Mac Jones says ‘the plan’ is for him to start against the Giants on Sunday

Patriots

“Hope so. I mean, that’s the plan,” Jones said.

Mac Jones. Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images
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Patriots quarterback Mac Jones told reporters Wednesday that he is planning to start Sunday’s game against the Giants.

“Hope so. I mean, that’s the plan,” Jones said. “I always work really hard for that. I really put a lot of attention and detail into the the week.”

Neither Bill O’Brien nor Bill Belichick have confirmed whether Jones will be the starter. Jones acknowledged that the coaches will decide whether he plays. But, his comments on Wednesday suggest that he is preparing as if he will be the starter.

“A lot of that decision-making is things I can’t control, but I can control my attitude and my effort like I talked about,” Jones said. “I’m really thankful overall just to be in the NFL and playing quarterback on Thanksgiving. It’s a great week to be grateful for a lot of things, and to play this game, the game we love together, I think that means a lot to me regardless of the situation.”

Questions remain about Jones’s future after his third benching of the season. But one thing that is for certain is that position battles are nothing new to him.

“I’ve dealt with this my whole life, whether it’s high-school, Pop Warner, college,” Jones said. “I wasn’t really in it, but I was with Jalen [Hurts] and Tua [Tagovailoa]. I witnessed everything, I heard every conversation, watched everyrthing, watched every move between each guy. I learned a lot about them and a lot about myself too.”

Asked whether it’s his plan, or the team’s plan for him to start Jones said: “We’ll see, right? We’ve had those conversations, and like I said focusing on the controllables.”

Jones listed his attitude, preparation, attention to detail, and confidence as things he is focused on controlling this week.

“Regardless at the end of the day, I’ve seen a lot of different things play out,” Jones said. “And a lot of different competitions and all that stuff. I’ve learned a lot from different people and my main point is that you can only control what you can control.”