Patriots Daily News Thread Patriots Tuesday 12/12/23

[Ian]

 

[Ian]

 

[Ian]

 

[Ian]

 

[Ian]

 

[Ian]

 

[Ian]

 

[Ian]

 

[Ross12]

"Shahrzad Slater" has to be one of the cooler names I can think of.

 

[Ian]

 

[Ian]

 

[Ian]

 

[Ian]

Interesting, given the discussions we've had in here:

 

[jdlboot14]

It must be hard to pour everything into these last 4 games that mean nothing.
But, I'm glad the team hasn't quit. I'd like to see them beat KC and shock the world, and send those pansy self-proclaimed goats into a tailspin.

And, when it comes time, I'm going to want us to beat the Bills and Jets too.
So, it's hard to root for a full tank, even though we're so close.

 

[Ian]

 

[Ian]

 

[Ross12]

Zappe plays the part of the prototypical Patriots QB very well. He is getting through his reads quickly and throwing to the open man. He's not making back-breaking mistakes or throwing INTs that you can't find any earthly reason why he even threw the ball. He displays high confidence and looks like the leader of the unit. He shows great pocket presence and maneuverability, and will shift up or side-to-side when pressured to step into his throw, or will roll out to extend a play. He pump-fakes to freeze a defender. He is small, and his short accuracy leaves something to be desired, but in general I think he is doing a good job and I am encouraged to see how he progresses these final weeks of the season.

To me, it proves that the right lessons were being taught to the QBs, but not all of them were listening.

 

[Sicilian]

Zappe plays the part of the prototypical Patriots QB very well. He is getting through his reads quickly and throwing to the open man. He's not making back-breaking mistakes or throwing INTs that you can't find any earthly reason why he even threw the ball. He displays high confidence and looks like the leader of the unit. He shows great pocket presence and maneuverability, and will shift up or side-to-side when pressured to step into his throw, or will roll out to extend a play. He pump-fakes to freeze a defender. He is small, and his short accuracy leaves something to be desired, but in general I think he is doing a good job and I am encouraged to see how he progresses these final weeks of the season.

To me, it proves that the right lessons were being taught to the QBs, but not all of them were listening.

I'm not sure what Zappe's long term potential is (as a starter or a backup), but what I like about what I've seen so far is he gives them a real chance to evaluate everyone else on the offense the rest of the year. Can the JuJu deal be salvaged or do they need to cut bait? Can Douglas continue to improve (assuming he plays)? Are Strange and Sow the answers at G? Is Onwenu worth bringing back on RT money? These just seemed a lot harder to answer while Mac was there, because he was so fundamentally broken that you could never be sure who was at fault when something looked discombobulated.

Whether that break was entirely Mac's fault is a subject for debate, but the fact was - with that damage done - he wasn't giving other guys a fair chance to show how good (or bad) they actually are. Whoever is rebuilding this roster next year simple CAN'T replace everyone but Andrews and Douglas. Some of these guys are going to be here and will have to be depended on. Figuring out who those guys are is one of the most important things to accomplish in the next four weeks. Whether this is ultimately damning with feint praise or not, Zappe gives them the best baseline for that evaluation possible right now.

 

[mgteich]

I agree.

At this point, Zappe will be part of the pats through 2025. At minimum he will be the #3 QB.

A QB in the first round is still very likely.

The open question is how we will be willing pay for a veteran to start in 2024. I'm not at all convinced that we should be starting Zappe next season and basically having him as our veteran QB. I guess the next 4 games will inform the decision with regard to how much (if anything) we are willing to pay for a veteran to compete with Zappe to start in 2024 and compete for the backup position after the rookie is ready to start.

In any case, it appears that we have filled one of our 3 QB roster spots for 2024. Zappe has shown enough to be our #3 2024 QB.

 

[Wozzy]

Let’s see how Zappe plays the rest of the season before making declarations.

He’s playing to potentially start in 2024, he needs to earn it now.

Play hard, play smart, finish strong.