That’s my quarterback!……or is he?

What is your current take on the Pats’ QB situation heading into 2023?

  • Rough year but Mac is still my guy for 2023

    Votes: 24 6.9%
  • Team Zappe all the way!

    Votes: 14 4.0%
  • Let Mac and Zappe fight it out in camp (not literally) and best man wins

    Votes: 75 21.4%
  • The 2023 QB isn’t currently on the roster

    Votes: 115 32.9%
  • Not sure - I need to see Mac with better coaching, OL, and players

    Votes: 118 33.7%
  • Knibb High Football Rules!

    Votes: 4 1.1%

  • Total voters
    350

Reverend

for king and country
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jan 20, 2007
64,029
I'd like to see how Mac does with a new OC, rebuilt O-line, and skills players. Whether he and the team get any of them is another question altogether.
Wish there were a like button. This is perfect. But even more emphasis on new OC and new OL coaches. I.e., needs to be 2 separate people.
So… change everything?

By Jove, that just might work!!

If Mac is back I'd like to see him have to compete for his job with Zappe or someone else, don't just hand it to him particularly if the regression we've seen this year is real and not a product of bad coaching/OL, etc.

My preference would be to start over, I'm out on Mac now, yesterday put me over the top. I just don't think he does anything particularly well, and he does a lot of things pretty poorly. But I don't realistically know if this is a good option, and cycling through QBs every two years is a surefire way to end up our of the playoffs on a consistent basis.

What I think will happen is that Mac will be given another year, and he won't have to compete for his job.
I think you focus FA and draft resources on adding offensive talent - especially at OT and WR - and then hopefully you draft a QB somewhere in rounds 2-5 and have a three way competition between Mac, Zappe, and the new guy.
In this vein, yeah, I think it makes sense to put the QB in place later in the team building cycle, because I think learning QB in today’s NFL is really hard, so it doesn’t necessarily make sense to try to teach him the game when the situations you want him to understand don’t yet exist.

Of course, the wild cards here are how long can the defense be maintained as excellent given career life spans in the NFL and why TF foes Belichick want to keep coaching in his 70s. (I think he wants to show he can build a other good team… and there’s also the real possibility that the only things he really likes to do are football and fishing, and having a toss with a lacrosse stick.)
 

greek_gawd_of_walks

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 14, 2009
9,138
Wiscansin, by way of Attleboro
If the Packers are entertaining trades of Jordan Love, I want in on that. He hasn't had a chance to really develop, but he has tremendous upside, as far as I can see.

With that being said, I have no idea what it would take to get him, cap implications, etc.
 

Cellar-Door

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 1, 2006
34,460
If the Packers are entertaining trades of Jordan Love, I want in on that. He hasn't had a chance to really develop, but he has tremendous upside, as far as I can see.

With that being said, I have no idea what it would take to get him, cap implications, etc.
Not sure what GB would be asking for (or if they even trade him), but the $ is pretty straightforward, he has 1 year $3.94M left on his deal, all base so GB pays none of it the team getting him pays all of it, he also has a 5th year option that has to be picked up by May.
 

SamCassellsStones

New Member
Feb 8, 2017
130
the 2023 QB is presently on the San Francisco 49ers.

Time to come home, James.
I would be irrationally excited by this. He’s always seemed likeable, and despite his limitations (below average arm strength, limited mobility due to advancing age and injury history, has benefitted from excellent offensive talent and a scheme that apparently literally any random undrafted rookie can run, injury prone, tendency to make critical mistakes at the worst possible moments) he’s still quick, decisive, gets it out in a hurry, and can sling it where it needs to go. I could get behind a couple of middling 9-8 Garoppolo seasons while we look for The Next Guy. I mean they would suck still probably, but it would be a more entertaining flavour of suck than the current dreck we’re watching.

A Garoppolo/Pats - Brady/9ers Super Bowl would be something.
 

Harry Hooper

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jan 4, 2002
34,368
Pats traded away this WR but supposedly tried to trade for this QB a while back:

Houston Texans highlight

I can't imagine his 2023 salary being that high. Bring him in for an open competition in camp next year with Mac and Zappe?
 
they can also open up another $9.7M by cutting McCourty. Also extending/restructuring Judon saves money, Henry can be cut or re-structured to save money, Jonnu could re-structure. We need improvements, but also a lot of contributors at key positions are on really cheap deals (the rookie CBs, the guards, the RBs, Dugger, Uche, Barmore, etc.)
While generally I agree with you, a small nitpick on McCourty - it's the other way around. McCourty will cost $9.7m unless they keep him around (in which case he'll probably cost a bit less with more kicking the can down the round.

I'm absolutely fine with drafting another QB - in a world where solid/good QBs (ie the Staffords & Carrs of this world) are getting $40m a year I don't know why teams aren't doing this more often.

Think about it this way -
What's a season of a league average QB worth? $25m? That seems, if anything, low to me.
What's a season of a league average RB worth? $6m? That seems, if anything, high to me (certainly the Pats have achieved league averagey results in the past while paying guys a lot less).

If you think Mac was about league average last year (which I think is reasonable) and you think Sony Michel was about league average in his 4 years here (which I think is reasonable) then that one season for Mac already generated the same value as Sony's entire tenure. Being worried about wasting draft capital on QBs seems nuts to me.
 

lexrageorge

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2007
18,097
I hate it, hate it, hate it when social media likes get dissected to the Nth degree like this. Was Trent liking the idea of a TB12 return for sentimental reasons? Was he liking the idea of being reunited with JG? Was he thinking that New England would be a good situational fit for pending UFA Garoppolo? Did he just scroll through social media and see an article about the Patriots and thought it was worth liking without realizing the implications? Or does he think Mac Jones is awful and it's time to move on?
 

Eddie Jurak

canderson-lite
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 12, 2002
44,475
Melrose, MA
I'm not sure how anyone coud watch yesterday's game and say they can't judge Mac because he hasn't been put into the right situation every week. Ideal? Maybe not, but yesterday he was given fantastic OL play and pretty solid playcalling and played a putrid game of football. I'm pretty much done with him, you need to move on. Yeah, maybe Mac can be a game manager type of QB, but imo that's not the ceiling you want to waste your time on with a young QB. I'm also not sure how anyone can know if Zappe is or isn't the guy. I'd probably try to trade Mac for peanuts, draft another QB in the first 1-3 rounds, and let Zappe and that QB battle it out.
First off, the bolded is a straw man argument. There are legit concerns about the quality of the Patriots offensive coaching, offensive line, and offensive skill position players other than Rhamondre Stevenson. Putting all that together as "hasn't been put into the right situation every week" is a gross understatement of the problems the Pats offense has had this year. I would think that Mac has been legitimately bad enough this year that the case against him can be made without exaggeration.

Second, Mac had a good year last year, particularly for a rookie QB. There's a great desire to retrospectively shit all over that, because he has regressed in year 2. I even see comments here saying that he's the exact same guy, etc. He's not. I think anyone being honest would say it was blatantly obvious that his performance has declined by a lot.

Because Mac had a good rookie year and has had a steep decline, it makes sense to ask what has changed. And in the case of the Patriots, a lot has changed. There was near-complete turnover on the offensive coaching staff, at least regarding the key positions. And it wasn't a case of changing one established offensive coordinator for another, as happens sometimes. Nor was it a situation where the Patriots had a successor-in-waiting, as they had done through most of Belichick's tenure. They went and hired 2 recently fired head coaches without coaching experience on the offensive side of the ball to coach the offense. What's more, there was a lot of turnover on the offensive coaching staff apart from McDaniels, and that meant one of our new-to-offense coahces had to handle not just coordinator duties but also offensive line coaching. (Reminder: the offensive line has been a disaster all year). (I'd like to know whather comparable moves have been made by other teams and how those moves panned out - this seems like an unprecedented thing BB did and had blow up in his face.)

This was an important year for Mac, and BB set him up to fail. Not intentionally, obviously, but BB badly mismanaged the tranistion away from Josh McDaniels, and Mac (and the offense as a whole) paid a steep price for that. That's inarguable.

Third, Mac is obviously broken right now. The open question is whether he can be fixed. That layers on top of the open question from the end of last season, which is how much potential for improvement he has. I don't think either question has been answered. I think this is why some of Mac's harshest critics here want to set aside the coaching changes and Mac's good rookie year and just say "he's played the same way all along and he sucks." That's easier, I suppose, than admitting there are questions.

Anyway, I thought there were 3 good answers in the poll. I picked "I need to see Mac with better coaching, OL, and players." Taken as a whole, I think Mac is in one of the worst situations for a QB in the entire league, and that has affected his performance. I wonde if part of the issue here was that BB was used to being able to rely on Brady to pull good offensive performance out of a bunch of retreads and scrubs surrounding a couple of legit homegrown talents, and he forgot he needs to do better by a lesser QB if he wants to win.

Another answer I liked is this one: "Let Mac and Zappe fight it out in camp (not literally) and best man wins." I'm not ready to give up on Mac, but he hasn't come close to earning the starter's nod for 2023. If the Pats run it back with Hoyer, Zappe, and Mac, Mac should have be given an opportunity to compete for the job, but nothing more than that. I don't personally think Zappe is the answer, but there is plent yof obvious reason to also doubt whether Mac is the answer.

Another good answer: "The 2023 QB isn’t currently on the roster." The Pats, at minimum, need to bring in another QB to replace Hoyer and compete for the starting job. And they should look at bringing in a veteran to be the starter.
 

lexrageorge

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2007
18,097
Another good answer: "The 2023 QB isn’t currently on the roster." The Pats, at minimum, need to bring in another QB to replace Hoyer and compete for the starting job. And they should look at bringing in a veteran to be the starter.
First, my apologies up front to picking on this one angle of your excellent post. But I've seen this sentiment expressed by others as well, and I think some here may be underestimating the difficulty.

Veteran free agent QB's tend to fall into the following categories:

1.) True starters. Lamar Jackson is the headline of this group. While I'm sure we would all be ecstatic if Bill convinced Lamar to sign here, I don't see it happening for various reasons. Regardless, any veteran in this situation is going to expect to be the starter from Day 1 of minicamp. More realistically, Jimmy Garoppolo would also fall into this category, and will certainly get interest from teams that would be willing to make him the clear #1 from the outset.

Taylor Heinicke is an interesting one, but my guess is that he will either stay with the Commanders or go to a team where he will be the clear #1.

2.) Expected backups who could serviceably start some games. Bridgewater, Keenum, Brissett, etc, etc, etc. While there's always a ton of such players moving around, it's unclear if any of those available would be a clear cut improvement over Mac Jones. And a marginal improvement is just that; marginal. Sometimes signing such a player works; other times it just creates controversy.

3.) Vets on their last legs. Andy Dalton, and Joe Flacco are the two most notable names, but there's an excellent chance that both will retire (or Dalton stays with the Saints).

4.) Really bad QB's who are guaranteed to be worse than Mac. Mayfield, Wentz, and Darnold come to mind. Once in a while you get a Geno Smith from this group, but more often than not you get the same Sam Darnold.
 

Eddie Jurak

canderson-lite
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 12, 2002
44,475
Melrose, MA
I agree that they can’t just solve the QB problem via free agency. At best they can mildly improve the situation and give themselves a workable alternative to Mac. But that might be worth doing.
 

FL4WL3SS

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2006
14,913
Andy Brickley's potty mouth
What are the chances Zappe starts this week? BB was asked if Mac would start the final three games and he didn't give a direct answer which is interesting "the plan is to beat Cincinnati".

I wonder if Mac struggles if we see Zappe in this game.
 

Bowser

New Member
Sep 27, 2019
400
Was a Mac guy from draft night straight through to Week 4 or so of this season, when the image of who I thought he was began to part ways with what I was seeing on the field. The guy on the field these last few weeks bears almost no resemblance to last year's version. Strange.

I expect to see some Zappe before the season is over, perhaps sooner than later, and that the offense will improve. (Ducks.) Zappe, for all his limitations, moves better, sees the field better, and acts more decisively. YMMV. Came close to saying the 2023 QB isn't on the roster, but I just don't see a clear upgrade coming to save us.
 

Smiling Joe Hesketh

Throw Momma From the Train
Moderator
SoSH Member
May 20, 2003
35,727
Deep inside Muppet Labs
What are the chances Zappe starts this week? BB was asked if Mac would start the final three games and he didn't give a direct answer which is interesting "the plan is to beat Cincinnati".

I wonder if Mac struggles if we see Zappe in this game.
I took that more as a tacit nod to the idea that Mac’s ankle could be bothering him again and could make it hard to impossible for him to play if he aggravates it.
 

P'tucket rhymes with...

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 12, 2006
11,624
The Coney Island of my mind
I hate it, hate it, hate it when social media likes get dissected to the Nth degree like this. Was Trent liking the idea of a TB12 return for sentimental reasons? Was he liking the idea of being reunited with JG? Was he thinking that New England would be a good situational fit for pending UFA Garoppolo? Did he just scroll through social media and see an article about the Patriots and thought it was worth liking without realizing the implications? Or does he think Mac Jones is awful and it's time to move on?
The most charitable interpretation is that Brown put the same amount of thought and effort into his response as he is in keeping Mac alive this season.
 

54thMA

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 15, 2012
10,154
Westwood MA
Yeah the Pats were on the list, basically he just mentioned Brady and Jimmy G as possible targets.

Edit here's a short excerpt. Mods, please let me know if I should delete.
From that excerpt; they have a dominating defense?

Not from the footage I've seen.
 

Eddie Jurak

canderson-lite
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 12, 2002
44,475
Melrose, MA
If Mac is healthy I'd play him in this one. He's coming off his worst game as a pro, let's see if he can rebound. If he's objectively bad then, there's no reason to play him again this season. Viewed in the most favorable light possible, he is too fucked up to fix his issues in season on this team. So, Zappe gets to start the final two weeks. The Miami game will likely be an important one for Miami, so it will be a chance to gather some useful info on Zappe.
 

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
SoSH Member
Oct 1, 2015
24,375
Mac doesn't have top tier physical tools. Zach Wilson, however, does.

For those here that think that if you have the physical tools, it's easier to coach someone's approach and game intelligence, rather than trying to get a smart quarterback to be able to run faster or throw better, I'd like to ask this:

If you could get Zach Wilson from the Jets this offseason for a 3rd round pick in this upcoming draft, would you do it? All the physical tools are there - things that Mac doesn't have.
 

Cellar-Door

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 1, 2006
34,460
Mac doesn't have top tier physical tools. Zach Wilson, however, does.

For those here that think that if you have the physical tools, it's easier to coach someone's approach and game intelligence, rather than trying to get a smart quarterback to be able to run faster or throw better, I'd like to ask this:

If you could get Zach Wilson from the Jets this offseason for a 3rd round pick in this upcoming draft, would you do it? All the physical tools are there - things that Mac doesn't have.
I mean... People aren't saying tools trump all, tools raise ceiling. And yes, it is easier to teach a tools guy to improve technique and mental skills, doesn't mean you always can. You basically can't improve physical tools more than a small amount. Of course the fallacy in all these arguments is the assumption that guys with bad tools will improve more at technique/mental but that's isn't really true.
 

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
SoSH Member
Oct 1, 2015
24,375
I mean... People aren't saying tools trump all, tools raise ceiling. And yes, it is easier to teach a tools guy to improve technique and mental skills, doesn't mean you always can. You basically can't improve physical tools more than a small amount. Of course the fallacy in all these arguments is the assumption that guys with bad tools will improve more at technique/mental but that's isn't really true.
Yep.

So....

If the Pats could get Wilson for a 3rd round pick - or a straight up trade for Mac - would YOU want them to do it?
 

Cellar-Door

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 1, 2006
34,460
Yep.

So....

If the Pats could get Wilson for a 3rd round pick - or a straight up trade for Mac - would YOU want them to do it?
No? But why would that be my only option? Zach Wilson sucks, we all agree, he's a guy who never had a high skill level and who had/has a reputation for not working hard, that has no bearing on Mac Jones at all. You are using one bad QB as some indictment of QBs who have physical talent which is dumb. Zach Wilson failing despite having more athleticism than Mac doesn't mean anything with regards to the benefits of athleticism, nor anything with regards to Mac's ability to play at this level. As an example... I would trade Mac Jones for Justin Fields in a heartbeat. I'd trade him for a lot of QBs. I'd also strongly consider trading him for a draft pick and signing a QB or drafting one, and a reason for that is Mac has a lower ceiling than many QBs, and he needs to get a lot better at a lot of things to reach it, and he hasn't shown strong trend lines through last season and through this one. If Mac had incredible tools I'd be far more likely to think he might be the long term solution. Great physical tools isn't a guarantee of success, it just sets you up with more avenues to success, a higher ceiling, and more versatility in offense, as well as a lower dependence on execution by all the players around you.
 

SMU_Sox

queer eye for the next pats guy
SoSH Member
Jul 20, 2009
8,878
Dallas
Zach Wilson doesn’t have elite physical traits. He has an above average arm but it isn’t elite. He isn’t a 4.5 guy. There were a lot of folks like Matt Waldman and Ted Nguyen who absolutely nailed that Zach Wilson would be a disaster.
 

SamCassellsStones

New Member
Feb 8, 2017
130
Mac was considered a ‘high floor/low ceiling’ pick - with the ‘floor’ presumably being a capable if unspectacular fringe NFL starter/ solid backup. But this thinking, probably, overestimated him. Realistically, his floor should have been ‘not an NFL player’ , given the talent on that Alabama roster and his physical limitations. There is, I fear,
evidence that he might just not be capable at this level.

I have found him challenging to root for. Frustration towards the coaches suggests a lack of maturity and accountability.

I was disappointed with the Pats for selecting a player with a DUI history. Of course, this was a while ago, and I’m sure he has matured and learned from it. But, if your life has been forever changed by an impaired driver (as mine has), the emotions are different.

So I guess what I’m saying is, let’s see what Zappe can do.
 

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
SoSH Member
Oct 1, 2015
24,375
No? But why would that be my only option? Zach Wilson sucks, we all agree, he's a guy who never had a high skill level and who had/has a reputation for not working hard, that has no bearing on Mac Jones at all. You are using one bad QB as some indictment of QBs who have physical talent which is dumb. Zach Wilson failing despite having more athleticism than Mac doesn't mean anything with regards to the benefits of athleticism, nor anything with regards to Mac's ability to play at this level. As an example... I would trade Mac Jones for Justin Fields in a heartbeat. I'd trade him for a lot of QBs. I'd also strongly consider trading him for a draft pick and signing a QB or drafting one, and a reason for that is Mac has a lower ceiling than many QBs, and he needs to get a lot better at a lot of things to reach it, and he hasn't shown strong trend lines through last season and through this one. If Mac had incredible tools I'd be far more likely to think he might be the long term solution. Great physical tools isn't a guarantee of success, it just sets you up with more avenues to success, a higher ceiling, and more versatility in offense, as well as a lower dependence on execution by all the players around you.
You misunderstand. I’m not talking about comparing QB types. I’m literally asking if you would rather have Zach Wilson in particular, with his set of strengths and weaknesses, instead of Mac Jones, with his set of strengths and weaknesses.

I’m just talking about these two guys specifically.
 

SMU_Sox

queer eye for the next pats guy
SoSH Member
Jul 20, 2009
8,878
Dallas
Seems kind of like a limited scope. I don't want either option. But if I had to pick I'd take Mac. Look, you need a minimal level of mental traits to ride this ride and the Mormon McMahon doesn't have them. That being said Mac doesn't have elite mental traits right now. He might not ever have them. Unfortunately the coaching, execution, and OL has been so bad it doesn't really matter this year.
 

Cellar-Door

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 1, 2006
34,460
yeah if forced to have one I take Mac because I think he can come in and be a competent backup, I don't think Wilson can do that. I haven't seen much to make me think either is a long-term NFL starter, so if I had either and found a team that did think that, I'd be making a move.
 

Jinhocho

Moderator
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2001
10,283
Durham, NC
On draft day, I was torn between Fields and Jones. I leaned a bit towards Fields, but would have been ecstatic with either of them. When Chicago traded up, I mentally forgot Fields and was jacked for Jones. I was fully on board last year, a bit worried with the pre-season and early season struggles, but figured when he got back from injury things would get better. I was definitely not a Fly Zappe Fly guy.

Someone on here back in camp made the point that they thought it was nuts that Jones was pushing back against the coaching staff about who would be on it, what the offense would be etc. They made a point that this guy is a second year QB and its really off putting to see someone in that position acting like he knows more/better than guys who have been around the NFL for decades. It stood out to me but I was still riding high from last year, as well as saying more of a book on him/injury/patricia and judge etc. Then later in the season Ralphwiggum brought something similar up about his antics on the field dissing coaches and expressing dissatisfaction.

I think that will there are narratives out there that are pro-mac (go Mac go ditching the shitty coaching and speaking truth to power) and the same old (what i thought of as tired) Mac is overrated and will be a backup, there is something new to this I think. The comments/criticism about him being criticial of coaching, publicly dissing his team (you do that when you go after the coaches) on the field, etc raises questions about his leadership. To me, Mac was supposed to be Chad Pennington with a good work ethic, excellent judgement, and a great leader. I cannot think of Patriots greats calling out another player like this (maybe I am missing something or a lot of things), but I think the most telling thing is a) he hasnt earned his stripes as a Marino/Manning/Brady b) he has a veritable shit ton of flaws to his game and c) he is raising some serious questions about some of his greatest supposed strengths (maturity, judgement, decision-making, and leadership).

I still favor him getting the chance to keep the job in year three, but think Zappe and someone else should be able to push him and make him every single thing he has going forward. I am not sure how this has gone so off the tracks, but I resist the easy blame (Patricia) as the sole explanation. The problems on the field were there last year and there are plenty of open receivers on the field this year.
 

mwonow

Member
SoSH Member
Sep 4, 2005
7,095
On draft day, I was torn between Fields and Jones. I leaned a bit towards Fields, but would have been ecstatic with either of them. When Chicago traded up, I mentally forgot Fields and was jacked for Jones. I was fully on board last year, a bit worried with the pre-season and early season struggles, but figured when he got back from injury things would get better. I was definitely not a Fly Zappe Fly guy.

Someone on here back in camp made the point that they thought it was nuts that Jones was pushing back against the coaching staff about who would be on it, what the offense would be etc. They made a point that this guy is a second year QB and its really off putting to see someone in that position acting like he knows more/better than guys who have been around the NFL for decades. It stood out to me but I was still riding high from last year, as well as saying more of a book on him/injury/patricia and judge etc. Then later in the season Ralphwiggum brought something similar up about his antics on the field dissing coaches and expressing dissatisfaction.

I think that will there are narratives out there that are pro-mac (go Mac go ditching the shitty coaching and speaking truth to power) and the same old (what i thought of as tired) Mac is overrated and will be a backup, there is something new to this I think. The comments/criticism about him being criticial of coaching, publicly dissing his team (you do that when you go after the coaches) on the field, etc raises questions about his leadership. To me, Mac was supposed to be Chad Pennington with a good work ethic, excellent judgement, and a great leader. I cannot think of Patriots greats calling out another player like this (maybe I am missing something or a lot of things), but I think the most telling thing is a) he hasnt earned his stripes as a Marino/Manning/Brady b) he has a veritable shit ton of flaws to his game and c) he is raising some serious questions about some of his greatest supposed strengths (maturity, judgement, decision-making, and leadership).

I still favor him getting the chance to keep the job in year three, but think Zappe and someone else should be able to push him and make him every single thing he has going forward. I am not sure how this has gone so off the tracks, but I resist the easy blame (Patricia) as the sole explanation. The problems on the field were there last year and there are plenty of open receivers on the field this year.
Nice post. and thanks to everyone for pushing this discussion forward. Personally, I don't know if I'm on Team Zappe, but I'm definitely off the Macwagon, and getting kind of a Baker-esque sense of entitlement vibe.

I voted "not on the roster," but if "someone other than Mac" had been a choice, I would have gone with that - I'd be okay with "try Zappe" if that's BB's call, but still hoping for someone who has demonstrated the ability to play QB in the NFL.
 

SoxFanInPdx

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
3,246
Portland, OR
Conversely, what's the plan for those who don't want Mac back next year?
This is where I’m at. While Mac isn’t perfect by any stretch, who would be better in this situation this season with a bad O-Line and a complete moron doing the play calling?

Not much out there that catches the eye after Lamar Jackson. Darnold may be worth a look, but I think you have to give Mac another season to see what you really have with a competent play caller.
 

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
SoSH Member
Oct 1, 2015
24,375
This must be one of those games where the stats don’t line up with the on field performance. Because he was 21-33 (63.6%), 240 yds, 2 td, 0 int, which isn’t a monster game obviously (not close), but which isn’t a bad statistical game at all. Still haven’t watched the game yet but from all the commentary here, it sounds like Mac was absolutely dreadful.
 

jbupstate

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 1, 2022
601
New York, USA
I’m so tired of late, inaccurate 5 yard passes late in games that don’t move the chains. I love me some stats but Mac Jones stats lie.

Weak arm and diva attitude are not the traits of a championship winning quarterback. Throw in he’s always late getting out of the huddle. He’s so lucky Patricia is the easy target for team hostility.
 

rodderick

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 24, 2009
12,751
Belo Horizonte - Brazil
This must be one of those games where the stats don’t line up with the on field performance. Because he was 21-33 (63.6%), 240 yds, 2 td, 0 int, which isn’t a monster game obviously (not close), but which isn’t a bad statistical game at all. Still haven’t watched the game yet but from all the commentary here, it sounds like Mac was absolutely dreadful.
He wasn't dreadful, I don't even know if he was worse than "meh" in this game, but a lot of the production came on a fluke play (that in my mind was preceded by a terrible fumble to throw the game away, but luckily the refs saw it differently). He did nothing until the game was 22-0 and then the aggressiveness came with some good throws and some bad ones. But I can't excuse his part in the abject ineptitude of the offense that put them in a hole in the first place.
 

heavyde050

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 17, 2006
11,257
San Francisco
I guess I still don't get it. I mean Mac has been really bad this year, but if BB thought Zappe was better, why wouldn't he play him. I voted for camp competition next season, but I really hope the Pats draft another challenger either this year or next.
 

Mystic Merlin

Member
SoSH Member
Sep 21, 2007
46,769
Hartford, CT
I guess I still don't get it. I mean Mac has been really bad this year, but if BB thought Zappe was better, why wouldn't he play him. I voted for camp competition next season, but I really hope the Pats draft another challenger either this year or next.
And what we’ve seen of Zappe screams NFL backup, no matter how loudly part of the crowd chanted his name vs. Chicago. That’s valuable, but the ceiling is pretty clear just based on his game tape and presumably the coaching staff sees the same thing.
 

FL4WL3SS

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2006
14,913
Andy Brickley's potty mouth
And what we’ve seen of Zappe screams NFL backup, no matter how loudly part of the crowd chanted his name vs. Chicago. That’s valuable, but the ceiling is pretty clear just based on his game tape and presumably the coaching staff sees the same thing.
It's also really hard to make a QB change in the middle of a playoff race.
 

heavyde050

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 17, 2006
11,257
San Francisco
And what we’ve seen of Zappe screams NFL backup, no matter how loudly part of the crowd chanted his name vs. Chicago. That’s valuable, but the ceiling is pretty clear just based on his game tape and presumably the coaching staff sees the same thing.
Yeah, that is exactly what I think as well, but I am not a QB scout. I do think it kind of seems that the Pats have two really solid backups in Mac and Zappe, just need the starter. I really hope Mac or Zappe steps up, but I think the next starter on a contending Pats team isn't here yet.
 

Jinhocho

Moderator
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2001
10,283
Durham, NC
It's also really hard to make a QB change in the middle of a playoff race.
It would also signal the end for Mac I think. I wanted Zappe in today, but am glad Bill stuck it out. As usual, he knows more about the team than we do.
 

Cellar-Door

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 1, 2006
34,460
I think you play Mac because you want to make sure you are set on what he is before you make your off-season decisions, where with Zappe you're pretty sure his role long term is cheap backup. Zappe to me might be better than Mac at times, but with an even lower ceiling.
 

FL4WL3SS

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2006
14,913
Andy Brickley's potty mouth
You also know you have more time with Zappe. He's basically learning from the sidelines this year and there's no rush to throw him into games when Mac has been taking first team reps all season.

I can totally understand why BB is doing what he's doing. You can't play musical chairs with your QB.
 

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
SoSH Member
Oct 1, 2015
24,375
That game did nothing to make me think Mac is the answer. Watching Minishew, I couldn't help think he looks like Zappe. I'd at least see what they have there going into the off season.
I asked about Minshew earlier in the season. I know they lost and he threw a costly pick but he also threw for 355 yards and they put up 34 points at Dallas.

He’s better than Mac.