Don't believe everything Cam Newton tells you about Mac Jones.
The New England Patriots starting quarterback told reporters a tall tale about the new nickname he uses for his understudy Thursday in a press conference. Newton has gone away from calling Jones "Mac and Cheese" as he had done for the entire offseason, and now has dubbed the rookie signal-caller "McClennan."
"Mac and Cheese, yeah, you've got McClennan," Newton said following the Patriots' 22-13 win over the Washington Football Team in their preseason opener, per a transcript New England provided. "McClennan. You don't know what McClennan is? That's what Mac is short for. You've got to do your research. You guys are the reporters. You're supposed to have the tea. I'm not supposed to be tea-ing you all. I asked him, Mac is -- like I say, he's relatively quiet sometimes, and I try to crack the DaVinci Code of the seriousness. He got a lot of -- I'm not going to say it, but yeah, he's serious sometimes for no reason. I'm like, Mac, so what does Mac come from, is that your first name? He's like no, that's actually my middle name. I didn't know that. I said, what's Mac -- he said McClennan. I think he said that's his mom's maiden name. So there you go. Mac is short for that."
For the record, Jones' website lists his full, legal name as "Michael McCorkle Jones," and McCorkle is the maiden name of his mom, Holly Jones. Exactly where Newton came up with the story about Jones' mother's maiden name is anyone's guess, but the Patriots starter likely told the tale with a twinkle in his eyes.
Could it be Newton heard criticism ex-NFL star Bart Scott levied against him earlier this week over Jones' previous nickname and decided to change it?
Jones played a total of five series in Patriots-WFT, completing 13 of 19 for 87 yards. Afterward Newton praised "McClennan," or Jones, for his preparation for his preseason debut.
"For him, man, for him to come out there, I know he came to me and talked to me and we talked it out about just his expectation," Newton said, per the Patriots. "Every young quarterback goes through it, the excitement, the anticipation. He wants to be so perfect, and I see his preparation is always pristine. That's what I admire about him, being at such a young age he knows how to prepare and knows when Josh asks quick questions or when a person asks quick questions he knows how to kind of have answers for it."
The Patriots' next preseason game is next Thursday against the Eagles. If Newton offers another nickname for Jones by then, with an accompanying backstory, be sure to fact-check it.
