Heading into the bye week, the question everyone continues to wonder is, who will be under center in two weeks against the Giants with seven weeks left to play in this 2023 Patriots season?
As of this week, there’s apparently yet to be a sentiment that someone other than Mac Jones will get the call at MetLife two Sundays from now.
According to multiple reports, Jones continued taking first-team snaps with the offense this week, while both Bailey Zappe and Will Grier took the remaining ones behind him.
While that may not necessarily mean anything, the fact there wasn’t a stark change during a period where coaches could have changed things up and done some additional evaluations was certainly interesting.
Taking Jones out of the game down just four points last Sunday in Germany against the Colts was clearly a significant move, and one that you would have to think would be difficult to go back from.
But Belichick said after the game they’d deal with this week, this week, and it’s possible a review of the film revealed a bad game, and not enough positive behind him to make a move.
Obviously, one notable moment was the interception by Zappe, which according to the second-year quarterback, may have been thrown due to Zappe feeling like there should have been a flag. Belichick didn’t sound like he endorsed that mindset earlier in the week when he was asked if he knew what Zappe might be referring to, so it’s entirely possible his move to Zappe in the two minute was one that instead left him frustrated.
The next question is whether or not Grier could get the call. But again, as of this week, there hasn’t been any sign of that yet either.
NBC Sports Boston’s Tom Curran spoke to Jones & Mego with Arcand on WEEI on Thursday and said that there’s some frustration within the building about the situation, but that there doesn’t appear to be an option they’re necessarily confident in turning to, either.
“My sense is, and this is a sense, is that folks in general in the building understand that you’re swimming against the tide with Mac Jones,” said Curran. “He’s ruined, he’s broken, he’s busted, and a decision has to be made. I don’t know if there’s individuals who are rooting for Mac, honestly. And I don’t know if it matters if they’re rooting for him or not. You look at the situation, and you just see it as being fruitless.”
One other thing Curran noted was the fact the club has explored a total of seven players at the position this season, and aside from Jones, no one else has emerged as a viable option.
“I don’t know how many people are still in his corner but they have butchered the quarterback room so ridiculously, I mean seven different guys have been proposed as quarterbacks for the team this year,” said Curran. “Between Ian Book, Matt Corral, Malik Cunningham, Bailey Zappe, Trace McSorley, Mac, and Will Grier, it’s seven different people.”
“I could tell … nitwit Curran could tell, at the end of camp that they needed to have a veteran backup for Mac just in case he was to go down because Bailey Zappe was not good enough, and still, they’re stuck here. So when I look at the coaching staff, they can be sick to death of Mac and the mistakes, but they can also look at the situation and just roll their eyes and say, what are we supposed to do?”
It’s a good question. Whether or not they’ll at least explore a different answer is what everyone will continue to wonder, especially in a season where, after eight frustrating losses, it feels like change is definitely needed.
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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
