Mac Jones praised Cam Newton as an ‘awesome and a great mentor’
"I am ready to play any role that I need to play."
The Red Sox won a wild one at Fenway Park on Monday afternoon, defeating the Rangers on a walk-off grand slam from Travis Shaw in the bottom of the 11th for an 8-4 victory.
Boston will face Minnesota today at 7:10 p.m.
Patriots practice this week will feature Mac Jones as the team’s starter, with Cam Newton held out until Thursday after missing a COVID-19 test.
“Due to a misunderstanding about tests conducted away from NFL facilities, and as required by the NFL-NFLPA protocols, Cam will be subject to the five-day entry cadence process before returning to the facility,” said the Patriots in a statement issued on Monday.
Mac Jones on his readiness to start: The moment he was picked by the Patriots in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, questions began immediately for Jones about when he might become the starting quarterback.
Throughout training camp and preseason, Jones and Newton have competed. Both have played well in preseason games, but does Jones feel ready to play if called upon?
During a Monday interview with WEEI’s “Ordway, Merloni & Fauria,” Jones provided an answer.
“That’s more of a future thing,” Jones explained. “Today, I am trying to just learn the plays I messed up on in practice. That’s really my focus. Fix those and move onto the next day. I think I’m starting to get a good grasp of it. I am just here to be a good teammate and help the quarterback room.”
As for when he’s on the field, Jones stressed patience in his development, but noted that he’s willing to step in should Bill Belichick make the decision.
“When I am in there I need to execute the plays and I can continue to get better at that and I will, so it’s just a learning experience. I am ready to play any role that I need to play.”
As for the competition with Newton, Jones only had good things to say about the former No. 1 overall pick.
“Obviously, Cam has been in the NFL for a long time and he’s done a great job mentoring me and helping me and providing that leadership aspect in meetings or even personal time just talking through stuff,” said Jones. “He’s been awesome and a great mentor. Brian Hoyer has obviously done a good job as well just helping me out. He’s been in the system for a while with Jarrett [Stidham] as well.”
The Patriots have one more preseason game against the Giants on Aug. 29 before preparing for the Dolphins in the season opener on Sept. 12.
Trivia: Who is the only quarterback other than Tom Brady to win a Super Bowl in his first season with a new team?
(Answer at the bottom).
Hint: He infamously declared that the Patriots were “not good anymore” as an ESPN analyst prior to New England’s eventual Super Bowl run in 2014.
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- Cam Newton to miss Patriots practices due to COVID protocols
Damien Harris on the Patriots’ depth at running back:
The flag of Afghanistan was included in the Opening Ceremony of the Paralympic Games: International Paralympic Committee president Andrew Parsons explained that the decision was made to show “solidarity.”
“We will include the Afghanistan flag in the ceremony in a sign of solidarity”, said Parsons. “It is important to highlight that as it is a message of solidarity and peace that we send to the world. We would like to have them here, unfortunately it is not possible, but they will be here in spirit.”
But while the Afghanistan flag is at the Paralympics, neither of the athletes who were scheduled to participate are there. Both Hossain Rasouli and Zakia Khudadadi, who qualified in taekwondo, could not travel out of the country due to the Taliban’s takeover.
Daily highlight: There was only one possibility for the highlight from Monday.
Trivia answer: Trent Dilfer
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