“No, we were going to play both quarterbacks,” Belichick maintained. “And that’s what we did.”
Belichick’s statement in this case is helped by the fact that, as an example, NFL insider Adam Schefter
reported beforehand that New England would likely play both quarterbacks in the game.
Show co-host Greg Hill had a follow-up question: What went into the decision to change to Zappe?
“We made the change. That’s what we were planning to do,” Belichick began. “So we did that, then the game got out of hand there in the third quarter, and so I didn’t feel like it was in the best interest to put Mac back in the game. That’s really it.”
Belichick said that he communicated the decision to the players who he felt needed to know.
“I talked to the quarterbacks, talked to the leaders of the team, everybody knew what the plan was,” he explained. “I mean, not every single person, obviously. I wouldn’t talk to every single person about another player’s role in the game.