Bailey Zappe believes he should be Patriots’ starting QB going forward
Zappe's numbers mostly ended up being worse than Mac Jones's, but his confidence has never wavered.
FOXBOROUGH – Somehow, Bailey Zappe finished the 2023 season with a lower QBR, quarterback rating, completion percentage, and fewer yards per completed pass than Mac Jones.
He was sacked more times this season (25) than Jones (22) despite having almost half as many starts.
Zappe made six starts and four relief appearances after Jones’s benchings.
Zappe’s 2-4 record as the starter was somewhat better than Jones’s 2-9 record this season, so it can be argued that Zappe gave the team a better chance to win.
But, his final statline, highlighted by his inability to avoid turnovers (eight interceptions over six starts) leaves much to be desired.
Zappe did bring a sense of confidence and belief in himself that briefly energized the team near the end of the season. That confidence level hasn’t changed. The second-year quarterback told reporters Monday that he believes he’s earned the opportunity to be an NFL starter.
“Yeah, of course,” Zappe said. “I have the confidence in myself to know that I think that I can lead a team and go out there and win games. Of course, I want that to be here. I’ve always wanted to play in the NFL and I want to be a Patriot.”
“So, whatever is decided this offseason, I’ll be ready for the training camp,” Zappe added. “And I’ll come compete and help this team win. Hopefully that’s as the starter and hopefully we can win.”
Consistency has been a major issue for Zappe. He went 44-for-61 for 496 yards with five touchdowns against one interception in his two wins. So, he has been pretty good at times.
The issue is when a team has him figured out, things go south quickly. He threw five interceptions over the final two games without any touchdowns. He completed fewer than half of his passes in Sunday’s season finale and finished with 88 yards on 30 attempts.
“Eliminating turnovers is probably the biggest thing,” Zappe said. “When you go back through the six games that I started, those are the things that kind of stand out. Of course, if you take those away over these last few games what happens? Who knows?
“So, those are things,” Zappe continued. “That throughout these offseason when we’re watching film with the coaches can kind of get a better understanding of how to eliminate those and do a better job with that. Hopefully we’ll win a lot of games next year.”
The Patriots will have the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and the team may look to address the quarterback position through the draft or free agency.
Zappe said he hopes that Bill Belichick will return to coach the team and that he’s looking forward to competing next year.
“He’s the greatest coach of all time, but that’s above my pay grade,” Zappe said. “I’ll let those guys handle those things if he’s here, if he’s not here. Of course that’s coach Belichick and Mr. Kraft’s decision.”
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