AFC Notes: Jaguars, Jets, Patriots

Jaguars

Quarterbacks coach Jordan Palmer mentioned during an interview with Rich Eisen that Jaguars first-round QB Trevor Lawrence will get better as Jacksonville’s roster improves in the coming years.

“You know, every rookie who ends up playing has a different start,” Palmer said, via JaguarsWire.com. “We’ve seen guys start hot and we’ve seen a ton of guys start a lot worse than Trevor. Really, when you’re the No. 1 pick, you’re taking over a team that earned the No. 1 pick. So you have a roster that needs to be developed and all that.”

“What I look at with Trevor is how often are you making the same decisions, good ones or bad ones, over and over again,” Palmer said. “I think there are certain interceptions that a quarterback has to throw to know they can’t throw that ball […] Coach can tell you not to do it, but you’ve got to do it and feel it to harness that. I don’t see Trevor making a lot of the same mistakes.”

“I see him being aggressive and pushing the ball downfield and trying to execute this offense quickly. Roster-wise, they’re going to continue to evolve. New staff. New everything. I just don’t see Trevor making a lot of the same mistakes over and over again so that means I see him progressing and at no point does the game seem too hard, or too big, or too fast or too complex. I think he’s progressing nicely and I think everyone should be patient.”

Jets

Jets first-round QB Zach Wilson has struggled a lot during his rookie season but those difficulties seem to be more pronounced in the first and second quarters. As the games go on, Wilson gets a little more comfortable, but he has seven interceptions to no touchdowns in the first half this season. 

“I think it’s getting comfortable and settled in,” Wilson said via ESPN’s Rich Cimini. “There’s not one thing to point at. I don’t even think it needs to be a point of emphasis because the more you put on it, the harder it becomes. I just have to go out and play ball. My mindset is I’ve got to come out ripping it from the beginning.”

• Jets’ HC Robert Saleh said the team didn’t prepare specifically for Eagles’ QB Gardner Minshew because they knew the offense would remain the same. (Connor Hughes)
• Saleh told the press that he thought it was one of rookie QB Zach Wilson‘s best games: “I thought this was by far his best game in terms of just working progression and playing within the scheme. I wish we could’ve kept him in rhythm there in the second half.” (Ralph Vacchiano)

Patriots

Patriots first-round QB Mac Jones has impressed a number of people around the NFL in his debut season with his efficient level of play. Add Hall of Fame QB Kurt Warner to that group. 

“I really like him,” Warner said via ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “I’m a firm believer that if you know what you’re looking at, and know where to get your eyes quickly, and you can make different kinds of throws, you can always be successful as long as your skill set is good enough at whatever level you’re playing. You saw it for 20 years with Tom. He knew what to look at. He knew how to get the ball out of his hands. He knew exactly where to throw it. And that’s exactly what I see with this young kid.”

The comparisons to Tom Brady are natural given their similar styles of play and the Patriots jersey. That is what it is even if it’s not totally fair to Jones. Warner adds he wants to see more from Jones before he makes a final determination one way or another on his potential. 

“We’ve seen him make some really good throws, but I don’t know what his upside is. I’ve always believed at some point that you have to consistently make these off-platform throws, or throws when guys are in your face and you’re in different places, and some guys can physically do that and some guys can’t,” he said. “That … kind of determines, to me, how good a guy like Mac can be. Will he get to the point that he becomes a Tom Brady, who can carry a team with his right arm? That’s yet to be seen.”