Patriots

Mac Jones offered an unusual take on why he doesn’t mind getting hit

"The best part is getting back up and knowing that you’re fine and you can just go out there and keep playing."

By Hayden Bird

October 19, 2021

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When Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory stormed into the Patriots’ backfield and immediately sacked Mac Jones in Sunday’s matchup (resulting in a fumble), New England fans held their breath for a moment to see if the rookie quarterback was alright.

But despite the ferocity of Gregory’s hit, it turned out that Jones was fine.

In fact, as he explained to WEEI’s “Merloni And Fauria” on Monday, he thinks it’s actually fun.

“I think getting hit is always fun because it makes [football] more fun,” Jones surprisingly admitted. “That’s part of the game. The best part is getting back up and knowing that you’re fine and you can just go out there and keep playing.

“Sometimes you don’t get hit all the time in practice, obviously. So, it’s OK to get hit a little bit and pop back up and it just adds a little bit of competitive juices to the whole situation,” Jones added. “At the end of the day, it’s part of the game. The best quarterbacks in the world, they all pop up quick and play the next play.”

Jones also added that it was his fault for Gregory getting in so easily, taking blame off of New England offensive tackle Yodny Cajuste.

“I just turned around and looked at my reads and he had a jump on the snap count and it kind of was just unfortunate because it was almost like he timed up my cadence,” Jones explained. “I think that is something I can address and work on just so we have a little bit of a changeup. He was there and I wish I would have held onto the ball. It’s just one of those bang-bang plays and those happen all the time.”