Landry Jones said on Monday that he has yet to be told what his status is for Sunday's game against the New England Patriots, but with Ben Roethlisberger having surgery to repair the meniscus in his left knee according to a statement from Coach Mike Tomlin, he will definitely be prepared.
"You never know what's going to happen during the week and what's going to go on, so I am going to prepare like I have been in the past and we'll see what happens," said Jones.
Last year Jones, who is in his fourth season, saw his first NFL action filling in when a combination of injuries to Roethlisberger and Michael Vick plagued the team. He made his debut against Arizona, coming in during the game when Vick went down, and completed eight of 12 passes for 168 yards with two touchdowns. Jones played in seven games last season, starting two, and finished the year with 32 completions for 513 yards and three touchdowns.
"The more you play, the more experience you get, the more confidence you get," said Jones. "I'll draw from that if things come to it. We'll see how it all plays out during the week.
"You never know how you are going to respond whenever you are placed in that moment. Now I have a couple of games where I have had to go in as a starter, or if Ben goes down having to go back in, so it's just like an old hat. You know what to expect out there."
Jones said he is comfortable with the playbook and the offense, and like last year, the team won't have to scale anything back for him.
"We didn't change much at all of what we were doing as far as the game plan last year," said Jones. "I expect it to be kind of the same this year. I have been here for four years. Being able to be at the same place, having the same offensive coordinator, learning the same offense for four years. It's like you know it inside and out. There are things to grow and game experience. As far as the offense is concerned, I feel like I have it down pretty well."
It is that comfort level that gives Jones confidence, and in turn gives his teammates confidence in him.
"Practice is so much different than games," said Jones. "You never know what you are going to get from a guy until they go into the game. Last year I performed pretty well in most of the situations. I feel like I have the confidence from the guys."
