I just read BB's presser from yesterday. He struck me as kind of annoyed and frustrated with the situation, to be honest. He never referred to Jones as the "starter" - he took deliberate care to avoid using that word specifically, and wouldn't commit beyond this week. But what got my attention was how he used the phrase "getting a full workload", coupled with Jones entirely coming off the injury report (he's still got to be dealing with that ankle a bit, I'd think).
Here's the theory: BB believes Zappe has played better and he's probably inclined to start him, all else being equal. Between the media chorus that Jones got shafted, done dirty, so-to-speak + the locker-room comments about the situation being unfair / "messed up", BB spoke with the team leaders and they told him something to the effect of, "it'll be easier for us to accept this if we feel he got a fair shake" ... or maybe he just came to that conclusion on his own.
So he totally removes Jones from the injury report to silence any speculation that Jones is playing hurt, or that his play is at all influenced by injury. He gives Jones a full game without invention to sink or swim ("he's getting a full workload"), and if it's more of the same, I think we'll see Zappe starting sooner than later. By taking this approach, even if BB does ultimately end up starting Zappe at some point, he's able to create the perception in the locker-room that Jones - a respected team captain returning from injury - got a fair deal.
The other thing that jumped out to me yesterday were the Patriots beat reporters all onenote saying Jones starter status is not assured. Curran and Perry, both of whom up until yesterday were confidently, boldly in the camp of, "this is Jones' team, he's the starter", are now all saying this presser sent a message (which was not a vote of confidence), and that Jones is going to have to earn it every game moving forward.
