It's not been the most routine of campaigns for New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones, but the legendary Tom Brady gave him some helpful advice last season.
Jones is well into his second season as Patriots quarterback, but his position has already been under threat this year. Jones missed three games through injury, and back-up quarterback Bailey Zappe started to thrive in his absence, and many fans began to side with him over their usual starter.
But the first-round NFL draft pick from 2021 has since bounced back, and more than reclaimed his position after winning three straight games. Being a Patriots quarterback will always bring added pressure due to the legacy that Brady left, but the current Tampa Bay Buccaneers star have him some trusty advice in a private chat last season.
Brady faced the Patriots with his new Buccaneers side last season, and they edged the contest 19-17 after Nick Folk's late 56-yard field goal attempt was missed. It was the biggest moment of Jones' rookie season at that stage, as the student faced the master at Gillette Stadium.
Filling into a position that had been occupied by Brady for 20 seasons is as daunting as it sounds, but the Patriots are starting to look like a threat slowly but surely. And Brady had some inspiring words for Jones after he was beaten by the Bucs last season.
"Yeah, after the game, I got a chance to congratulate him on the win and he's a great quarterback and yeah, he played well tonight and that's pretty much all there was to it," Jones said. "(Brady) just told me to keep my head up and keep working."
Jones finished with an impressive 10-7 record in his rookie season, and has turned around the Patriots form to put them 6-4 for the current campaign. The 24-year-old failed on his only post-season challenge last season, but it looks like he will get another chance if they can keep a positive record.
Legendary coach Bill Belichick clearly has faith in Jones, as he's stuck with him through a tough period. There were big calls to see him replaced after Zappe began to shine in the starting role, but Belichick stuck to his guns.
There's been increasing comparisons after Brady replaced regular starter Drew Bledsoe at the start of his career, and the rest as they say is history. But so far, Belichick hasn't decided to repeat that decision.
Belichick has even likened Jones to Brady for his field awareness, with Belichick stating that both his past and present quarterback's have a tremendous ability to avoid getting sacked. "I think he's got a pretty good feel for that," Belichick said.
"A lot of it is just really ‘feel’ and ‘decision.’ Some of it is athletic ability too, but a lot of it is just seeing it through the right time. Tom [Brady] did a good job of that.
"He didn't run very often, but when he did, like last year against us, he got us on that third-and-four or whatever it was … it's just decisions and recognition of the situation. I think that’s one of his strengths."
