Bill's Bull: Patriots' Belichick to Blame for Mac Jones, Bailey Zappe QB Crapshoot
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We're not surprised the New England Patriots' offense is struggling this season because of two men.
But it's shocking that the guilty parties aren't defensive-minds-turned-offensive-coaches Matt Patricia and Joe Judge, but rather quarterbacks Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe. The Patriots are 3-4 after Monday night's 33-14 shellacking by the Chicago Bears not because of the play-callers, but the play-executers.
Oh, and yeah, because of their head coach.
At this point the Patriots don't have a quarterback controversy, but rather a quarterback crapshoot. Perhaps even a kerfuffle. Caused by an injury. Exacerbated by a legend.
Bill Belichick is a no-brainer Hall of Famer, but despite his six Super Bowls he's not beyond a pissy mood or a blatant fib.
Take Monday's game. Coming off a five-week absence because of a sprained ankle, Jones started. But he was pulled after three ineffective series, punctuated by an awful, desperation interception thrown off his back foot and into double-coverage. Enter Zappe, who lit Gillette Stadium early but ultimately threw two interceptions and burst the bubble of fantasy-land Pats fans who went out and bought his No. 4 jersey in anticipation of his ascension into Tom Brady 2.0.
It all fell apart, on national television. Or - according to Belichick - it was all part of some ... plan?
“I told the quarterbacks that we were going to play both of them,” Belichick told reporters postgame. “And that’s what we did.”
Yeah, but surely Jones was benched for his horrendous three drives. The timing of the quarterback change wasn't scripted, but instead performance-based. Right?
“That’s not what it was … you can write whatever you want to write,” Belichick said. “That’s not what it was.”
Sorry, but we're calling B.S. on B.B.
The pre-game "plan" was to play Jones the first three series and then Zappe the final eight? Surely you jest. Or, for that matter, the "plan" was to commit four turnovers and allow 390 yards of offense in a humbling 19-point home loss to the brutal Bears.
The game was played poorly by both quarterbacks. The situation was handled poorly by someone that should know better. Someone poised to be the second-winningest coach in NFL history.
If Jones was on such a short leash to get pulled for a couple rough series, why was he starting in the first place? And if he's still the starter moving forward, why didn't he go back in to the blowout to help find his footing moving forward?
And, considering the diverse results produced by Jones in the first three games and Zappe in the last three, why break the momentum? If it wasn't broke, why try to fix it?
We now know all those answers. And they're not pretty.
Jones' confidence is in shambles. A first-round draft choice who went to the Pro Bowl as a rookie, he's suddenly 2-7 in his last nine starts. He was humiliatingly benched in primetime after six passes, deemed not good enough to help the Patriots compete against the two-win Bears.
Zappe's heroic rise is muted. He is not, upon further review, "the one" and in reality The Matrix of the AFC East is primed to feast on him and the Patriots the remainder of the season. The rookie as exposed against Chicago, getting four passes deflected at the line of scrimmage and having a hand in three turnovers.
Defiant - or merely in denial? - Belichick refused to clarify the cluster-fruck Tuesday morning. Inferring he's still the smartest guy in the room, the coach remained smug in not naming either Jones or Zappe the starter for Sunday's game at the 5-2 New York Jets.
Media: Who's the starter?
Bill: "We'll do what we feel like is best for the football team."
Media: Is it a quarterback competition this week?
Bill: "We'll evaluate the situation, as we always do."
Asked in Monday night's postgame press conference the same questions, Belichick snapped:
"We just finished the game."
Why does it feel the Patriots are just beginning the self-inflicted drama?
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