Pats QB Jones believes he can salvage rough start to Year 2

By KYLE HIGHTOWER
AP Sports Writer

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Mac Jones approached nearly everything he did as a rookie NFL quarterback like a sponge. It helped him set the standard among the league’s first-year signal callers and earned him a Pro Bowl selection. The jump he and the Patriots were expecting him to make in Year Two hasn’t been seamless following an ankle injury that kept him out for three weeks and growing pains adjusting to a new play caller and system that is expanding on the short, efficient passes he had success at as a rookie. But his optimism remains high entering the second half of the season.