Mac Jones says he's learned a lot from Tom Brady

BOSTON -- Mac Jones will be playing quarterback for the New England Patriots on Sunday. Tom Brady will be there, too, though for the first time since the '90s, he won't be wearing a helmet for Week 1 action. (OK, it's likely that Brady was inactive for Week 1 in 2000, when he was a fourth-stringer as a rookie. But you get the point.)

This time, Brady will be the guest of honor, as the Patriots have some sort of ceremony in store to celebrate the career of the most important figure in franchise history. Frankly, short of naming the stadium after him and unveiling an enormous statue of him and renaming Foxborough to Bradyville, there's no way the team can adequately fit this tribute into the tight window during halftime.

Nevertheless, for as much as Week 1's season opener is about the Patriots, it will also be about Brady. So, during his weekly interview on WEEI, Mac Jones was asked what he remembers about the last time he shared a field with Tom Brady, back when the Bucs beat the Patriots in 2021. Jones used that as an opportunity to share that Brady has been helpful to him in his young career.

"Yeah, I mean, he's definitely a legend, and I have all the respect for him. He's a great guy and he's actually helped me a lot already, just talking to him or whatever, he's been a great mentor and stuff," Jones said. "He's a great player, love watching his film. He pops up on game tape, obviously, from last year and everything too. So he's always on the film doing the right thing, so just I'm trying to learn from him, and he's been awesome."

While their interactions may be limited, Jones indicated that he can learn plenty about playing the position of quarterback just by watching film of Brady, and from hearing stories from Brady's former teammates.

"I think whether it was [Brian] Hoyer that was here, or whoever, you meet a lot of people that have known him and everything -- the stories, too. So that always helps, just being able to learn from that," Jones said. "And he's always on the film, so just watching the footwork, the timing, his operation of everything, he's definitely the greatest to do it. And that's why you want to watch him and learn."