Mac Jones’ productive week in Mobile, Ala. hit a bit of a snag Thursday afternoon as the former Alabama quarterback injured his left ankle during practice for the Senior Bowl.
Jones was unable to finish the workout as players put in their final preparations for Saturday’s Senior Bowl game. Following Thursday’s practice, the quarterback detailed the injury, stating he rolled his ankle and did not want to risk further injury during practice. As for playing Saturday, Jones said he isn’t sure of his status at the moment.
“I think there’s a chance. I just have to see how I feel,” he told reporters during an interview session. “Like I’m not going to go out there if I’m not 100 percent. It’s not fair to my teammates to not be 100 percent and try and play and not play well. I’m going to make the decision, but hopefully, I get treatment and see how it feels."
Jones said he was already dealing with a minor knock on his right leg heading into the week. The former Tide quarterback is less than three weeks removed from Alabama’s national championship victory over Ohio State on Jan. 11
Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule, who is coaching Jones on the American Team this week, spoke to the quarterback’s toughness Wednesday, stating, “He’s got a lot of really, really, really strong traits.”
“The guy was just playing two weeks ago,” Rhule told reporters. “The fact that he’s here, I think, speaks a lot about who he is. You get a chance to see his intelligence. He makes really quick decisions. He processes information quickly, highly intelligent. He’s an alpha. He’s the first guy on the practice field. He’s the first guy in the runnings."
Before getting injured, Jones received plenty of praise for his performance during practices this week. Following Thursday’s practice, ESPN analyst Field Yates tweeted that the former Tide quarterback had a “really impressive week,” stating that he "brought his Alabama accuracy to practice, made good decisions, showed natural leadership.”
During Jones’ media session with reporters, the quarterback said he chose to attend the Senior Bowl in order to learn more about NFL football and work with a new playbook. While he didn’t get to finish his final practice, he said he has enjoyed the overall experience this week.
“In terms of this week, that one of the big things I wanted to do is just get out here and practice,” Jones said. “Coach Rhule was awesome. And all these coaches, Coach Sean Ryan and Matt Lombardi, I mean being in that room I already learned so much about NFL football. They made me better this week, so hopefully, I get a chance to talk to them more as this process goes on. We’ll see what happens, but I really enjoyed it, and I’m super happy that I came.”
The Senior Bowl game will take place on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. CT inside of Hancock Whitney Stadium on the campus of South Alabama.
Here are some highlights from the rest of Jones’ media session:
Have you met with the Patriots?
“We met the scouts last night. I sat down at their table. Other than that, I just had a good conversation. You know, just talked and they got to know me really well. I really like their table. It’s kind of fun to see how different tables act a little different. But the Patriots were really cool and asked some really good questions."
How about the Houston Texans?
"The Houston Texans, same thing. I think I met with them two nights ago. It just depends on the table. Some people ask really hard questions, and some people don’t. It just kind of depends."
How did the Texans strike you?
"They were a good group of scouts. In general, the Texans are obviously [from] a big football state. I kind of grew up watching a lot of the Jags-Texans games and stuff like that. So obviously they’re a good organization and have a really good quarterback."
Have you talked with the New Orleans Saints?
"I talked with them. Obviously, they have a great quarterback. Hopefully, I left a good impression on them and proved I was smart and could work in that type of system. I think there are some similarities between the Panthers' offense and what [the Saints] did with Joe Brady and stuff. Obviously, they run some cool plays, and I got to watch that on film, too."
What was Alex Mortensen’s role in your development at Alabama?
"That’s a guy who’s helped me a lot, believed in me since I stepped on campus at Alabama. No one talks about Alex, but he probably knows more football — offense, defense — than anybody, and he’s taught me a lot. Probably close to as much as anybody’s taught me about football. So hopefully he’ll get a shot in the coaching realm. Good things will happen for him because he’s a smart guy."
How do you feel about joining Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts in the NFL?
"I feel good about it. I learned a lot from those guys. Obviously two great guys, and they’ve done well so far in the league. But I’m going to have a lot of growing pains just like everybody else, and I’ve got to figure out what works in the NFL versus what worked in college. It’s going to take some trial and error, but that’s a part of life. So hopefully I can figure it out."
Is there someone in the NFL who you like to model your game after?
"A little bit. I kind of just like watching NFL tape. I like watching Tom Brady, all the big-time guys. Just take something from their game, but I always tell people I’m my own player and I like to do what works for me. I can’t try and be somebody else."
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