'Confident' Mac Jones Embraces Greater Responsibility in Patriots' Offense

Jones is ready to put the Pats' preseason struggles behind him heading into Week 1 against the Dolphins.

For such a young player, New England Patriots second-year quarterback Mac Jones could be labeled surprisingly, even uncannily, nostalgic. After all, he has kept a most harrowing memento from his rookie season in his locker, a photograph from last year's AFC Wild Card playoffs, which saw Jones and the Patriots on the wrong end of a 47-17 shellacking at the hands of the Buffalo Bills. 

When it comes to more recent affairs, however, Jones is opting for a blank mind. 

Much has been about the Patriots' offensive struggles over the three-game August slate, with Jones and the primary unit at the forefront of those woes. It was perhaps bad enough that New England ranked 28th in points over the preseason trio (15.7) but Jones' issues with the primary unit were perhaps most troubling: he posted a 60.0 passer rating on 21 attempts, a majority of his work coming in a listless finale in Las Vegas. 

New England's preseason box scores are likely locked up in the same storage closet as those from Rod Rust's cursed 1990 season. Jones appears to be taking the same approach. 

"The preseason, it is what it is. We're kind of past that," Jones said in his end-of-week availability. "We're kind of on to just this week and trying to run better plays, and do things better so that we can put more points on the board." 

"It is a long game. Every game is a long game and that's a good thing because there are a lot of plays to be had and a lot of plays to be made." 

Jones credited both the three-game exhibition slate and training camp practices for providing "a lot of learning experiences," at least enough to the point he'll go into the fast-approaching regular season with a sense of credence in his unit. 

"I feel confident in what we're doing. We just have to go out there and do it for 60 minutes, and that's just play-by-play," Jones said. "I feel like we have a good group of guys that's really close-knit. We just have to keep coming together. We have everything we need so we just have to go out there and do it."

As the de facto heir to one of the most valued and cherished thrones in football, another passable (pun intended) rookie season likely won't be enough to impress amateur and professional critics. Jones was clearly the class of a struggling rookie class but more will be expected in year two. 

The national reaction stemming from the preseason performance will likely only add to the pressure Jones is facing, as well as cast a spotlight on exactly how much he contributes to the New England offense. Jones, for his part, wouldn't have it any other way, which is likely music to the ears of a team whose playcalling duties have faced significant questions in recent efforts.

"I've always enjoyed the x's and o's part more than anything else," Jones said of his duties when it comes to studying an opponent. "I tend to enjoy the problem-solving part. That's the fun part of the game. 

"We have good coaches that are going to put us in a position to do that. We have good experience with some of the looks we've seen last year and preseason. So it's all about what are my tools and how can I fix it? That's the big thing for me, just being able to apply that how I know how to do it and just play the play for what it is."

Jones' first big opportunity comes next Sunday, as a visit to South Beach against the Miami Dolphins awaits (1 p.m. ET, CBS). 

Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags