New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick did not name a starting quarterback for Sunday’s game against the New York Giants, saying Tuesday he wants “everybody to be prepared.”
“I’ve told everybody to be ready to go,” Belichick said.
New England (2-8) is coming off a bye week following a loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Germany. Starter Mac Jones was benched in favor of Bailey Zappe late in that game.
The Patriots also have Will Grier on the active roster and rookie Malik Cunningham on the practice squad.
Why the uncertainty?
This is a weird time for a quarterback competition, let alone one factoring in three (and maybe four) different quarterbacks. But that’s where the Patriots are at with Jones, Zappe, Grier, and potentially Cunningham.
It’s hard to see why the Patriots are doing this midweek competition. If they want to roll with Jones, it seems like he could use the confidence boost that would come with a public backing. If they want to roll with Zappe or Grier, it seems like they could benefit from the majority of snaps in practice. Instead, it seems the Patriots are inclined to let all three (and maybe even Cunningham) battle it out.
What this means for Jones
The Jones era seemed over after he was benched for the team’s attempt at a game-winning drive in their most recent game, but apparently, he still has a shot to win back the job during practice this week.
The whole thing is strange. If the Patriots want to give him a break and a chance to let him regain confidence, they have a chance to see what they have in young players like Zappe and Cunningham.
