As a Bills fan, Zappe scares me

[venecol]

So in a conference with Mahomes, Herbert, Burrow and Jackson... Buffalo fans are "scared" of Zappe??? I'd say in reality on a scale of 1 (least scared) to 10 (most scared), Buffalo fans would rate Zappe at 0. This isn't a knock on Zappe either. He's an overdrafted 4th round rookie quarterback who wasn't on anyone's radar as a starter in 2022. To his credit he's been fine and hasn't made any major mistakes in his unexpected playing time. However, he was heavily managed by the coaching staff in a loss and he had to do next to nothing in a blow out win. He's also benefitted from a dominant running game that has averaged 170 yards over the last two games.

Zappe's efficiency has been nice but he's averaging 143 passing yards and 1 TD per game. If he gets the chance, let's see what he looks like playing from behind or in a shootout before we start labelling him as scary. Right now, he isn't scaring anyone, if for no other reason then we haven't seen enough of him yet. Which ideally won't even be the case. Mac Jones is the franchise quarterback and nothing has happened to change that. Once Jones is 100% again he's the starter. To this point I think Zappe has shown he's probably a capable backup, which is an improvement on my initial projection, but he hasn't yet proven he's going to be a capable starter.

 

[crawhammer]

Care to be more specific?

 

[Wozzy]

Care to be more specific?

Pre-draft ratings by questionable media "draft experts" are largely nonsense.

Overdrafted... based on what?

Cole Strange is looking every bit worthy of the high draft pick they used to acquire him. NFL draft boards look a lot different than the board of Mel Kiper who has every player in the world on there.

NFL teams, especially good ones, take a lot of bad but highly ranked by media experts players off the board. Casual fans just repeat the nonsense they hear from the media, they had no clue who Strange or Zappe was... or Duggar or Jamie Collins, Thuney, Mankins etc etc...

Moreover once you're in the league, where you got drafted means nothing. The only thing that matters is how you play.

 

[crawhammer]

Pre-draft ratings by questionable media "draft experts" are largely nonsense.

Overdrafted... based on what?

Cole Strange is looking every bit worthy of the high draft pick they used to acquire him. NFL draft boards look a lot different than the board of Mel Kiper who has every player in the world on there.

NFL teams, especially good ones, take a lot of bad but highly ranked by media experts players off the board. Casual fans just repeat the nonsense they hear from the media, they had no clue who Strange or Zappe was... or Duggar or Jamie Collins, Thuney, Mankins etc etc...

Moreover once you're in the league, where you got drafted means nothing. The only thing that matters is how you play.

No, where you got drafted matters. If Jordan Richards had been taken in the 7th round instead of in the 2nd round then I don't think anyone would utter his name ever again. A big part of the Brady narrative is 199 and the 6 quarterbacks taken ahead of him in the draft. Zappe was a projected 7th rounder and we took him in the 4th round so it seems fair to at least discuss the value of the pick.

But take a victory lap for the 1.75 games into Zappe's career, he's not going to be Drew Brees, but he looks more functional then what most people would have thought. So far I'd be willing to say he looks like he could be a competent backup quarterback in the NFL... after watching him in the preseason I wasn't sure he could a competent practice squad quarterback. The coaching staff intentionally held him back against Green Bay, to a fault probably, but Zappe checked most of the boxes allowed him. Same with against Detroit, where he did very little wrong, but it's hard to say much about the quarterback play in a 29-0 game against a team that's probably winning 2 games all season.

Fortunately or unfortunately for Zappe, I think the next time the Patriots will need their quarterback to win them the game is on Thanksgiving, which seriously is the next time they face a decent opposing quarterback.

 

[venecol]

Care to be more specific?

All of these statements are proven to be wrong:

1. I'd say in reality on a scale of 1 (least scared) to 10 (most scared), Buffalo fans would rate Zappe at 0.
R. This thread was started by a Bills fan that disagrees with you. WRONG!
2. He's an overdrafted 4th round rookie quarterback who wasn't on anyone's radar as a starter in 2022.
R. He was on Pats radar & was drafted. Now, others have said they had interest in him. WRONG!
3. He had to do next to nothing in a blow out win.
R. He got the W. Only two QBs have done what Zappe did on Sunday: him & Aaron Rodgers. WRONG!
4. To this point I think Zappe has shown he's probably a capable backup, which is an improvement on my initial projection, but he hasn't yet proven he's going to be a capable starter.
R. You admit you were WRONG! He was more than capable on his 1st win, so you're WRONG again.

 

[Wozzy]

No, where you got drafted matters. If Jordan Richards had been taken in the 7th round instead of in the 2nd round then I don't think anyone would utter his name ever again. A big part of the Brady narrative is 199 and the 6 quarterbacks taken ahead of him in the draft. Zappe was a projected 7th rounder and we took him in the 4th round so it seems fair to at least discuss the value of the pick.

The only people who focus incessantly on draft misses are Negative Nancys who were also telling us the team sucked in the midst of unprecedented greatness. They have very little perspective and avoid talking about all the "reaches" BB made over the years who became All Pro caliber players. The average NFL career lasts three years, a third of the league is made up of UDFA's... more draft picks fail than make it. That's the nature of the NFL draft.

Zappe was projected to go in the 7th... based on whose rankings? CBS, Mel Kiper, ESPN, Street & Smith.... whose?

This is exactly what I said above. Mel Kiper had Malik Willis as the #1 QB on his board for two days, it's laughable. He ranks everyone, even players who have zero chance of making it as pros. An NFL team like the Patriots has X amount of QB's on their big board, a much smaller group to choose from... and this is true of every position group.

Pre-draft rankings by media "draft experts" are worthless. And that's where most fans glean their pre-draft rankings and determine draft value from. So a bunch of know-nothings informing a bunch of emotional fans invested in their teams where player x should be taken. I'd bet my left nut Zappe becomes a better pro QB than Malik Willis. Kiper called Logan Mankins a reach, media members called HOF'er Richard Seymour a reach... their opinion of draft value is often worthless. Most haven't scouted anyone, they get their information from second hand sources or worse yet watch a few highlights.

But take a victory lap for the 1.75 games into Zappe's career, he's not going to be Drew Brees, but he looks more functional then what most people would have thought. So far I'd be willing to say he looks like he could be a competent backup quarterback in the NFL... after watching him in the preseason I wasn't sure he could a competent practice squad quarterback. The coaching staff intentionally held him back against Green Bay, to a fault probably, but Zappe checked most of the boxes allowed him. Same with against Detroit, where he did very little wrong, but it's hard to say much about the quarterback play in a 29-0 game against a team that's probably winning 2 games all season.

I have no clue what Zappe will become, neither do you. I can only do my best lazy boy recliner scouting pre-draft to determine who has the tools to make it. Even then, I'm wrong fairly often because afterwards nothing else matters but the environment they're drafted into, their will to succeed and luck... which in the NFL means "health."

There's no accounting for the human element; addiction, ego, vanity, stupidity, laziness, injury, poor coaching/environment... this is why there are no "sure thing" picks and the draft is a crapshoot. What most people thought pre-draft is worthless because the majority of people get their opinion from media "draft experts" and most of them are simply talking heads using second hand information or going off a feeling.

Zappe has a 75% completion percentage and 104.7 QB Rating, there's nothing to suggest he can't become really really good. But there's no guarantees with rookies, the draft is a crapshoot and the average career lasts three years because it's really really hard to be an NFL player and a lot can go wrong. He has the tools to succeed.

Fortunately or unfortunately for Zappe, I think the next time the Patriots will need their quarterback to win them the game is on Thanksgiving, which seriously is the next time they face a decent opposing quarterback.

The Patriots lost their first three games out of five because their QB led the NFL in interceptions and turnovers. If they had more efficient QB play they would have beaten all of those decent QB's they already faced. It's a team game... that's how Zappe can face Aaron Rogers and play into overtime. They probably would have won that game if Patricia trusted Zappe more on their final two drives... that wasn't Zappe's fault.

 

[crawhammer]

1. I'd say in reality on a scale of 1 (least scared) to 10 (most scared), Buffalo fans would rate Zappe at 0.
R. This thread was started by a Bills fan that disagrees with you. WRONG!

So one fan makes me wrong? Literally one. You know Buffalo fans, or fans of any team for that matter, aren't scared of Zappe. Come on.

2. He's an overdrafted 4th round rookie quarterback who wasn't on anyone's radar as a starter in 2022.
R. He was on Pats radar & was drafted. Now, others have said they had interest in him. WRONG!

Well obviously if I'm saying the Patriots overdrafted the player then I'm not also including them in the majority of people who did not project Zappe as a 4th rounder. Collectively there wasn't interest in Zappe in the 4th round. And no one projected him as a starter for the 2022 season.

3. He had to do next to nothing in a blow out win.
R. He got the W. Only two QBs have done what Zappe did on Sunday: him & Aaron Rodgers. WRONG!

Whatever it is that you're referring to is so insignificant that I don't even know what you're talking about. Probably something to do with the completion percentage. However, the fact of the matter is the defense effectively put the game way with the fumble return to go up 13-0. With the really bad coaching clinic of Dan Campbell on display there was no way Detroit was getting back in the game.

Zappe looked good in the blow out but it was an uncompetitive game that required very little from the quarterback. Not his fault.

4. To this point I think Zappe has shown he's probably a capable backup, which is an improvement on my initial projection, but he hasn't yet proven he's going to be a capable starter.
R. You admit you were WRONG! He was more than capable on his 1st win, so you're WRONG again.

He's literally 1-0. Can we see a few more games before we're crowning him?

 

[Wax Frog]

I remember being drunk enough to chant for Zo ... I don't think it is physically possible to drink enough alcohol to cheer up Hodson or Secules

Got milk?

 

[crawhammer]

The only people who focus incessantly on draft misses are Negative Nancys who were also telling us the team sucked in the midst of unprecedented greatness. They have very little perspective and avoid talking about all the "reaches" BB made over the years who became All Pro caliber players. The average NFL career lasts three years, a third of the league is made up of UDFA's... more draft picks fail than make it. That's the nature of the NFL draft.

Zappe was projected to go in the 7th... based on whose rankings? CBS, Mel Kiper, ESPN, Street & Smith.... whose?

This is exactly what I said above. Mel Kiper had Malik Willis as the #1 QB on his board for two days, it's laughable. He ranks everyone, even players who have zero chance of making it as pros. An NFL team like the Patriots has X amount of QB's on their big board, a much smaller group to choose from... and this is true of every position group.

Pre-draft rankings by media "draft experts" are worthless. And that's where most fans glean their pre-draft rankings and determine draft value from. So a bunch of know-nothings informing a bunch of emotional fans invested in their teams where player x should be taken. I'd bet my left nut Zappe becomes a better pro QB than Malik Willis. Kiper called Logan Mankins a reach, media members called HOF'er Richard Seymour a reach... their opinion of draft value is often worthless. Most haven't scouted anyone, they get their information from second hand sources or worse yet watch a few highlights.

I have no clue what Zappe will become, neither do you. I can only do my best lazy boy recliner scouting pre-draft to determine who has the tools to make it. Even then, I'm wrong fairly often because afterwards nothing else matters but the environment they're drafted into, their will to succeed and luck... which in the NFL means "health."

There's no accounting for the human element; addiction, ego, vanity, stupidity, laziness, injury, poor coaching/environment... this is why there are no "sure thing" picks and the draft is a crapshoot. What most people thought pre-draft is worthless because the majority of people get their opinion from media "draft experts" and most of them are simply talking heads using second hand information or going off a feeling.

Zappe has a 75% completion percentage and 104.7 QB Rating, there's nothing to suggest he can't become really really good. But there's no guarantees with rookies, the draft is a crapshoot and the average career lasts three years because it's really really hard to be an NFL player and a lot can go wrong. He has the tools to succeed.

The Patriots lost their first three games out of five because their QB led the NFL in interceptions and turnovers. If they had more efficient QB play they would have beaten all of those decent QB's they already faced. It's a team game... that's how Zappe can face Aaron Rogers and play into overtime. They probably would have won that game if Patricia trusted Zappe more on their final two drives... that wasn't Zappe's fault.

You make some good arguments here. We've debated Belichick's draft record before so we don't have to go there again. Like I said, regarding Zappe, after 1.75 games, you're more right than me. Doesn't mean that won't change but so far he looks like a competent backup. And I'm willing to accept he could be more than that. I'd like to see him up against Allen and Buffalo in December... he seems to have the nerve for it but I'm not yet convinced the necessary talent is there. He's made Hoyer expendable and surprisingly he seems to be putting a little heat on Jones.

 

[Wozzy]

You make some good arguments here. We've debated Belichick's draft record before so we don't have to go there again. Like I said, regarding Zappe, after 1.75 games, you're more right than me. Doesn't mean that won't change but so far he looks like a competent backup. And I'm willing to accept he could be more than that. I'd like to see him up against Allen and Buffalo in December... he seems to have the nerve for it but I'm not yet convinced the necessary talent is there. He's made Hoyer expendable and surprisingly he seems to be putting a little heat on Jones.

He’s got good arm strength, makes good decisions and throw a catchable ball.

I don’t see the negatives that knock him down to the level of a back up.

What exactly do you dislike about him beyond perceived draft value?

 

[PWRxWLF]

So in a conference with Mahomes, Herbert, Burrow and Jackson... Buffalo fans are "scared" of Zappe??? I'd say in reality on a scale of 1 (least scared) to 10 (most scared), Buffalo fans would rate Zappe at 0. This isn't a knock on Zappe either. He's an overdrafted 4th round rookie quarterback who wasn't on anyone's radar as a starter in 2022. To his credit he's been fine and hasn't made any major mistakes in his unexpected playing time. However, he was heavily managed by the coaching staff in a loss and he had to do next to nothing in a blow out win. He's also benefitted from a dominant running game that has averaged 170 yards over the last two games.

Zappe's efficiency has been nice but he's averaging 143 passing yards and 1 TD per game. If he gets the chance, let's see what he looks like playing from behind or in a shootout before we start labelling him as scary. Right now, he isn't scaring anyone, if for no other reason then we haven't seen enough of him yet. Which ideally won't even be the case. Mac Jones is the franchise quarterback and nothing has happened to change that. Once Jones is 100% again he's the starter. To this point I think Zappe has shown he's probably a capable backup, which is an improvement on my initial projection, but he hasn't yet proven he's going to be a capable starter.

****cow is just trolling. Trying to stoke the flames and drive the fan base on the board further apart. Scared of Zappe? You got it right. Zappe isn’t scaring anyone at the moment.

 

[mgcolby]

So in a conference with Mahomes, Herbert, Burrow and Jackson... Buffalo fans are "scared" of Zappe??? I'd say in reality on a scale of 1 (least scared) to 10 (most scared), Buffalo fans would rate Zappe at 0. This isn't a knock on Zappe either. He's an overdrafted 4th round rookie quarterback who wasn't on anyone's radar as a starter in 2022. To his credit he's been fine and hasn't made any major mistakes in his unexpected playing time. However, he was heavily managed by the coaching staff in a loss and he had to do next to nothing in a blow out win. He's also benefitted from a dominant running game that has averaged 170 yards over the last two games.

Zappe's efficiency has been nice but he's averaging 143 passing yards and 1 TD per game. If he gets the chance, let's see what he looks like playing from behind or in a shootout before we start labelling him as scary. Right now, he isn't scaring anyone, if for no other reason then we haven't seen enough of him yet. Which ideally won't even be the case. Mac Jones is the franchise quarterback and nothing has happened to change that. Once Jones is 100% again he's the starter. To this point I think Zappe has shown he's probably a capable backup, which is an improvement on my initial projection, but he hasn't yet proven he's going to be a capable starter.

Hard to say a dude who slung 62 TDs in one season in FBS was over drafted in the 4th round. Irregardless of the competition 62 TDs is impressive and if it were do to competition then dudes should be slinging 50-60 TDs every year in the Sunbelt, MAC Conf USA etc...

He was clearly under recruited in high school or was a late bloomer in FCS. And clearly not many FBS programs wanted to take a flyer on an "overachieving" FCS kid or simply didn't think it was worth a one year shot.

Either way the kid was really good last year. And has been impressive through 7.5 quarters of play as a rookie in the NFL.

Don't get me wrong I am a huge Mac fan. So I am not saying bench Mac and anoint Zappe. But if he keeps playing like this and improving or if Mac comes back and keep slinging picks while also not ending drives in the EZ than I'm all for giving the kid a shot.

 

[crawhammer]

He’s got good arm strength, makes good decisions and throw a catchable ball.

I don’t see the negatives that knock him down to the level of a back up.

What exactly do you dislike about him beyond perceived draft value?

Look, I think you may be onto something. My opinion of Zappe has improved. Perhaps it's cliché but I like his makeup... he seems to have intangibles that wouldn't have been obvious from a pre-draft scouting report. I'll admit too his arm strength looked better than I though it would from my seat at the stadium... previously this was my biggest criticism and I still probably consider his arm strength below average.

I'm really not disliking much of what I've seen from Zappe during the regular season, oddly much improved from the preseason against scrubs (although Detroit's defense is really bad). My overall stance at this point is I want to see more of him, particularly against some better competition, before I'm drawing any conclusions. The way the OT in Green Bay went down was really unfortunate... he had a golden opportunity there, with first down at midfield and only needing a FG for the win, but the coaching staff stuck with being too conservative there and put him in a tough spot on the 3rd down when he lost just a bit of his poise.

 

[Wozzy]

Look, I think you may be onto something. My opinion of Zappe has improved. Perhaps it's cliché but I like his makeup... he seems to have intangibles that wouldn't have been obvious from a pre-draft scouting report. I'll admit too his arm strength looked better than I though it would from my seat at the stadium... previously this was my biggest criticism and I still probably consider his arm strength below average.

He completed a 50 yard strike at the combine that was all air yards... he has a pretty good arm.

I'm really not disliking much of what I've seen from Zappe during the regular season, oddly much improved from the preseason against scrubs (although Detroit's defense is really bad). My overall stance at this point is I want to see more of him, particularly against some better competition, before I'm drawing any conclusions. The way the OT in Green Bay went down was really unfortunate... he had a golden opportunity there, with first down at midfield and only needing a FG for the win, but the coaching staff stuck with being too conservative there and put him in a tough spot on the 3rd down when he lost just a bit of his poise.

This was my quote the moment Zappe was drafted: "Another great pick after Strong, the kid was crazy productive and accurate at Western Kentucky. You never want to assume Mac can't regress and want to provide a fire behind him in solid competition."

DRAFT - Welcome Bailey Zappe - QB - pick #137

Interesting..

www.patsfans.com

This (below) was a graphic I posted the moment Zappe was a drafted. I think it tells a lot. It is especially interesting that Malik Willis, who is the same exact height as Zappe and roughly the same weight, was ranked as a first round prospect on most "draft experts" board while Zappe was a lot further back. I mean small school, sure... but Willis played at Liberty and only managed to complete 61% of his passes. And yeah he ran for a lot of yards, but some DT's at the Pro level can run as fast as LB'er's did in against the level of competition he was playing in college.

To me passing the ball is the most important thing... and this Zappe kid did it at a whole other level in terms of efficiency and accuracy.



The tools IMO are there... and that's the most one can hope for from a prospect. Now it's up to him and his team.

 

[oldrover]

And he ran for .3 yards per carry. He IS the next Brady!

 

[venecol]

Look, I think you may be onto something. My opinion of Zappe has improved. Perhaps it's cliché but I like his makeup... he seems to have intangibles that wouldn't have been obvious from a pre-draft scouting report. I'll admit too his arm strength looked better than I though it would from my seat at the stadium... previously this was my biggest criticism and I still probably consider his arm strength below average.

I'm really not disliking much of what I've seen from Zappe during the regular season, oddly much improved from the preseason against scrubs (although Detroit's defense is really bad). My overall stance at this point is I want to see more of him, particularly against some better competition, before I'm drawing any conclusions. The way the OT in Green Bay went down was really unfortunate... he had a golden opportunity there, with first down at midfield and only needing a FG for the win, but the coaching staff stuck with being too conservative there and put him in a tough spot on the 3rd down when he lost just a bit of his poise.

Good to see you come around. You won't be sorry. Your faith will be restored. There's something special about the kid. Idk what it is, maybe fearlessness.

 

[Bill Lee]

The only people who focus incessantly on draft misses are Negative Nancys who were also telling us the team sucked in the midst of unprecedented greatness. They have very little perspective and avoid talking about all the "reaches" BB made over the years who became All Pro caliber players. The average NFL career lasts three years, a third of the league is made up of UDFA's... more draft picks fail than make it. That's the nature of the NFL draft.

Zappe was projected to go in the 7th... based on whose rankings? CBS, Mel Kiper, ESPN, Street & Smith.... whose?

This is exactly what I said above. Mel Kiper had Malik Willis as the #1 QB on his board for two days, it's laughable. He ranks everyone, even players who have zero chance of making it as pros. An NFL team like the Patriots has X amount of QB's on their big board, a much smaller group to choose from... and this is true of every position group.

Pre-draft rankings by media "draft experts" are worthless. And that's where most fans glean their pre-draft rankings and determine draft value from. So a bunch of know-nothings informing a bunch of emotional fans invested in their teams where player x should be taken. I'd bet my left nut Zappe becomes a better pro QB than Malik Willis. Kiper called Logan Mankins a reach, media members called HOF'er Richard Seymour a reach... their opinion of draft value is often worthless. Most haven't scouted anyone, they get their information from second hand sources or worse yet watch a few highlights.

I have no clue what Zappe will become, neither do you. I can only do my best lazy boy recliner scouting pre-draft to determine who has the tools to make it. Even then, I'm wrong fairly often because afterwards nothing else matters but the environment they're drafted into, their will to succeed and luck... which in the NFL means "health."

There's no accounting for the human element; addiction, ego, vanity, stupidity, laziness, injury, poor coaching/environment... this is why there are no "sure thing" picks and the draft is a crapshoot. What most people thought pre-draft is worthless because the majority of people get their opinion from media "draft experts" and most of them are simply talking heads using second hand information or going off a feeling.

Zappe has a 75% completion percentage and 104.7 QB Rating, there's nothing to suggest he can't become really really good. But there's no guarantees with rookies, the draft is a crapshoot and the average career lasts three years because it's really really hard to be an NFL player and a lot can go wrong. He has the tools to succeed.

The Patriots lost their first three games out of five because their QB led the NFL in interceptions and turnovers. If they had more efficient QB play they would have beaten all of those decent QB's they already faced. It's a team game... that's how Zappe can face Aaron Rogers and play into overtime. They probably would have won that game if Patricia trusted Zappe more on their final two drives... that wasn't Zappe's fault.

I agree with most of what you wrote, it echos a lot of my posts here. I especially agree your draft pedigree matters almost nothing after your first day in the league, what matters is what you can do on the field. It may give a particular player a bit more "staying power" but that's about it. I also agree about what you wrote about "draft experts". Look how many QBs that were going to be great have been total flops. Mayfield, Darnold, Trubisky, Rosen just to name a few recent ones. The linear nature of the draft (picks in order, rounds in order, etc) give some people the illusion that it's a ranking but it totally is not, it's all a crap shoot.

I would caution about the limited sample size. One game, against a team with lots of injuries in the secondary. No tape for the other team to use other than college and a few preseason games mostly against guys who are working at Wendy's or Home Depot now. Mac is in the zone where there is a full season of tape on him now against NFL level talent that defensive coordinators can use against him. Zappe's weaknesses have yet to be exposed. I agree that in one game Zappe has shown a lot of positive traits, but want to see more before reaching conclusions.

The good thing for me is that in my mind this season is a write off. It's a great time to find out what talent we have at every position on the field. At QB we now have two young guys under team control for the next few seasons. If Zappe turns out to be better than what most fans expected, that almost certainly works in our advantage. It seems we have a guy we can use as a backup QB, and could eventually bring back draft capital in a trade. If Mac's flaws become more severe (INTs, durability, etc) we may see more of Zappe, but IMO it's still Mac's job and he'd have to turn into a major INT machine (see Darnold or Sanchez before him) or be really unhealthy (see Jimmy G) before he'll lose the job.

 

[NG Pats Fan]

Pre-draft ratings by questionable media "draft experts" are largely nonsense.

Overdrafted... based on what?

Cole Strange is looking every bit worthy of the high draft pick they used to acquire him. NFL draft boards look a lot different than the board of Mel Kiper who has every player in the world on there.

NFL teams, especially good ones, take a lot of bad but highly ranked by media experts players off the board. Casual fans just repeat the nonsense they hear from the media, they had no clue who Strange or Zappe was... or Duggar or Jamie Collins, Thuney, Mankins etc etc...

Moreover once you're in the league, where you got drafted means nothing. The only thing that matters is how you play.

LOL, I like you but when it comes to the patriots draft selections you move heaven and hell to defend every selection. You’re the guy would who would defend the N’Keal Harry selection and keep a straight face

 

[Wozzy]

I agree with most of what you wrote, it echos a lot of my posts here. I especially agree your draft pedigree matters almost nothing after your first day in the league, what matters is what you can do on the field. It may give a particular player a bit more "staying power" but that's about it. I also agree about what you wrote about "draft experts". Look how many QBs that were going to be great have been total flops. Mayfield, Darnold, Trubisky, Rosen just to name a few recent ones. The linear nature of the draft (picks in order, rounds in order, etc) give some people the illusion that it's a ranking but it totally is not, it's all a crap shoot.

I would caution about the limited sample size. One game, against a team with lots of injuries in the secondary. No tape for the other team to use other than college and a few preseason games mostly against guys who are working at Wendy's or Home Depot now. Mac is in the zone where there is a full season of tape on him now against NFL level talent that defensive coordinators can use against him. Zappe's weaknesses have yet to be exposed. I agree that in one game Zappe has shown a lot of positive traits, but want to see more before reaching conclusions.

Why is everyone in the glass half empty camp ignoring his results against the 8th best defense in the league Green Bay?

I'm not pushing for Zappe to start at all, originally I said I hoped Hoyer played mistake free so Mac could see what this team could accomplish if the QB simply stopped turning the ball over. Zappe wasn't even a consideration at that point, but benching Mac for poor play was.

The good thing for me is that in my mind this season is a write off. It's a great time to find out what talent we have at every position on the field. At QB we now have two young guys under team control for the next few seasons. If Zappe turns out to be better than what most fans expected, that almost certainly works in our advantage. It seems we have a guy we can use as a backup QB, and could eventually bring back draft capital in a trade. If Mac's flaws become more severe (INTs, durability, etc) we may see more of Zappe, but IMO it's still Mac's job and he'd have to turn into a major INT machine (see Darnold or Sanchez before him) or be really unhealthy (see Jimmy G) before he'll lose the job.

I don’t see this season as a “write off” at all. Buffalo seems to be an insurmountable mountain to climb but a lot can happen between now and December. We need better QB play, the team outside everywhere except QB is really good.

 

[Wozzy]

LOL, I like you but when it comes to the patriots draft selections you move heaven and hell to defend every selection. You’re the guy would who would defend the N’Keal Harry selection and keep a straight face

Until I see talented rookies play and fail, I assume they can possibly succeed. I’m a guy who put Darren Waller at the end of his fantasy bench in year four because he was given the starting job at TE, this despite doing nothing for three years in a row to start his career… he succeeded.

Some players have athletic talent, some don’t… if the player has the talent the chance they could succeed exists, the reverse is also true.