The quarterback competition between Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe resulted in silence instead of bringing out the best in each signal caller.
As the Boston Herald reported, the two quarterbacks “barely speak” as the Patriots' season comes to a merciful end. A deep dive into the team's 2023 predicament.
“There's definitely no healthy communication to try to win football games,” a team source told the magazine about the state of the quarterback's room.
Jones, the Patriots' first-round pick in 2021, entered a competitive season as the Patriots' starter after a lackluster 2022 season.
He started the year reasonably well, but after a 34-0 loss at home to the Saints on Oct. 8, “the locker room's confidence in Jones diminished significantly,” according to the paper.
Jones ultimately replaced Zappe on the bench, but Zappe also replaced Jones mid-game several times this season, but the two never hit it off.
The report said the two often focused too much on individual preparation, causing team officials to reconsider why they didn't add a veteran to bring everyone together.
However, Zappe has publicly stated that Jones helped him.
“It was good. We both want to win the game,” he said after a Dec. 31 road loss to the Bills, according to the paper. “So no matter who's on the field, we're going to help the other one out.”
The newspaper said some teammates believe Jones received a “raw contract” and attribute his failure to instability around him.
However, Jones' performance did not inspire confidence, with teammates seeing his “confidence dashed”, the Herald reported.
The Alabama product reportedly had a habit of hearing the play call but ignoring passes to the top option on the play.
This season, Jones has thrown 10 touchdown passes against 12 interceptions, while Zappe has thrown six touchdown passes against seven interceptions.
“We didn't have a chance to win because Mack was the quarterback,” one source told the newspaper.
Quarterback instability played a big role in why the Patriots entered their final game in Week 18 against the Jets with a 4-12 record.
The Patriots' dysfunction started before the season even started.
“This was a mess from the beginning,” a source told the outlet.
Belichick reportedly denied new offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien, who previously held the same role in New England, the right to build a staff as he saw fit.
The newspaper reported that O'Brien took issue with Belichick's selective selection of offensive line and receiver coaches, who have struggled this season.
“The dynamics of the staff are in complete disarray,” a team source told the Boston Herald.
However, one source pointed to a team-building philosophy and significant upgrades to the offense and offensive line.
“We didn't invest in our offensive line until the fourth round and we didn't take a receiver until the sixth round,” a source told the paper. “How could you spend your first three picks on defense when tackling was the team's biggest problem last year?”
Sunday could be Belichick's last game as the Patriots' head coach, amid rumors of whether he will stay after two consecutive poor seasons.
