FOXBOROUGH -- Sunday will be a big day for Mac Jones as it will be his first NFL start, and that includes the preseason, as he did not get any starts over the summer.
So, how is he feeling with it just a few days away?
“I think it’s a great opportunity," he said Wednesday. "It’s something you always want to try — when you’re young you always want to play in the NFL and obviously it’s a great opportunity. I just got to be prepared and focus on what I need to focus on and just try and block out any distractions and just like I always say, be a good teammate, roll with the punches. Everything is not going to be perfect. You just have to play each play and move on and listen to Josh [McDaniels] and Coach [Bill Belichick] and make sure we’re good. We just play each series.”
The rookie admitted he will be nervous, but added that's OK.
"I think I would be doing the wrong thing if I wasn’t [nervous]," Jones said "I think nerves are a good thing. You can always be nervous, but you can’t play nervous. I’ve always said that. Just play. It’s my first time out there, but at the same time we’ve all been playing for a long time. It’s all of us together. It’s really not a one-man show at all. It takes all 11 people and I just have to really just focus, do my job on each play and take it play-by-play.”
It's been quite the past week or so for him, as he was named the starter in a team meeting last Tuesday and then saw veteran Cam Newton get released.
Despite all that and the pressure of starting Week 1, Jones is still just taking things one day at a time.
“Just getting the information that we got in that meeting and stuff, it’s just all about moving forward and focusing on that day (the game)," Jones said. "That day we had practice and you just go out there and practice just like any other day. And the next day we had practice and you do it again.
"So, I know I say this all the time, but it’s just a daily thing and it’s hard because you want to look into the future or think about the past and you just have to focus on today and today I think we did well in practice, but there’s always little things to pick up on and improve. Every day we just have to get better.”
The Patriots will host the Dolphins Sunday at 4:25 p.m.
