Through two weeks, Mac Jones has looked almost every bit the part of an NFL quarterback, save for perhaps one tool he's yet to take out of his belt: the deep ball.
Should that be a cause for concern?
On a brand new episode of the Patriots Talk Podcast, Tom E. Curran, Phil Perry and former New England Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel discuss the conservative approach for Jones through his first eight quarters as a professional.
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"We all want to see the big play, right? We all want to see you push the ball down the field," Cassel said. "Your No. 1 priority as a quarterback is to take care of the ball. And he's done a tremendous job of that. No. 2, is take what they give you. Right now, over these first two weeks, when you go back and watch the film, there's not a ton of opportunities where I'm sitting there going, 'he should have pushed the ball down the field."
Patriots Talk Podcast: No reason to sweat Mac Jones' lack of deep throws | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
New England Patriots
Under center for the New Orleans Saints this week won't be Drew Brees, but rather Jameis Winston -- whom the Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicked to the curb for Tom Brady. The Patriots last faced Winston in 2017, when he was still a member of the Bucs.
Since then, he's gone on to record a "30-30" season for Tampa (33 touchdowns, 30 interceptions in 2019) before spending a year backing up Brees in New Orleans. Now as the starter in the Big Easy, he's been as Jekyll & Hyde as ever through two weeks: five touchdowns, no interceptions in a Week 1 win...and no touchdowns, two interceptions in a Week 2 loss. How much has really changed for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft?
"It's going to take some time to actually watch how he matures in this offense," Cassel said. "If he's truly the guy, if he's changed those qualities that we saw that really got him kicked out of Tampa Bay."
Also discussed in this episode: With the Saints depleted by injuries, is this a must-win game for the Patriots ahead of Brady Week? Later, Tom E. Curran catches up with Brady's trainer and business partner, Alex Guerrero, to discuss the methods he uses to keep Brady at his best at 44.
Check out the latest episode of the Patriots Talk Podcast on the NBC Sports Boston Podcast Network, or watch on YouTube.