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Mac Jones has already had a rookie season for the ages. After a slow start, Bill Belichick's padawan has jumped to become one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL on a week-to-week basis. At this point, plenty are already predicting a big playoff run in a Tom Brady-esque fashion. But the quarterback still has one massive unknown: how will he fare in the elements at the NFL level?
Will Mac Jones be singing in the rain (and snow)?
Mac Jones played college in Alabama. As someone who has been there in January when it was 70 degrees, this writer can say confidently that cold temperatures are not a concern year-round. As such, it leaves the door open for a massive hole in Jones' game.
Until he shows he can handle the elements at the NFL level, any outcome to Monday's expected snow game against the Bills is possible.
Of course, Jones played in cold temperatures during away games while in college, giving him some level of experience in dealing with the cold. That said, his new team plays in the elements as much as anyone. Placed more than midway up the east coast, the Patriots' home games will be as exposed to the elements as most of his away games.
Put simply, in December, January, and February, there will be no escaping the cold. The Patriots are in a cold-weather division with the Bills and Jets located further north than Foxborough. The Patriots' only reprieve from the elements of the division is when the team travels to Miami to face the Dolphins.
If Mac Jones doesn't handle the elements well, he will have trouble playing winning Patriots football when it is most important. Players with this issue can stick with the team for a couple of years before the data catches up to them, but this will eventually snowball into a force that can move a player off a team. Jones still has plenty of time before this happens if it does.
At this point, this will be the first real action of watching Jones in the elements. The ball will be rock hard and hits will sting three times worse. Whether it is rainy or slushy, Jones will have to contend with a slippery football and a more slippery turf. How he adjusts to the conditions against the Bills could be telling.
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