In his weekly appearance on WEEI with Merloni, Fauria and Mego, Patriots quarterback Mac Jones did not disappoint…for those who look forward to his reserved and conservative approach to interviews. Jones, known for being a fierce competitor on field, usually plays it very safe behind the mic, and fear not, for all vanilla, diplomatic and non-revealing boxes were checked off during this pre-holiday chat. Before sharing some interesting nuggets.
Said Jones of the play made by the other M. Jones that won the game for the Patriots: “It was just a great play. Special teams, obviously, is just a big part of a football game.”
He later added that those special teams “obviously won the game for us, so that was cool to see.” Sizzling as usual!
About his ankle that he sprained badly back on Sept. 25, Jones said, “I feel good, healthy and stuff.” Uh-oh! Better not reveal too much there, Mac, else you could get called to coach’s office.
In an effort to improve as a player and help the team’s offense, which was held to just three points Sunday, Jones said he put together a chart of things he can improve on during the bye week, later adding it’s something he’s been doing since high school. The items on the list change every year depending on what Jones improves on, “nutrition, mental stuff, your physical stuff”. Taking a page right out of the TB12 Method right there!
A question about comparing himself to Zach Wilson, whom Jones is undefeated against in the pros, led to an answer about not playing each other, rather going against the other team’s defense. Deflected like a master.
After some tidbits about film review and the weather Sunday being “super windy”, Mac did say officially unofficial offensive coordinator Matt Patricia (“Matty P”) gave the team good plays to be successful, which should score him some points upstairs.
There was an interesting passage about “flipping the switch,” where Mac discussed something he learned on a recruiting trip to Kentucky: Adopting a mindset where once you get to the red zone, or a place where you feel confident you can score, or know you need points, you “flip the switch” and take it to another level. Jones said he employed this mentality at Alabama, and the discussion on how this team can flip the switch, or at least make positive plays.
“We’re going backwards too much”, he admitted. And Jones should know since he’s being sacked almost one out of every 10 dropbacks (second most in the NFL). He believes there’s “heightened awareness” as to the team knowing they can improve and it’s a matter of…stop me if you’ve heard this before…execution and being better.
Jones made sure to send compliments his head coach’s way, saying about Bill Belichick, “He gives you a plan and it’s gonna work like 99.9 percent of the time, probably 100 percent of the time.” It’s just up to the offense to make the plan happen. “Obviously we wanna score more points.”
Compliments were thrown the way of their next opponent, too, calling the Vikings “one of the best teams in the NFL right now”. No acknowledgment was made of the Vikings losing by 37 at home to Dallas Sunday, or how that may affect Thursday night’s game.
Oh, and when asked the obligatory question about an upcoming holiday, it was defensive lineman Carl Davis whom Mac said he’d trust to cook a Thanksgiving dinner (when in doubt go with one of the big guys on the line).
He never disappoints! At least as far as being true to himself and the manner in which he interviews. Mac’s next chance to flip that switch and lead the offense in better execution, scoring touchdowns not field goals, comes Thursday night on a nationally televised stage at 8:20 p.m. Let’s see if those game plans are executed, improvement charts acknowledged and switches flipped positively.
