"Zappe Hour," we hardly knew ye.
Just after ESPN's Mike Reiss reported on Thursday morning that Mac Jones expected to be ready for Monday Night Football against the Chicago Bears, The Athletic's Jeff Howe laid down the gauntlet on the Patriots' quarterback "controversy."
Specifically, there isn't one.
"There is no QB controversy in New England. When Mac Jones is healthy enough to return to play, he’ll be the starter, per sources," Howe tweeted. (You can trust his sources, by the way.)
Of course, there's still a "final hurdle" to clear before Jones officially returns to action.
He still has to make it through a whole week of practice in good condition -- the first session of the week is Thursday afternoon. If he suffers any setbacks or isn't feeling like himself, as reportedly happened before last Sunday's game, then the Patriots could opt to play it safe and keep Zappe in the lineup with a short week ahead leading into a divisional contest with the upstart New York Jets.
There's also rain forecasted for Sunday night, which could make the playing conditions less ideal for a quarterback with a bum ankle who's scrambled on eight percent of his drop-backs this year.
But one thing does seem clear: Jones is the Patriots' No. 1 quarterback when he's ready to go, and Bailey Zappe, while admirable, will return to his place on the bench after a strong showing in relief to keep the team afloat.
That might not be the end of the debate, though, especially if Jones struggles in his return or re-aggravates his injury. Still, this should hopefully settle any question about Mac Jones' standing with the team for now.
