New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick has been told to drop Mac Jones and stick with Bailey Zappe, after the back-up quarterback once again outclassed the regular starter.
The Patriots suffered a brutal 33-14 defeat to the Chicago Bears on Monday night, but it was Jones that started the game before being hauled off. Two unsuccessful drives and an interception led to Belichick making the call in the second quarter, and Zappe went on to inspire two touchdowns.
Belichick was adamant after the game that the switch was in his plans all along, even though many have speculated that isn't the case as Jones didn't feature again. And now the coach has been told to drop Jones all together, as Zappe looks better in the quarterback position.
The situation was debated on ESPN's KJM show, with host Max Kellerman saying to both Jay Williams and Keyshawn Johnson: "We've been saying it for weeks now. Bailey Zappe looks a little better than Mac Jones."
And this was backed by Williams, who suggested that their draft positions has altered the perception of how good they are. "It's all about where you're drafted right," Williams said.
"Because of Zappe and where he was taken and Jones and where he was taken, many feel as though Mac is the better quarterback. What I will say is, coach Belichick made a decision to start Jones but he made a decision to remove Jones immediately.
"He just didn't even look right though. Not just the injury, him. I don't like the way he looks when he drops back in the pocket as he looks rough. He doesn't look smooth to me, I don't want to say he's scared but he's unsure."
The Patriots looked much better when Zappe was introduced, but Belichick has hinted that speculation is all nonsense, as he planned to switch things up mid-game. "I told the quarterbacks that we were going to play both of them, and that's what we did," Belichick said.
"That's not what it was [performance], but you can write whatever you want to write. That's not what it was."
However, Belichick admitted that the initial plan was for Jones to later re-enter the match, but he changed his mind as the Bears began to run away with the victory. The score got out of hand," he added. "I didn't think that was the right thing to do."
Jones has missed the last three games through injury, but his return wasn't as prolific as he'd hoped. Zappe has been thriving despite starting the season as third-choice, and he's pushing to be no.1.
