Mac Jones learned so much while watching Tua Tagovailoa, Jalen Hurts
By John Buhler
Mac Jones certainly benefited from backing up Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts at Alabama.
Mac Jones is proof you can learn watching greats like Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts go to work.
Through the first nine weeks of the 2020 college football season, the Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback is the frontrunner to win the Heisman Trophy. Jones has played some outstanding football in Steve Sarkisian‘s pass-friendly offense. However, it may have been his time backing up Tagovailoa and Hurts before that has helped show him the way to become such a terrific player.
“Those two guys. . .man, what a great group to learn from,” said Jones. “I feel like those guys did a great job of: if it’s a touchdown, they are celebrating with the guys. Both guys, if they made a mistake, you couldn’t tell they made a mistake. So I’ve tried to implement that into my game. This past game (against Mississippi State), I feel like I could have done a way better job doing that.”
“So that’s a great point you bring that up. So how would Jalen or Tua handle this? So when we didn’t convert on third down or we didn’t score a touchdown. . .they just kept going. They don’t let anything get underneath their skin. So I just try to emulate them everyday in that part of my game.”
Mac Jones had perfect role models in Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts
Jones may not have the football talent of Hurts, and certainly not that of Tagovailoa. However, he is absolutely getting the most out of his talent this season. Though he may be a beneficiary of having great players around him and an overqualified offensive coordinator calling plays in Sarkisian, Jones still has to go out there an execute in a tough, 10-game, SEC-only schedule.
No, it was not only football talent that had Tagovailoa and Hurts finish as Heisman Trophy runner-ups in the illustrious college careers, nor was it the reason both went in the first two rounds of the 2020 NFL Draft. What you are looking at in Tagovailoa, Hurts and now Jones, are great on-field leaders. The intangibles are what tie three these Crimson Tide quarterbacks together in the end.
Trying to emulate Tagovailoa and Hurts is great and all, but Jones just needs to be himself.
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