Being a rookie in the NFL inherently comes with pressure, especially when you are the starting quarterback. In his Wednesday press conference, Mac Jones shared some insight to how he kept his cool in his NFL debut.
The answer: breathing.
Jones uses breathing exercises while on the sidelines to help him stay focused, present and calm.
"Just breathing in general, just slowing down your breathing," Jones said. "There's some specific things you can do, but for me, that helps because that kind of lowers the pressure part of it, and you just kind of relax a little bit."
Whether it be meditation or simply noticing your breath, it is a practice used for thousands of years to help slow things down and be in the moment. It is no surprise that athletes competing at the highest level would use techniques like this during games.
"I think a lot of successful athletes use that, and I've been doing that for probably like two or three years now," Jones said. "It just depends on the player. Some people probably focus on it more than others, but especially when you have to run a lot. I know the receivers, sometimes they have to focus on their breathing a lot, and then for me it just helps just calm everything down."
As Jones looks to build on his debut, you can expect to see him on the sidelines, slowing things down with his breath before hitting the field.
