JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jaguars QB Mac Jones pushed apart the large pink ball, ran by two staffers making an attempt to hit him with pads, slipped via two extra holding padded sticks making an attempt to poke the soccer unfastened, and did a entrance flip onto a large blue pad to complete the ball safety drill at a current coaching camp observe.
However he wasn’t completed, at the least till he popped again up and did a fast dance.
That was simply one of many many lighthearted moments Jones has had in his 5 months with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The change in surroundings from leaving New England after three years and coming again to his hometown Jacksonville has re-energized him and allowed his persona to emerge.
The consequence: He is having fun with taking part in soccer extra now than he has in a very long time.
“I believe it has been actually laid again right here, however very organized,” Jones mentioned. “And once I went to Alabama, you are a freshman, you are younger, and then you definitely form of develop into your individual participant. So I really feel like that is a correlation. Clearly, the amenities listed here are wonderful and the coaches and the group right here, they do every part A to Z, so I really feel like that is extra my vibe and I do really feel like I am having enjoyable once more.
“Clearly profitable is enjoyable. So hopefully we will do a few of that, too.”
The New England Patriots drafted Jones fifteenth general in 2021. As a rookie he led the Patriots to the playoffs and was a Professional Bowl alternate, however his profession there derailed. After an ankle harm, a revolving door of offensive coordinators and Invoice Belichick’s determination to rent longtime defensive coach Matt Patricia because the playcaller, Jones was not proving to be their franchise QB. The Patriots traded Jones to the Jaguars for a 2024 sixth-round decide in March, bringing him in to compete with C.J. Beathard to be Trevor Lawrence’s backup.
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From the beginning, the Jaguars had been getting a personality-filled Jones.
In his introductory information convention together with his new staff, Jones joked that he did not have an excessive amount of time to speak as a result of his mother was selecting him up from the power in half-hour. Throughout OTAs, he completed the ball safety drill with a dance that would have resembled the Dougie. He has continued to be playful and open on the sector in coaching camp — ending a ball safety drill by rolling the soccer like a bowling ball and throwing a soccer into the stands after he “scrambled” for a landing.
“I imply, truthfully, we had an awesome observe after that, so I felt prefer it brings power to the stadium, brings power to the blokes on our staff, and everybody loves it,” Jones mentioned. “They’re like, ‘Preserve doing it’. So I believe they get pleasure from it. Perhaps in some locations it is frowned upon, however I’ll have enjoyable with it and that is what I do. And on the finish of the day, that is what the game’s about. I do know it is a enterprise and it is arduous and there is a variety of ups and downs, but when I’ve enjoyable on the observe discipline, I can carry that over to the sport days.”
Within the Jaguars first preseason recreation, Jones accomplished 9-of-11 passes for 98 yards within the 26-13 victory over Kansas Metropolis. Offensive coordinator Press Taylor mentioned he is been impressed with Jones’ development within the offense within the quick period of time he is been right here.
“He is a sponge,” Taylor mentioned. “He loves studying soccer, speaking soccer. You see his expertise. All of the ideas we run he is run sooner or later in time. A few of it’s translating and then you definitely attempt as shortly as you may to get away from the outdated language you have got. … He is executed that.”
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Head coach Doug Pederson mentioned Jones has seamlessly match into the locker room and might inform Jones feels snug and relaxed. One of the best ways to explain it?
“He is eccentric,” Pederson joked. “He could be a little quirky at occasions. You see him on the sector doing a little various things, however that is the enjoyment and the enjoyable I believe that he needed to get again to slightly bit, and he is executed an awesome job for us.”
No one appears to be having extra enjoyable with Jones than Taylor. When Taylor was utilizing a padded stick in a ball safety drill, he poked on the ball when Lawrence and Beathard got here via. When he bought to Jones, although, he — effectively, Jones described it as “beating the crap out of me.” When doing one other ball safety drill with the quarterbacks, Taylor jumped on prime of Jones and spent virtually a minute making an attempt to wrestle the ball free, which he ultimately did, with Jones laughing the complete time.
It is virtually as if Taylor is treating Jones as his annoying little brother.
“I believe that is a great way to explain it,” Taylor mentioned. “What I really like about Mac is that Mac loves soccer. He loves taking part in soccer, he loves speaking soccer, which I believe I am very comparable in that manner. We’ve got an excellent rapport in that sense. Mac’s all the time having an excellent time, all the time speaking. We talked about that earlier than, so I’ve bought no downside speaking. We prefer to chirp forwards and backwards each from time to time.
“So, it is enjoyable.”
And should you’ve bought an annoying little brother, you positively can relate to this facet of their relationship:
“He is always asking questions,” Taylor mentioned. “He is always speaking, which one factor, like, ‘hey, shut up, I’ve to present you a play name actual fast.’ He simply runs his mouth on a regular basis, which is enjoyable. It makes observe enjoyable.
“He is chirping with the DBs on a regular basis. It is arduous [in OTAs] when we do not have helmets on so there isn’t any headset communicator. I’ve to bodily get him to come back discuss to me to present him the following play name.”
Jones hasn’t crossed into the “annoying” space together with his teammates, although. Lawrence referred to as him enjoyable to be round after which used a phrase which will have by no means been used to explain an NFL participant till now.
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“He is simply bubbly,” Lawrence mentioned.
“That is most likely the very best phrase to explain him,” he continued. “Bubbly. Loves soccer, loves being on the market. The fellows reply nice to him, however he additionally has nice command. He is not only a jokester. He is severe and takes care of his enterprise. Actually good participant and I have been impressed with how he is dealt with every part.”
Jones’ 2023 season in New England was a catastrophe, and there have been reviews that he misplaced the help of his teammates, although tight finish Hunter Henry mentioned final September that he’d “go to battle with [Jones] any day of the week. I really like competing with that man each single day and I am going to go to warfare with him wherever it’s.”
Jones would not speak about his Patriots tenure and the best way it ended, however he has been respectful of the group and complimentary of his time in New England whereas wanting towards the longer term.
“I’ve a variety of respect for the place I got here from and I’ve no arduous emotions and my purpose is to maneuver ahead and put that behind me and cherish the relationships that I nonetheless have there,” he mentioned. “However on the identical time, it is 2024 and it is time to be on this new staff.”
