Josh McDaniels on Cam Newton-Mac Jones QB battle: ‘Cam is certainly the starter now’
By Adam Spencer
Published:
The New England Patriots absolutely dominated the Philadelphia Eagles this week in preseason NFL action, winning 35-0.
Former Auburn star Cam Newton had a workmanlike day, going 8-for-9 for 103 yards, 1 touchdown and 0 interceptions. Former Alabama standout Mac Jones went 13-for-19 for 146 yards, 0 touchdowns and 0 picks.
As the battle for the Patriots’ QB1 spot continues to go on, OC Josh McDaniels says the team isn’t really worried about who starts in Week 1. He did note, however, that Newton is the starter right now (via WEEI):
“I know this is going to sound silly, but I haven’t really worried about it,” he said. “I think that decision from Bill will be made when the time is right to make it. Cam certainly is the starter now, and he has done a good job. He has gone in there, he played well the other night. He’s practiced well. But, I know those guys are really competing hard and we’re giving them an opportunity to compete and play a lot of football.
“My focus really is on our offense improving and specific to your question, that position in general, I have said it before, like that position to me is obviously extremely valuable to our team. We need to be able to play consistently well. We need to communicate well. We need to make good decisions. We need to throw the ball accurately. We need to protect the football and not give it away. To me, I look at those guys in the same light in regards to what we’re trying to accomplish. Ultimately, when any decision is made based on who is going to play more or less on our team, those decisions will be made when the time is right and we’re going to go forward and try and play the best we can.
“I am very pleased with the effort that we’re putting in at the quarterback position, the improvements we’re making and the way that we’re attempting to run the offense. Everything isn’t perfect. We still have a long way to go and things we can work on and improve and make better, but I think the desire to do it, the way we want to do it to the standard that we’re trying to hold them to I think is right where we want it to be.”
Does this mean Jones is out and it’s Newton’s job? That’s not necessarily the case. We’ll see how both QBs fare in the Patriots final preseason game this coming week.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
