FOXBORO – Mac Jones is smart enough to realize he does not know much about playing in the cold.
So as the weather in New England approaches winter-like conditions for the season’s stretch race, the Alabama product chooses the brain from a reliable source.
“Brian just asks a lot of questions.” Jones said, referring to longtime Patriots backup quarterback Brian Hoyer.
Soon enough, however, the rookie quarterback will have to figure out how to deal with the cold temperatures that the players here face every winter. Jones grew up in hot weather in southern Florida before attending college in Alabama, so he has minimal exposure to the cold.
As the Patriots prepare to face the Titans this Sunday, they have practiced in below 40 degree weather and the temperature on game day calls for something similar. Jones said he has thrown the ball in colder conditions. But the prospect of playing in December and January in Foxboro does not seem to worry him. He takes it in stride and knows there is nothing he can really do to prepare better than just experiencing it.
“It’s getting even colder,” Jones said. “Just get ready for it. You can’t really predict or prepare. It’s not like you can go in a fridge or a freezer. You just have to go out there and do it. That’s what it is.”
Tom Brady, Jones’ predecessor, regularly wore a glove on his non-throwing hand in cold weather. But Jones said he does not wear a glove – he has no experience with throwing one on. The rookie does not overthink the situation and does not look at it differently than other unique conditions he may encounter on a weekly basis.
“I think, take every day, day by day, and try not to focus too much on it and just put on what you need to wear, and take the advice of the elderly who have played a lot in the cold, and try just to find out, “Jones said. “It’s just another challenge, but you just have to look at it positively, as if it was raining or really windy, or whatever the situation is now. It’s football and you’re going to have days when it’s cold and days when it’s windy and days when it’s raining, so you have to be ready for any situation. …
“In the end, it’s just a mental thing, and you have to fight your way through it and take every experience and see what you can do better. If you think you’re too cold, put on more and vice versa.”
.
