New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones knows something about playing in the shadow of a legend. Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love is preparing for the experience.

The quarterbacks’ teams spent two days this week practicing together in advance of their NFL preseason meeting on Saturday night.

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“I said, ‘Hello,’” Jones said on Wednesday. “I’d never talked to him before, so just said, ‘Hi.’ He looked good out there, so it was fun.”

Jones could have said much more.

Quarterback Tom Brady spent 20 seasons with New England. In the 18 seasons that Brady started at least 12 games, the Patriots went to the Super Bowl nine times and won six NFL championships while Brady was a Pro Bowler 15 times, Super Bowl MVP four times, NFL MVP three times and first-team All-Pro three times.

Brady left New England for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020. In the past three seasons without Brady, the Patriots had a 25-25 regular-season record and lost their only playoff game.

A former Alabama All-American, Jones has been New England’s quarterback for the past two seasons.

“I think Tom Brady’s the greatest quarterback to ever play in the NFL,” Jones said, “so, to follow up on him, it’s just trying to chase the standard that he set every day. Honestly, we’re definitely two different players, and that’s the only advice I’d have. Just continue to grow and be yourself, right? That’s all you can do is put your best foot forward and compete. But, yeah, it’s definitely big shoes to fill.”

Love is stepping into the shoes left by Aaron Rodgers, who had been the Packers’ quarterback for the previous 15 seasons. Before being traded to the New York Jets in April, Rodgers won four NFL Most Valuable Player awards. A 10-time Pro Bowler and four-time first-team All-Pro selection, Rodgers was the MVP of Green Bay’s 31-25 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV.

Cam Newton was New England’s quarterback in 2020, separating Jones from Brady. Jones started the Patriots’ opening game of his rookie season. Love sat behind Rodgers for three years after being picked in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

“The standards have been set from the quarterbacks that have been here before us,” Love said. “The standards are there. You try to be yourself and play your game. But that’s kind of the goal you’re trying to achieve. I don’t think the standard means you have to play like somebody else. It’s just what’s been done here and what’s happened in the past. You got to see something that’s been done at a really high level and where you want to take your game to. …

“You’re just trying to continue to raise your game until you get to that bar and just continue to go past it once you get there. Obviously, going into Year 1 being the starter, I just try to go out there and have fun, play great and just enjoy this process because it’s a process.”

Jones said Brady didn’t reach his accomplishments by looking back at them, and he’s not going to get where he wants to be by doing that either.

“I got drafted three years ago, so it’s just trying to move on from that part of it and understanding how you can set the standard that he already had set, you know?” Jones said. “For us, every year’s a new year, and you’ve got to go out there and earn it. I know that he did that every year, and I’m going to continue to do that as well.”

The Patriots and Packers are scheduled to play an NFL preseason game at 7 p.m. CDT Saturday at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

“I think it’s cool,” Jones said of his first trip to Titletown’s famous Frozen Tundra. “Like we talked about earlier, just the tradition and everything that’s been set here in football stone, you know? It’s kind of like the heart of football. I think it was cool to walk across and see the stadium that I’ve seen so many times on TV. But to finally be there was cool, so I’m looking forward to it.”

Jones did not play in New England’s preseason opener – a 20-9 loss to the Houston Texans on Aug. 10. Love played the Packers’ first two possessions of Green Bay’s 36-19 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Aug. 11 and had a touchdown pass on the second series.

Since its first preseason game, New England signed running back Ezekiel Elliott. During his seven seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, Elliott led the NFL in rushing twice and totaled 8,262 rushing yards and 68 rushing touchdowns.

“Zeke’s awesome so far,” Jones said. “He already was jumping in there, getting some reps, so that was pretty cool to see fresh off a plane trying to come out here and compete.

“But, yeah, he seems like a great fit. We really just want to take him under our wing. He’s a guy who has played a lot of football in the NFL, so we’re just trying to learn from him, too.”

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.