? Stabler and Joe Willie were pretty good. 

[Davidson Deac II]

1 hour ago, Mage said:

Brees can’t scramble but I don’t think I would call him immobile. His pocket movement has always been incredible.

And Mac could have the same ability.  But we don't really know.  Playing for Bama, he probably didn't have to move around in the pocket much.  They are much more talented than the majority of their opponents.  That is why it is so difficult to predict how good these guys are going to be when they have play in the NFL with more talent parity.  

[Catsfan69]

34 minutes ago, Bama Panther said:

Do you knock Trevor Lawrence for his supporting cast and level of competition?

TL is big strong fast and has a cannon. 

He pushed out the rising senior at his HS in spring of his 8th grade year.

He's lights out. Mac Jones is not. 

[Burnout189]

Problem with Jones and most bama QBs is that they are surrounded by 5-star talent from the get-go.

The dude doesn't have to be mobile or the most accurate at all really, when all he has to do is just chuck the ball in the air for one of his 5-star receivers to just snatch it up.

[Martin]

The problem I have is that his margin of error is so small. Feels like he has to be Brady or Brees to ensure his physical limitations don’t become an issue. And I don’t think he is.

[Khyber53]

2 minutes ago, davos said:

Quickness to process, read, and release is key the less agile the QB is.

Mac seems to be pretty quick on his feet and is quite good with finding the right guy to throw it to, but it's not an obvious, glowing "OMG this kid is awesome" type thing.   He's pretty darn crisp in the pocket but I dunno.  I'd like to see the kid at least in the Tannehill/Rodgers range of pocket movement these days.  It really seems the less agile QBs struggle unless they're on a Brady level these days.

I think best case with him is he produces Derek Carr type numbers and you need a lot of talent around him to win.

You need a lot of talent around someone to win the big game, that's for sure. Even Brady had to have the deck stacked in his favor to win the Super Bowl this year. Mahomes had a fantastic supporting cast around him the season before.

We can look back to our own last Super Bowl appearance and see that even Cam Newton couldn't carry the game on his own shoulders when it came to the championship. 

I think Jones would do well here, but he would need a better o-line. Then again, any QB here would need a better o-line to succeed. Jones has the tools, has the processing speed, the accuracy and has been at a higher level of competition than you'd see BYU or NDSU coming up against week to week. 

He'll be the pick, or we'll regret seeing him twice a year in a Saints uniform.

[mav1234]

Given he is widely anticipated to go some place later in the first or shortly thereafter, I don't think he is being unfairly criticized.  When people talk about his arm strength and athleticism they are in reference to what you want out of a top pick, which is usually elite levels.

[Jorgie]

1 hour ago, Mage said:

Brees can’t scramble but I don’t think I would call him immobile. His pocket movement has always been incredible.

Brees was the top ranked tennis player in Texas ahead of Andy Roddick. The guy has always had fluid footwork.

[Moo Daeng]

Then he will go later in the draft likely to a better team. If he's good then he will show it. Keyboard scouts are coming out of the woodwork.

[PanthersGTI]

Not that I want Jones at all but, it is good to know that our staff spent a lot of time with him at the senior bowl so they will have really liked what they saw. They'll have a good idea of who he is and what he can do.  It would give me some comfort. I hope it doesn't happen. 

[Proudiddy]

19 minutes ago, Martin said:

The problem I have is that his margin of error is so small. Feels like he has to be Brady or Brees to ensure his physical limitations don’t become an issue. And I don’t think he is.

And that's the thing...  even Sherman is saying guys like Brees and Brady as best-possible outcomes...  problem is, those guys are outliers, and I don't mean just in terms of their ability to excel as less than superior athletes.  I'm saying they are guys, who regardless of style of play, are among the best to EVER play, and not only overcame odds to make it to the NFL, but then overcame even more odds by defying their shortcomings to not just survive, but thrive.  So, are you willing to take a risk on a Mac Jones and hope he overcomes his lack of athleticism and arm strength to become Brees or Brady (but if he doesn't, then he quickly becomes useless because he has nothing to fall back on)?  Or would you rather pick a guy who has the athleticism and big arm, thus improving their odds of succeeding by default because they already possess an advantage over guys like Jones?  

Sure, Jones could become Brees or Brady, but odds are much higher he becomes a Bridgewater or Chase Daniels.

[Khyber53]

39 minutes ago, Davidson Deac II said:

And Mac could have the same ability.  But we don't really know.  Playing for Bama, he probably didn't have to move around in the pocket much.  They are much more talented than the majority of their opponents.  That is why it is so difficult to predict how good these guys are going to be when they have play in the NFL with more talent parity.  

However, the opponents of quality they played were the best the season had to offer.