3 ways Joe Judge can help Mac Jones become the next Tom Brady
The New England Patriots found a gem in Mac Jones. He was given the impossible task of replacing Tom Brady and ended up leading the team to the postseason as a rookie in 2021.
He was able to do that thanks, in large part, to having Josh McDaniels as his offensive coordinator. Yet McDaniels is now the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, leaving a void on the staff in New England.
That has allowed a surprising new coach to enter the picture -- Joe Judge, who was fired this offseason by the New York Giants. He is back with the Patriots and is reportedly set to work with the quarterbacks. That comes as a major surprise, given his main experience is as a special teams coach.
Per @AlbertBreer, Joe Judge is expected to work with the QBs and Matt Patricia will work with the offensive line (where he has worked in NE).
But Bill Belichick must see some promise in Judge to help turn the young signal-caller into the next Brady. So what can the coach do to help the young quarterback become a star?
3 ways Joe Judge can elevate Mac Jones' play
#3 - A focus on discipline
The Patriots under Belichick are notorious for being a hard-nosed operation. Things are taken very seriously and the sole focus is on winning. Judge tried to instill that culture with the Giants, but it is tough to replicate if a team is not as talented as the Patriots.
Yet Judge can now ensure he keeps the mindset with Jones. He can relay just what Brady did to become a legend and instill a proper work ethic in the young quarterback after he initially tasted success in 2021.
#2 - Rely on the veterans
Judge does not have experience working with quarterbacks. Yet he can rely on the veterans on the team to form a cohesive unit, all geared toward helping Jones. At the moment, the Patriots have Jarrett Stidham under contract as the backup and Brian Hoyer is set to be a free agent.
If the team does retain Hoyer, Judge can have him focus almost entirely on a coaching role to continue guiding Jones. The worst thing for Judge to do would be to alienate the backups and try to act like how McDaniels would with Jones.
#1 - Don't focus on the future
Judge likely wants to become a head coach once again. Yet he has a long way to go before getting back to that position; however, doing well with Jones would boost his stock in an instant. The one thing he cannot do is try to be in the spotlight.
Kendrick Bourne and Mac Jones next season https://t.co/Bc4qSEzMIe
Judge needs to spend time behind the scenes working with the young quarterback. That could even mean watching a lot of old Brady film, and talking with other coaches about the habits that made him great.
Ideally, fans will not hear from Judge at all in 2022. That would mean he took his job seriously and is solely focused on making Jones a star in the NFL.
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