Bailey Zappe has drawn plenty of praise from his teammates for how well he’s handled being the next man up, first coming on in relief of Brian Hoyer in Green Bay, then making his first NFL start against Detroit on Sunday.
Coach Bill Belichick, who declined to say whether he thought Mac Jones could be back for this week’s game against the Browns in Cleveland, has even said he wouldn’t guarantee that Jones will have his job back when he’s healthy.
That move only fueled the speculation that Zappe might have a chance to overtake Jones as the starter.
“We’ll see what it looks like today and go from there,” Belichick said when asked about whether Jones might be available this week.
He was then asked if Jones was still the starter when he’s ready to go, Belichick wasn’t definitive.
“We’ll see where he is today. I don’t know,” Belichick said.
Belichick dismissed the notion that Zappe’s strong performance against Detroit might allow the team to wait longer for starting quarterback Jones to recover from his high ankle sprain.
“Totally independent,” he said. “Doesn’t have anything to do with it.”
Nonetheless, members of the Patriots’ coaching staff have been impressed by the exploits of Zappe, the fourth-round draft pick thrust into action with Jones (high ankle sprain) and Hoyer (concussion) being injured.
“Since Bailey has gotten here, he’s a pretty steady kid. He really doesn’t go up or down too much. He’s pretty consistent with how he is in the building every single day,” said play caller Matt Patricia. “And certainly at the quarterback position, that’s a great thing to have, that consistency, that even-keel personality. There’s not too much that rattles him from that standpoint.”
Beyond being seemingly unflappable, Patricia complemented Zappe on how well he prepared, and how comfortable he was with the plan that was drawn up for him. Zappe completed 17 of 21 passes for 188 yards with a touchdown, and an interception during the win.
“I’m sure Cleveland will have something different we’re going to have to prepare for and make sure we’re adjusted to when we get into the game,” Patricia said of the upcoming opponent, “but he’s just that even-keel sort of guy. Nothing really gets him too high or too low.
“He’s very smart. He sees the game well. So from that standpoint, the communication is great and we can go back and forth with the adjustments.”
Quarterbacks coach Joe Judge appreciates how well Zappe has been able to implement all that he’s being asked to do, and working well with all the quarterbacks in the stable to try and get ready each week.
“He did a good job last week just preparing himself and doing everything he was asked to do,” said Judge. “He went through every cut-up we gave him, went through all the game tape. Did a lot of work with Mac and the other quarterbacks as well. It’s great having those guys as a resource to give him the perspective that sometimes you can’t as a coach.”
MATTHEW JUDON was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for the second time in his career and the first since arriving in New England.
The linebacker hit Lions quarterback Jared Goff four times, sacked him twice and forced a fumble that Kyle Dugger scooped and returned for a touchdown. On the season, his six sacks in five games is the most ever recorded by a Patriots player.
Judon was high on his defense as a whole.
“They do have a good line, but I’m taking whoever we line up and put their hand in the dirt over anybody,” Judon said, rattling the names of seven teammates off. “I’m taking us over anybody. All respects to their offensive line and the offensive lines throughout the league, but we really don’t care. We’re going to go out there and do our job.”
PRACTICE REPORT: Every member of the roster – both 53-man and practice squad – was present for the stretching portion of the session Wednesday, but when individual drills began, a couple key offensive players were obviously limited.
Damien Harris didn’t head over for drills with the other running backs during the first period, and Jonnu Smith, who missed Sunday’s win over the Lions with an ankle injury, was clearly limited as well.
Seeing Harris at all was a bit of a surprise. Harris left Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury and reports said he was “likely to miss multiple games,” but he was moving well enough to stretch anyway.
NEW LINEBACKER: The Patriots signed linebacker Calvin Munson to fill the last vacant spot on their practice squad Wednesday.
Munson, 27, returns to New England for his third stint with the franchise. He appeared in six games for the Patriots last season in a special teams-focused role. The Dolphins released Munson on Oct. 10, after placing him on injured reserve in August.
Munson has played in 42 games and made seven starts over his career between the Pats, Dolphins and Giants. He entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2017 and originally joined the Patriots by signing to their practice squad after a tryout in Oct. 2018. Late in the 2019 season, Miami signed Munson away to their active roster.
The 6-foot-1, 235-pounder played all 16 games for the Dolphins in 2020 and split last year between Miami and New England. Munson has recorded 87 tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble over his career.
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