Not yet.
That’s the theme of this article. Do we have a quarterback controversy in New England with your Patriots? No, not yet. Should Mac Jones try to return earlier than originally forecasted in an effort to stave off his upstart and sudden competition? No, not yet. Is the Patriots' offense ready for Mac to return? No, not yet.
When the Patriots surprisingly used a fourth-round pick in this spring’s 2022 NFL Draft I wasn’t surprised at all. Not because I had any concerns about Mac Jones coming off of his solid rookie season, but more just because it was vintage Belichick. “Competition.” That’s the exact and sole word I uttered upon hearing about that pick. Belichick loves him some competition and his pursuit of creating it has served him well over his head coaching career in New England.
The 2021 rookie standout Mac Jones won the job and performed well for most of his first NFL season; good, make him uncomfortable. That’s how I interpreted Belichick’s motives when drafting Bailey Zappe in round four of the 2022 NFL Draft. That, and when there are other glaring needs all over the Patriots roster in the public view, zagging when you’re hoping for the occasional zig is also perfectly Belichickian. I digress…
Let’s get something straight. There’s no quarterback controversy here. Not yet. It’s a little early to ring that bell. It’s not out of the question but it’s a little early and here’s why.
First, in order for there to be a true controversy, Mac Jones would have to come back and fail. Then you’d really have something to blather about, particularly if the Patriots were say undefeated in Zappe’s starts. Back to Mac; if he were to return and fail, to be properly assessed, that would also preferably happen after he is fully healed or at least returning in healthy enough playing form. High ankle sprains are tricky. That injury isn’t properly branded. The fact that the words ‘sprained ankle’ is part of the label makes it sound rather pedestrian. I mean, who hasn’t sprained an ankle playing sports or playing anything for that matter? The key word in that diagnosis is the word ‘high’ because that’s where the problem is, above the ankle. In a High Ankle sprain, the ligaments that get torn or over-stretched are above the ankle. It’s a painful injury and poorly located for an athlete who needs to push off of his foot to throw, move in the pocket, scramble or run.
Point is, you want to see a healthy and fully healed Mac Jones return to the football field so we can see exactly what we have in this competition. That’s part one.
Part 2 is this, as I wrote here last week: This is a perfect time for Mac Jones to sit, heal and watch as the most simplistic version of the 2022 Patriots offense evolves and is executed by the young rook. Mac was visibly frustrated on and off the field during the first three weeks of the season and even dating back to the preseason. His facial expressions and body language reminded me of Derek Lowe at his mopiest. Was Mac’s frustration after only knowing the comforts of Josh McDaniels’ offense only to be thrust into the Patriots Belichick-Patricia-Judge-collaborative-atmosphere offensive stew reasonable? Of course, particularly while that aforementioned stew wasn’t even fully cooked. It still may not be.
All that said, sometimes a general just needs his soldier to say “sir yes sir” and that’s what the Patriots have on the battlefield right now with young Bailey Zappe.
Nod yes, execute the play, no questions asked, wash, rinse, repeat. The same cannot be said of Mac Jones during the earliest part of the season. The results weren’t good and his expressions were showing those of a young man with a lot of questions circling around his head. While the High Ankle Sprain heals, his mind also needs to clear itself of questions. This is the perfect time to let that happen. Nothing controversial about that.
Moreover, it’s all happening during a stretch of very winnable games that started in last Sunday’s blowout victory over the Detroit Lions. Next, the squishy middle part of the schedule features consecutive contests against more of the NFL’s second-class citizens like the Cleveland Browns, Chicago Bears, New York Jets, Indianapolis Colts and then versus the Jets again. Last week I called for a minimum of five wins in this space, during this stretch, even with Zappe at the controls. It’s doable.
This speaks to my last ‘not yet’ point that I made at the top. Is the Patriots' offense ready for Mac to return? Not yet. If you really want to see a healthy competition brew, you let the kid play while you let the older kid heal. Then five weeks from now, we may have a real competition or dare I say, a controversy on our hands. Until that point, however, the answer remains ‘not yet.’