New England Patriots quarterbacks Bailey Zappe and Mac Jones might have been cordial with one another, but that relationship reportedly isn’t nearly as close as some might think.
A detailed report from Andrew Callahan and Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald indicated that Jones and Zappe did not have a strong relationship.
Zappe has taken over for Jones as the starting quarterback in the final stretch of the season. He has gone 2-3 during that run, as the Patriots look to close out the season with a win on Sunday against the New York Jets.
Things came to a head after the team was shut out 34-0 by the New Orleans Saints back in October. At that point in time, Jones was benched in-game for the second week in a row, the locker room started to lose confidence and the team turned to Zappe, as transcribed by NESN.com’s Dakota Randall.
The Herald wrote:
The locker room’s confidence in Jones waned significantly after a 34-0 home loss to New Orleans on Oct. 8, the worst home shutout in team history. Around that time, the staff began deliberating a quarterback change, but Zappe, whom Belichick had cut six weeks earlier, undercut his own candidacy by going 7-of-18 for 69 yards in mop-up duty over two games…
Jones and Zappe, whom teammates say are cordial to one another, hardly talk. Instead of rallying to support the starter each week, they are often siloed in their own preparation. Several members of the organization believe they would have benefitted from a veteran backup with experience in more cooperative rooms who could tie the room together.
If anything, this excerpt highlighted one of the bigger problems on offense. The entire unit was up and down throughout the course of the season. This was largely due to a rotating quarterback room and inconsistent play, among other reasons.
Drafting a quarterback could be a point of emphasis for the organization, as they look to get back to their winning ways.
