Troy Aikman on Patriots' Mac Jones: 'A Lot Like Tom'

The Hall-of-Fame quarterback and new Monday Night Football analyst heaps praise on New England's rising star.

Mac Jones is in the unenviable position of eternally being compared to the winningest quarterback in the history of the NFL.

Until he gets his first playoff win - juxtaposed to Tom Brady's six Super Bowl rings won in Foxboro - the New England Patriots' quarterback will have to settle for small similarities.

Last offseason he was under the tutelage of Brady's throwing coach. And now another Hall-of-Fame quarterback says he sees a similar skill-set in the two.

“I like Mac Jones. I really do," said new ESPN Monday Night Football analyst Troy Aikman. "I think he possesses everything you need to win in the NFL. He’s a lot like Tom (Brady) that way, which has not been a surprise as to why he ended up in New England."

It's unfair - almost blasphemous - to mention Brady and Jones in the same sentence. But when the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback with three Super Bowl rings and 20 years of experience calling NFL games on Fox does ... it speaks volumes.

Aikman will get a close-up view of Jones and the Patriots twice this season, when New England plays in prime time Oct. 24 against the Chicago Bears and on Dec. 12 at the Arizona Cardinals.

Aikman has spent time with Jones, as they share a connection through another of Jones’ throwing coaches, Joe Dickinson. While he believes in Jones, Aikman also isn't surprised by the Pats' preseason offensive struggles given the loss of offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.

"I will say, and Bill (Belichick) knows this, I think offensive coordinator is the hardest job in football," Aikman said. "I think it’s the most demanding job. They’re hard to find. There’s not a lot of great ones. There’s a lot of them that have titles, but there’s not a lot of great offensive minds. So I do think they’re going to miss Josh. Maybe they already do. But if anyone can overcome that, obviously it’s Bill. He’s the best to have ever done it.”

While Belichick, teammates and Jones himself have preached patience in the wake of the slow preseason in which the quarterback went only 13 of 21 for 132 yards and an interception, Aikman essentially echoes the sentiments.

"(Losing McDaniels) has an impact," he said. "I think if Mac was being honest, he’d say, ‘Yeah.’

"That’s not to say he can’t go on and have more success this year. Maybe he can. It seemed like him and Josh had a really great relationship. And that becomes hard because there’s so much that happens within a game, within a practice; there’s frustration, the quarterback’s taking the heat, they’re not doing this - to have a guy you can really confide in, there’s so much to that relationship that doesn’t show up on a stat sheet or even on game day. That’s going to be a hard position to fill, and a hard position for Mac to get comfortable.”

Aikman's bottom line: Jones has some of Brady's qualities, but he doesn't have McDaniels.

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