Ex New England Patriots Captain Devin McCourty: 'Someone New' at Quarterback!
The New England Patriots quarterback version of musical chairs continued in the 10-7 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday.
After being benched in the Week 10 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, Mac Jones retained his status as starting quarterback. However, following another abysmal showing from the former first-round pick, as he tossed two interceptions in a first-half where he could've had more, Bailey Zappe got his chance after halftime.
While the benching of Jones did result in Zappe leading the Patriots on a touchdown drive to start the third quarter, things ultimately didn't get much better as he tossed an interception of his own in addition to completing nine of his 14 passes for 54 yards.
Each quarterback's latest showing of ineptitude has former Patriots safety Devin McCourty ready to see the team look elsewhere.
“If I play defense on that team, I want somebody new, someone that hasn’t been out there,” McCourty said during NBC's "Football Night in America."
New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick (left) and mystery quarterback (right).
Clutchpoints
As CBS Sports noted following the loss, Sunday was the fourth time this season that the Patriots scored seven or fewer points. Compare that to the entirety of Tom Brady's career in Foxboro, where he started 283 games; the Patriots only scored that few points five times.
The Patriots' 2-9 record seems to come down to the fact that their offense has outright failed despite the offseason hiring of an experienced coordinator. The Patriots rank 31 in points per game (13.5) and points per play (.216) while sitting at 25 in yards per game (293.5).
But are the Patriots' offensive problems solely to be blamed on poor quarterback play? No, in fact, it can be argued that Jones was once a bright light in an otherwise dim season.
Jones's performance in the season-opener versus the Philadelphia Eagles, where he completed 64.8 percent of his passes for 316 yards and three touchdowns with just one interception, left many with a sense of optimism that he could still be the guy. Yet, aside from the 29-25 upset win over the Buffalo Bills, Jones hasn't looked the same since the Week 4 blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
Even with Jones struggling, the Patriots have yet to commit to moving off of him as their starter, which seemingly sends the signal that they don't have a better choice.
If that is the case, then McCourty's call for someone new would make sense. However, the Patriots seemingly have already tried to do that when they signed Will Grier off the Cincinnati Bengals' practice squad.
Yet after two months in Foxboro, Grier never made an appearance for the Patriots and was released on Saturday, giving the first and only hint of who wouldn't be the starter versus the Giants.
