Bedard: Grier is next in line if Mac fails this week

[FCB02062]

It has come to this...the once proud New England Patriots (at least proud during the Parcells and Brady years) are now close to playing a guy who's been released 3 or 4 times throughout the league, has been inactive more than active....

 

[Rob0729]

I would judge Zapper after another full game and not after one of Mac's disastrous mop-ups.

If when the Patriots waive Zappe again and if he is picked by another team, he may get that chance. It is extremely unlikely he will ever start another game for the Patriots ever again.

 

[203Pat]

Wild how far out of favor Zappe has fallen since last season. I never thought he would se a start by any means but after last season he looked like a capable backup and since this summer they seem to have been doing everything they can to replace him.

 

[Ghost of Autumn]

Hypothetical - think Mac is pulled at half if he's sacked 3+ times and has no points and no interceptions? I think he's finally going to take the sacks instead of trying to make miracles happen.

 

[Love The Drake]

Wow
All I can say is Matt Corral wasted a golden opportunity.
Bill was so patient with him.
Maybe he can get right and the door is open for him in the future.
But I have a feeling the new regime will want a new face.

 

[VrabelJr]

I felt that BB was alluding to this earlier in the week where he talked about it takes a while for QBs to learn the playbook so you can't rush changes and then praised how Grier is picking things up so far but isn't quite there. It's clear that BB has moved on from Zappe as anything other than cheap insurance right now.

 

[Ross12]

Hopefully they’re open to letting one of the others actually start a game if these struggles continue. Not that I expect an improvement, but you hafta do something. You gotta wonder how much of the overall team struggles have to do with a lack of faith in the qb (and/or coach while we’re at it). The talent obviously is an issue, but we had the same mid level talent in 21 and 22 and those teams managed to perform most likely well better than this team. And in 2020 there was even less talent but they managed to claw to 7-9.

You have to think if Bill changes QBs after a loss this week and the team responds well and finishes with 5 or 6 wins in the final 11 games, he can probably argue to Kraft that based on the results it was Mac's fault, and that he should be able to keep his job and keep it rolling in 2024 with a new veteran QB or highly-drafted rookie (or both).

 

[PatsFan2]

Didn't think this season would be so intriguing can Mac defy the odds and have a Great game on the Road?? Tough task given state of Team but he could save himself.

 

[Ring 6]

Mac wasn't drafted as a project with flaws to fix, he was drafted as the most polished QB and one that would be a great fit here from day 1. So I don't think expecting him to lock down his job now that he's on the hot seat should be too much to ask. IMO

Everyone is drafted as a project who need to improve. Your opinion that he was polished is not relevant to anything and it turns out he wasn’t.

He is going to develop how he develops. He has a cerebral issue right now, for whatever reason. You implied he won’t lose his job if he just doesn’t want to, and that’s just not how it works.

Sure his time is running out, but as long as he is in the roster, if and when he gets it he is clearly the best option. It’s funny to me that people think there is some sort of punishment required for struggling on the field and that punishment should be to banish them forever and okay then next guy who isn’t as good because you aren’t angry at him for the losses

 

[Ring 6]

You have to think if Bill changes QBs after a loss this week and the team responds well and finishes with 5 or 6 wins in the final 11 games, he can probably argue to Kraft that based on the results it was Mac's fault, and that he should be able to keep his job and keep it rolling in 2024 with a new veteran QB or highly-drafted rookie (or both).

That’s just not how things work

 

[Ring 6]

Really is it?? From a sample size Zappe have above average pocket presence Mac have None! Zappe over throws WR's Mac throws them to the other team's CB to be exact. Yeah it's really clear cut like you say.

Yes it is. Jones has the potential to be a good qb if he gets his head straight. He may never do that.
Zappe will never be a good qb.

 

[Ring 6]

I’d be tempted to play Grier as soon as he has a handle on things. The last two weeks have been very embarrassing and I can’t really imagine Grier being ‘worse than zero’. If they play Grier and lose 40-0 how much different is that from vs DAL / vs NO ?

But that just not how it works.

 

[PatsFan2]

Everyone is drafted as a project who need to improve. Your opinion that he was polished is not relevant to anything and it turns out he wasn’t.

He is going to develop how he develops. He has a cerebral issue right now, for whatever reason. You implied he won’t lose his job if he just doesn’t want to, and that’s just not how it works.

Sure his time is running out, but as long as he is in the roster, if and when he gets it he is clearly the best option. It’s funny to me that people think there is some sort of punishment required for struggling on the field and that punishment should be to banish them forever and okay then next guy who isn’t as good because you aren’t angry at him for the losses

That's how the Not For Long NFL works Today.

 

[Rob0729]

Mac wasn't drafted as a project with flaws to fix, he was drafted as the most polished QB and one that would be a great fit here from day 1. So I don't think expecting him to lock down his job now that he's on the hot seat should be too much to ask. IMO

No QB comes out of the draft as a complete product. Mac might have been the most NFL ready QB in that draft, but that didn't mean he didn't need development right off the bat or didn't need to improve on his skill set. It just means he wasn't a complete project like Lance and Fields who both had top physical skills but were completely lacking in much of the football smarts part of the equation.

Guys like Andrew Luck, Peyton Manning, and any other QB deemed a generational talent coming out of the draft still had flaws to fix and were not ready to shine as a day one incredible talent. If you watch Manning early in his career, he was a turnover machine. He had 28 INTs his rookie year. But the Colts were allowing him to fail to succeed.

One of the things that did hurt Mac last year was not having a QB coach to help him work on his flaws and improve his bad habits. And what happened was he developed more bad habits. A lot of that is on him. Bbut if he had an experienced QB coach, that coach might have worked those things out of him.

Can he fix his flaws? Who knows? He clearly won't if he continues to be broken like he has been the last two weeks. That is what happened to Eason. He was not bad to start his career, got shell shocked from getting hit too much and started to see ghosts, and then became a lost cause.

 

[PatsFan2]

Yes it is. Jones has the potential to be a good qb if he gets his head straight. He may never do that.
Zappe will never be a good qb.

It's not Mac's head it's his physical limitations you just can't throw Floaters in Todays NFL even a scrub CB Ameer Speed would pick those off. Mac is too indecisive he should never be mentioned in the same sentence as the word good.

 

[Rob0729]

It's not Mac's head it's his physical limitations you just can't throw Floaters in Todays NFL even a scrub CB Ameer Speed would pick those off. Mac is too indecisive he should never be mentioned in the same sentence as the word good.

Through the first three games, Mac had one of the shortest times to throw of any QB in the league. I don't get where this "he's too indecisive" came from. If he was too indecisive, he would have like 30 sacks already this year. There is a lot of criticize against Mac right now, but I don't know where the "he is too indecisive" came from. If anything, he might be too quick to make throws at times and rushes them.

 

[Triumph]

Nòoooooooooo

Cunninghaaaaaaaaammmmmm

 

[PatsFan2]

Through the first three games, Mac had one of the shortest times to throw of any QB in the league. I don't get where this "he's too indecisive" came from. If he was too indecisive, he would have like 30 sacks already this year. There is a lot of criticize against Mac right now, but I don't know where the "he is too indecisive" came from. If anything, he might be too quick to make throws at times and rushes them.

I meant indecisive in throwing into actual NFL windows they are throwing windows in a which a QB have to stick some throws. Mac struggles mightily is that area yeah he can throw over the middle but he doesn't trust himself throwing outside. IF I'm a DC that's the book on Mac CLOG the Middle dare him to throw to the boundaries. Our Outside WR's are running aimlessly because the football ain't never coming their way. BB would demoralize a QB like Mac if he was the opponent why does he think he think he could win with him consistently?? Checkers vs chess or arrogance??

 

[Lagaffe_07]

why does he think he think he could win with him consistently

That’s the key. I don’t think he is. I think Mac Jones wasn’t a Bill pick but more of a Kraft pick.

He never invested in the offense because he always thought Mac wasn’t worth it. Better to invest in D an try to win 17-13 and make himself look like a genius but it backfired.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

You have to think if Bill changes QBs after a loss this week and the team responds well and finishes with 5 or 6 wins in the final 11 games, he can probably argue to Kraft that based on the results it was Mac's fault, and that he should be able to keep his job and keep it rolling in 2024 with a new veteran QB or highly-drafted rookie (or both).

It could buy Bill a little more rope yes. Then again, Kraft could still be fed up with what would be 5 seasons with no playoff wins. 6-5 with the new qb still isn’t likely to please him, itd probably have to include finishing well enough to be on the playoff cusp despite the bad start.

That scenario sounds awful for us too lol 6-8 total wins is really worst case scenario. It would keep us out of drafting in the top 10 and still no playoffs.