Dec 29, 2019; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick on the sidelines during the second half of their loss to the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
The New England Patriots are on a bye this week, which means they have plenty of time to decide whether Mac Jones will remain their starting quarterback. Though, Bill Belichick may have already offered one big hint about which way he is leaning.
The Patriots on Wednesday held what will be their only official practice of the bye week. Mark Daniels of MassLive.com observed that Jones took first-team reps at the start of the session. Bailey Zappe then took over and did not work with starting center David Andrews or New England’s other starting offensive linemen. Will Grier then followed Zappe.
After the opening drill, Jones once again took the first reps during a drill where quarterbacks threw to wide receivers. Jones worked with the Patriots’ projected starters, as he has done all year.
Daniels noted that the portion of practice that was open to the media lasted just five minutes. It is quite possible that Belichick did not want to give any indication that he is planning to change quarterbacks when the Patriots come out of their bye in Week 12. With Wednesday’s practice being the only session of the week, the coach may have wanted to keep his plans under wraps for strategic reasons.
Still, it is noteworthy that Jones took reps that are almost always reserved for the starter. Jones was benched for the final drive of New England’s 10-6 loss to the Indianapolis Colts last weekend after he threw a brutal red-zone interception. Zappe came in with a chance to lead a game-winning drive and also threw a pick. Zappe has completed just 40% of his passes in relief of Jones this season and has not looked like an upgrade.
No quarterback on the Patriots’ roster is going to turn things around for the team. If anything, Belichick may have to make a change just to keep his locker room from imploding.
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