Patriots Bill Belichick Updates Mac Jones: 'Good Improvement' Enough to Play Sunday?
FOXBORO — In the latest episode of ‘As the Quarterbacks Turn,’ New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick revealed that incumbent starter Mac Jones … practiced more than he did last week.
Keeping with his patented ‘less is more’ method of dealing with the media, Belichick provided a slight update on Jones’ progress. But he stopped short of offering notable insight on his potential status for the Pats upcoming matchup with the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium on Sunday.
"Mac is making good improvement,” Belichick said. "We'll see where he's at today. He certainly did a lot more this Thursday than he did last Thursday."
While terse in nature, Belichick’s statements support the obvious notion that New England is continuing to monitor its quarterback situation. Jones was once again a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, as he looks to return from a high ankle sprain suffered in the waning moments of the Pats Week 3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. The 24-year-old was noticeably more mobile, and comfortable in setting his feet to make his throws during the media portion of the session. However, rookie Bailey Zappe worked with the offensive line, participating in an early sled drill, which is typically reserved for the starting quarterback.
In his absence, Zappe has done an admirable job in keeping the Pats afloat. Since relieving veteran backup Brian Hoyer, who left New England’s Week 2 loss to the Green Bay Packers after suffering a concussion (which would land him on injured reserve), Zappe has completed 27 of 36 pass attempts for 287 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in seven quarters plus one overtime period of work. As such, he continues to make his case to retain the job, at least for New England’s Week 6 contest on Sunday.
Despite the best efforts of conspiracy theorists to create ‘rifts’ between Jones and the Pats brain trust, prevailing common sense reveals that Jones will once again take the ball when physically able to do so. When asked whether or not Jones has been medically cleared to play, Belichick was expectedly mum on exact details. However, he did state that such a decision "could happen at any time."
Of course, a Belichickian media-meet would not be complete without a bit of levity, when the ‘HC of the NEP’ hinted that one of his recent catch phrases may be resurrected, should questions regarding Jones’ medical status continue.
"I've tried to avoid that phrase … ‘day-by-day’ … give it a little break. I maximized it there. But it may be coming back," Belichick said with a smirk.
New England will return to the practice fields on Friday for their final formal practice of the week before traveling to Cleveland, OH on Saturday. Kickoff for the Patriots and Browns is set for 1 p.m. from FirstEnergy Stadium.
Follow Mike D’Abate on Twitter @mdabateNFL and Listen/Subscribe to his daily podcast: Locked On Patriots
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