Mac Jones wants to become "Alabama Mac" for Patriots this season

BOSTON -- For Mac Jones, last year was ... not good. From the coaching situation with Matt Patricia and Joe Judge, to an injury, to the rise of Bailey Zappe, it was quite the dropoff from Jones' impressive rookie season in the NFL.

But last year was last year. This year, Jones is hoping to tap into a version of himself from even deeper in the past.

"I think that's a big thing for me, keeping it loose and going out there and slinging it," Jones said in an interview with Sports Illustrated. "Going back to the Alabama Mac."  

SI's Albert Breer followed up by asking the 24-year-old what "Alabama Mac" means, exactly.

"When I'm in the right headspace and I can go out there and let it fly and not think too much and go play football," Jones replied. "That's what it's all about for me, play football with my teammates and enjoy one another. We're out there grinding every day together, so when somebody makes a good play, somebody go spike that thing. It should be fun. You have to go out there and enjoy it. There's going to be tough times, too. You have to understand, How do we bounce back? How do we play the next play as a unit? That starts with the quarterback. Obviously, we're trying to start that now."

Jones certainly had tons of fun while at Alabama, with his playing career beginning in earnest in 2019, when he stepped in to replace the injured Tua Tagovailoa. Jones completed 68.8 percent of his passes, averaging 10.7 yards per attempt while throwing three touchdowns and three interceptions. The team went 4-1 in Jones' first five starts.

The next year, Jones led Alabama to an undefeated record and a national championship, completing an NCAA-record 77.4 percent of his passes while throwing 41 touchdowns with just four interceptions.

Jones won't be replicating those stats in the NFL -- nor will any quarterback -- but he's clearly intent on bringing back a level of fun and inspiration that was missing during the reign of Matt Patricia. A key element this year with Bill O'Brien as his offensive coordinator is a mutual trust between coach and quarterback.

"We definitely are on the same page, and we're building that trust. That's one thing that's big between the quarterback and the coordinator, regardless of who it is: He has to trust you, and then you have to be able to trust him," Jones told Breer. "I think the unit, most importantly, feels the same way as I do in that we have a lot of trust in him to work things out throughout the season."