Copyright Yardbarker
The San Francisco 49ers' signing of quarterback Mac Jones to a two-year contract in March could go down as one of the offseason's most important moves. While 49ers Week 1 QB1 Brock Purdy spent the majority of the campaign's first nine weeks dealing with what's become a lingering toe injury, Jones won five of his first seven starts with the club. Jones recently spoke with Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated about how the way head coach Kyle Shanahan handles organized team activities and training camp prepared the 27-year-old for what was to come during the season. How Mac Jones quickly grew comfortable with 49ers during offseason "In OTAs and training camp, it was the most reps I’ve ever gotten as a backup," Jones told Breer. "I’ve been a starter, and you usually take every rep, and they might not give the backup a lot of reps. But [Shanahan] gives everybody an equal amount of reps. So I really felt comfortable, like two or three weeks into OTAs against the defense. I just felt like, 'Alright, this is the system, and I made some good throws, I made some bad throws.' But you understand why, because there’s footwork and timing, and every play has a plan." That plan helped the Niners enter Week 10 at 6-3 and could result in Jones continuing to find success in the event that Purdy remains impacted by his latest physical setback through January. Per Pro Football Reference, Jones ranks 14th in the NFL among qualified players with a 61.4 adjusted QBR and fourth with an average of 261.7 passing yards per game. Over seven contests, he tossed 10 touchdown passes and five interceptions. As of early Wednesday afternoon, it was unclear if Jones or Purdy would start when the 49ers host the Los Angeles Rams (6-2) on Sunday. When Mac Jones learned what 49ers needed him to be "I learned that the first two weeks in OTAs — 'This works, if I do it right,'" Jones continued. "So I just challenged myself to do that every day in training camp, and I stacked up like 15, 16 good days in a row. And then, eventually, I got to play in a real game." Shanahan may soon have to decide if Jones and not Purdy gives the 49ers the best chance to win games for at least the next few months. As of Wednesday afternoon, ESPN BET had the Niners as 4.5-point home underdogs against the Rams.
