For the 2022 NFL season that begins this Thursday, the New England Patriots and their second-year quarterback, Mac Jones, will have two stellar Monday Night Football matchups, Oct. 24 against the Chicago Bears, and Dec. 12 away against the Arizona Cardinals. For these two games, three-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback Troy Aikman will be the talented youngster’s analyst for ESPN.
Aikman will make his debut on ESPN’s broadcasts after spending almost two decades with Fox and, as an introduction to his new company, he shared his experience with Mac Jones, of whom he said he finds several similarities with none other than his predecessor and considered the best of all time at his position, for sure Tom Brady.
Troy Aikman’s approach to Mac Jones
Troy Aikman indicated that he met Jones through veteran quarterbacks coach Joe Dickinson. His conclusion is very specific: the Patriots have a gem.
He also indicated that he is not surprised to hear that Jones and the New England offense has suffered some “setbacks” since the team transitioned from offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels to a three-headed leadership structure that includes the former defensive coordinator Matt Patriciawho will now be the play-caller, mentored by Bill Belichickand quarterbacks coach Joe Judge.
The comparison between Mac Jones and Tom Brady
Tom Brady says he’s got a lot of sh!t going on
And he said that seeing him on the gridiron reminded him of Brady:
“I like Mac Jones; I really like him. I think he has everything you need to win in the NFL. He’s a lot like Tom [Brady] in that sense, which is no surprise why he ended up in New England,” Troy Aikman said. “I will say, and Bill knows this, I think the offensive coordinator position is the toughest job in soccer. I think it’s the most demanding job. They’re hard to find. There’s not a lot of great ones. There are a lot of them that have titles, but there aren’t a lot of great offensive minds.”
As such, Aikman recalled working with two great offensive coordinators in his time, which led to NFL dominance in the first half of the 1990s.
“I had the opportunity to play for a couple of the best that ever did (Ernie Zampese and Norv Turner). Man, when you have that on your play call, and they’re in sync with the quarterback, it’s like going step for step with your dance partner. It’s the best feeling in the world. So I think they’re going to miss Josh. Maybe, they miss him already. But, if anyone can get over that, it’s obviously Bill. He’s the best he’s ever done,” Aikman said.
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