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By now, you’ve seen all the comparisons and heard all of the speculation about the New England Patriots’ Mac Jones and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Tom Brady.
Is Jones the next Brady? Can he lead the Patriots back to the top of the mountain the way Brady did six times in New England, and the way he did last year with the Bucs?
We aren’t likely to know the true answer to those questions for another five years or so when Jones is firmly entrenched as an NFL quarterback, more than likely with the Patriots.
However, we did get an opportunity to hear Jones discuss his upcoming matchup with the Bucs and the man he’s most often compared to who has cast an eclipsing shadow over the position with the franchise.
Mac Jones Talks About Facing Tom Brady
On Sunday night, it’s a good chance Jones will be going head-to-head with Brady for the only time in his career. It is possible Jones and the Patriots could clash with Brady and the Bucs in the Super Bowl over the next few years, but based on the current state of New England’s roster, it may have a hard time holding up its end of the bargain.
Because of this and the compelling nature of Brady’s return to Foxboro, the Sunday Night NFL game is as big as its ever been. Jones spoke about his first meeting with The G.O.A.T during a presser earlier in the week. Jones acknowledged there was some pressure, but he also tried to put the upcoming game into the proper perspective.
Jones told reporters on September 29:
It’s not like one person versus one person, so I think that a lot of it is 11 on 11, and that’s what goes into it, and that’s how they’re going to look at it. That’s how every team looks at it. It’s just you’re getting a chance to compete in a primetime game, and it just kind of is what it is. … I think it just goes back to really with pressure, you just got to focus on doing what you’re supposed do, and people who have jobs in high pressure situations, that’s what they do. They do their job really well, and they prepare really hard, so it’s all you can control, and once the hay is in the barn, the hay is in the barn, and you just got to go play, and I think everyone will be excited, and we’re just going to be ready to play when it happens.
It sounds as if Jones has been trained well on the Patriot way of handling an interview about a touchy subject.
What Happens if Jones Outduels Brady?
We’re not ready for the hype train that would follow Jones, Bill Belichick and the Patriots if they manage to pull off a massive upset over Brady and the Bucs. Even more, if Jones stares down Brady, comes close to matching him statistically while also leading the Patriots on a game-winning drive, an already massive story would be even bigger.
As cool as that sounds, I’m expecting a thorough victory from the Bucs, who appeared to be the better team on every level.
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