Mac Jones says he is spending all day on football. And that’s probably not hyperbole or an exaggeration. The New England Patriots rookie quarterback is maxing out his day with his new job.
That’s what it takes to be QB1 under Bill Belichick. And Jones isn’t there yet. He’s still clearly the backup to Cam Newton.
“Every minute of the day counts, so if you get time off, whether you’re eating or whatever, eat and then go find something to get better at,” Jones said Thursday.
That’s typical for quarterbacks in New England. One practice squad quarterback once confided in me that he often slept at the facility, because the work felt around the clock. Tom Brady told me he spent 16 hours per day on football during the regular season. Cam Newton told ESPN he woke up at 4 a.m. and went to bed at 11:30 p.m. — there wasn’t enough time in the day for him to stay on task with the weekly game plan while learning the playbook.
So Jones is diving headlong into learning what it means to be a Patriot, whether that’s the way they execute the fundamentals (which can be different than other players) or whether that’s the playbook, a dense piece of reading material often compared to a calculus textbook.
“You can see how much he puts into it,” quarterback Brian Hoyer said last week. “I get text messages from him at 6 a.m. He’s doing a great job.”
Jones has shown his potential during training camp practices, with days where he’s outplayed Newton — and with days where he certainly has not. Once the practice film is recorded, Jones puts everything in two categories, surely with help from his offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
“It’s the two buckets – one of them is good, one of them is bad, and you have to improve on the bad and keep the good in the good,” Jones said.
No, there aren’t any literal buckets. It’s just how Jones keeps things organized in his mind, separating the wheat from the chaff. Then Jones is back to work on the elements of his game that need work. And there’s no doubt that McDaniels is keeping Jones aware of how much bad there is in the rookie’s game.
“He’s good at getting yelled at,” McDaniels said with a smile on Thursday.
For a rookie who is trying to find his way, he leans often on his veterans. And perhaps that’s why the Patriots added Hoyer to a quarterback group which, at the time of his signing, already included Newton, Jones and Jarrett Stidham.
“We’re learning from each other, whether it’s a text at night or whatever,” Jones said. “They’re always there if I have a question. We have a group chat. Everyone can bounce off each other. Obviously with the older guys, they have a lot of experience. I’m just trying to be a sponge and learn from them.”
Jones has hammered the point of how much he’s taken from Hoyer and Newton. They are one of his many invaluable resources in New England. It’s not just that Jones has asked a lot of questions since joining the team as the 15th overall pick in the 2021 draft. Jones has also done plenty of copycat work, by observing his position-mates and doing what they’ve done. On the field, Jones will study how to properly execute a rep. He’ll also keep an eye on what they’re doing between reps, talking to teammates, smiling, laughing and keeping up the energy. The rookie quarterback will also copy what his teammates are doing after practice, including “drawing” to learn the playbook.
Yes, drawing.
“It’s not like painting pictures or anything, it’s just drawing the plays,” Jones said. “That sometimes helps when you’re a visual learner. A lot of guys on the team do that, so I just learned it from some of the older guys.”
Newton is clearly having a major impact on Jones’ early career. Jones has said as much. For whatever reason, Newton did not want to talk about it.
“There ain’t going to be no intel. There ain’t going to be no front pages on ‘Cam said this.’ As far as that question, Mac has been a great teammate. … But as far as any type of intel of what we do, how we do things and what has been done, no bueno, guy,” Newton said.
Jones loves his schedule. And he sticks to it: practice, meetings, film study, treatment and so on. Oh, and don’t forget to grab a meal or three. It’s all pretty new. We forget, sometimes, that Jones is 22 years old and learning what it means to be a professional in the spotlight — to have a job that’s all-consuming and in full attention of the national NFL media.
Then again, Jones did go to Alabama, the closest thing to an NFL franchise. And Jones was the starter of that team. It sounds like — even if he hasn’t been completely exposed to New England’s dogma — Jones is equipped to handle his new gig.
“Mac has an outstanding work ethic,” Steve Sarkisian, former Alabama offensive coordinator and current Texas Longhorns coach, said after the Patriots drafted Jones. “He’ll put in the work, he’ll do whatever is asked of him by Coach McDaniels and Coach Belichick to put himself and the team in a position to be successful. He’s detailed oriented, a very well-prepared guy and demands the best of himself and those around him.”
That’s what the Patriots are counting on.
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