Belichick has high praise for Zappe after Week 5 win originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Bill Belichick likes what he has seen from Bailey Zappe through the rookie quarterback's first two NFL games.
After nearly leading the New England Patriots to a win over the Green Bay Packers in Week 4, Zappe impressed in Sunday's 29-0 win over the Detroit Lions. He completed 17 of 21 passes for 188 yards and a touchdown in his first NFL start.
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Zappe didn't light up the box score, but he didn't need to. The Patriots defense and run game took the pressure off the fourth-rounder, whose lone blemish was an interception that resulted from a Nelson Agholor drop.
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Belichick came away impressed with Zappe's performance.
“Bailey made a lot of good decisions,” the Patriots head coach said during his postgame press conference. “Was accurate with the ball. Thought he showed some poise there in some pressure situations where he got out of it and found an open receiver, made good decisions.”
Belichick went on to pinpoint a specific trait Zappe possesses that will help him in his development.
“He does a good job of seeing the game and can come off and identify and articulate what he saw, what happened — and that’s usually right,” Belichick said. “What he saw is usually what I saw or, maybe, when you look at the film, maybe there’s something that’s a little gray in there, his explanation is actually good. It was the way he saw it. Maybe he might not have done the right thing, but he saw the game.
“And that goes all the way back to preseason. He played a lot in preseason. I think those snaps were good for him. He learned a lot, we learned a lot. And I think there’s definitely some benefit to the playing time that he had in preseason in the games that he’s played the last two weeks.”
Zappe's first start of his career may have also been his last of the season. Mac Jones, who has missed the last two weeks with an ankle injury, could return for next Sunday's game vs. the Cleveland Browns.
If Jones does play, Patriots fans can rest assured they have a capable backup on the sideline.
