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Bill Belichick said Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe will have a ‘chance to compete’
"They all handle what we do so that everybody else can operate efficiently. So, we’ll give them a chance to compete and see how it goes."
So far at training camp, Mac Jones appears to be the No. 1 quarterback option for the Patriots.
He’s consistently taken reps with the first-teamers. He’s gone 18-24 on passing attempts over his last two days of practice, according to MassLive’s Mark Daniels. Jones says his relationship with Bill Belichick is “good” after a struggle-filled sophomore season, and Belichick agreed.
Belichick offered his thoughts on Jones’ development during an interview with Sirius XM’s NFL Radio on Monday.
“Mac had a good offseason,” Belichick said. “He’s one of our offseason award winners. First in, last out of the building. Really does a good job of being on top of everything we’re doing so he can lead from the quarterback position in terms of play-calling and those types of things.”
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Backup quarterback Bailey Zappe, who filled in when Jones was hurt last year has also made strides, Belichick said.
“Zappe is way ahead of where he was last year, obviously, rookie going into his second year,” Belichick said. “And it’s been good to work with McSorley. He has a little bit of game experience, a little bit of NFL experience, but is still a young player.”
Monday marked the first padded practice for New England. Jones had a bit of a slow start to training camp, throwing interceptions to Kyle Dugger in the first two days.
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His play has picked up lately, and there doesn’t appear to be much of the quarterback controversy that took place last year. Still, there have been plenty of reps for Zappe.
“We’ll see how those guys do when the real football starts,” Belichick said. “Pads come on, there’s a little more pass rush and so forth, but they can all run the offense efficiently. They’re all smart. They all handle what we do so that everybody else can operate efficiently. So, we’ll give them a chance to compete and see how it goes.”
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