Loathe as they are to admit it, the Patriots find themselves in the midst of a good old-fashioned quarterback controversy, not dissimilar to the one they had 21 years ago, pitting Drew Bledsoe against his eventual successor Tom Brady. Mac Jones is, by all accounts, healthy enough to play following a three-game absence, the result of a badly-sprained ankle suffered in Week 3. But will he?
Most reports out of Foxboro would suggest that Jones will indeed be the starter when the Patriots host the Bears on Monday Night Football, though when interrogated by the media at Friday’s practice, coach Bill Belichick refused to give an inch, employing his usual deflection tactics, stonewalling reporters with deliberately vague platitudes and coach speak, steering clear of anything that might resemble clarity.
There seems to be a smear campaign in progress with rumblings of behind-the-scenes tension, framing Jones as a malcontent frustrated by how the team handled his injury while also having doubts about an overhauled coaching staff with little in the way of defined roles. And while that characterization may be exaggerated, if not a complete fabrication, the fact remains that Bailey Zappe, in his three games under center, was more effective than Jones has been at any point this season.
Are fans that prefer Zappe to Jones thinking with their hearts instead of their minds, prisoners of the moment blind to their own recency bias? Or does Zappe, a fourth-round rookie coming off a historic 2021 season where he set FBS records in both touchdowns and passing yards (albeit in the relatively low-stakes setting of Conference USA), hold the keys to unlocking New England’s full offensive potential? Time will tell, though analytics guru Warren Sharp was complimentary of the 23-year-old during his appearance Thursday on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, suggesting Zappe’s early success is no mirage.
“Bailey Zappe is absolutely performing better than we expected him to. I am a big Bailey Zappe fan because he’s executing what he needs to do,” said Sharp. “Now, again, he’s not doing it against elite defenses. But you can’t play any better than he [has]. His first game against the Lions, he had the best rankings of any quarterback that week, and he followed it up with another good performance last week, throwing for over 300 yards.”
It’s only natural to be skeptical of an oldish, mid-round rookie whose best win as a collegiate quarterback came against Appalachian State in the “Roofclaim.com Boca Raton Bowl.” Sharp also raises a fair point about the level of competition he’s faced with none of his three opponents thus far—Green Bay, Detroit and Cleveland—presenting major challenges. Still, it’s hard not to be impressed by what we’ve seen of him in the early going, holding PFF’s sixth-highest grade among quarterbacks since Week 4 while ranking second to Geno Smith in passer rating (111.4) over that span.
After spending a top-15 pick on Jones in last year’s draft, the Patriots are probably obligated to play him, if only to see if he’s deserving of a second contract. But if Jones plays like he did earlier this season, undercutting the Patriots with costly turnovers and poor decision-making, Zappe Mania could be extended indefinitely.
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