1 of 5Elise Amendola/Associated PressIt's as easy as that.Cam Newton was not a complete mess in his limited action on Thursday night. However, the veteran was only able to play a short time and showed an astonishing lack of awareness when Chase Young sacks him early. He's not the same quarterback that he was in 2015, and that could change now that he is 32.It was also telling that Pats coach Bill Belichick gave rookie No. In what seemed to be a lengthy audition, Mac Jones (15th overall) was given extensive reps with the starting line. It's difficult to argue that the Alabama product failed to deliver.Jones completed 13 out of 19 passes for 87 yard, but that's not enough to describe his performance. As he led the New England offense confidently, Jones had the appearance and feel of an experienced player. His numbers would have been higher if Belichick had challenged Jakobi Meyers' obvious catch in the first quarter, or Kristian Wilkerson's perfectly placed throw to Jones in the third quarter.I don't think I would have much faith in Newton throwing that same throw at this stage in his career.Jones displayed excellent timing and anticipation and made very few errors against a defense that was high quality and had a lot depth.Although it's only one preseason match, Jones' ceiling is much higher than Newton. Belichick clearly wants to be all-in this season. You wonder if he would use a first round pick on a quarterback who has no plans of playing him, when he could draft a Day 1 impact player at a different position.Although a rookie quarterback has never won the Super Bowl, maybe that's what Belichick wants to make in spite of Tom Brady in 2021. It's impossible to rule it out.
