Patriots’ explanations on Mac Jones, Bailey Zappe don’t match locker room scene | Mark Daniels

FOXBOROUGH – There’s something strange going on inside Gillette Stadium.

It was 11:26 p.m. when the Patriots locker room opened up to the media on Monday night. Following the Patriots’ 33-14 loss to the Chicago Bears, the atmosphere was as expected – quiet with players heading for exits with haste.

When players started to speak, however, it seemed as though there was a clear disconnection between the coaching staff’s game plan and what offensive players thought was going to happen with Mac Jones.

The Patriots starting quarterback returned on this night after missing the previous three games due to a high ankle sprain. The return should’ve marked a step in the right direction for Jones and the Patriots organization. Instead, Bill Belichick created a controversy by replacing Jones in favor of Bailey Zappe following three offensive series.

After the game, Belichick and Jones said they were on the same page and it was the plan for the Patriots to use both quarterbacks. In the locker room, it was a different story.

After speaking to several offensive players, it was clear that not everyone knew Zappe would be playing on Monday. Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson and wide receiver Jakobi Meyers both told MassLive they didn’t know the team would use both quarterbacks against the Bears.

“No. We weren’t aware,” Stevenson told MassLive. The running back noted he didn’t know Zappe would play until the rookie came on the field at 11:55 of the second quarter.

When Meyers was asked if he knew the Patriots would play Zappe, he replied, “Not necessarily” before adding “I would say it’s a shock, but we don’t really have time to focus on it too much. The bullets are already flying by the time we realized it. You have to go out there and keep making plays.”

If the game plan was for Jones and Zappe to play on Monday, why didn’t everyone on offense know about it? It was a strange situation that was unlike any we’ve seen in the Belichick era.

Patriots felt bad for Mac Jones

As a steady mist fell from the dark October sky, fans inside Gillette Stadium slowly started to lose their minds.

Two offensive series is really all it took. By the time it was 8:42 p.m., the crowd in Foxborough started chanting Zappe! Zappe! Zappe!’ This was after Justin Fields ran in for a touchdown to put the Bears up, 10-0, at 2:11 of the first quarter. Sixteen minute later, the chant started again. This time it happened when Damien Harris dropped a Jones pass that hit him in the chest.

Was it Jones’ fault that the defense didn’t stop Fields or Harris dropped a catchable ball? At this point, it didn’t matter. Gillette Stadium was overcome with a scorching case of Zappe fever.

By 9:04 p.m., things started to go off the rails when Zappe jogged onto the field, replacing Jones after three offensive series. Four minutes later at 9:08 p.m. the packed Gillette Stadium crowd lost its mind. That’s when the rookie hit Meyers for a 30-yard touchdown. Zappe’s first two series lasted seven plays with the Patriots scoring two touchdowns. With each completion and each touchdown, the Foxborough faithful erupted.

The situation didn’t sit well with everyone on the Patriots sideline.

“You hate to see one of your brothers treated like that,” Meyers said. “You want to see him do well. You want to see everybody do well, including Zappe, but as far as getting caught up in it, you really don’t have time to really focus on the decisions being made.”

Jones never saw the field again as his day ended after completing 3-of-6 passes for 13 yards with an interception. Zappe started hot, but following two touchdown drives, the Patriots offense never scored again. The rookie finished completing 14-of-22 passes for 185 yards to go with a touchdown, two interceptions and a fumble lost.

“Those decisions are beyond me,” said Hunter Henry. “You have to ask coach about that one. We all have a job to do, so it doesn’t matter who it is behind center. We have to go and do our job.”

Added Meyers: “It’s tough as a man to see somebody who works so hard get that kind of treatment. At the end of the day, we’re all trying to feed our families. We have to go out there and make plays with whoever is throwing it.”

Patriots say they have confidence in Mac Jones

The Patriots locker room had been open for 22 minutes when Jones was getting ready for his post-game press conference. The quarterback quietly got dressed as most of his teammates had already exited the building.

At 11:48 p.m., one of the few offensive players remaining in the room went up to Jones and apologized for how the game played out, saying he didn’t know the quarterback was going to get pulled out of the game.

The scene was shocking considering Belichick was soon after at the podium explaining how the plan was for Jones to split time with Zappe. Then Jones came to the podium and backed his head coach up.

“I told the quarterbacks that we were going to play both of them, and that’s what we did,” Belichick said.

Added Jones, “I think Coach Belichick had a really good plan for us. Obviously, that’s kind of internal stuff, but I understood the plan and what was going to happen.”

The scenes clearly didn’t add up. Now, it’ll be fascinating to see how this situation plays out. Jones is a locker room favorite. His teammates voted him captain for a reason and on Monday, multiple players voiced their support for their quarterback.

“He’s a competitor, man. He’s a competitor,” said Jonnu Smith. “… I don’t know too much or know the decision, but (we’re) trying to get something going, I guess.”

“A lot of confidence. The dude comes to work every single day,” added Henry. “He’s a great player. I know he’ll come to work this week with the same mindset.”

The Patriots now turn their attention to the New York Jets with even more uncertainty at their quarterback position. Following a bizarre Monday night inside Gillette Stadium, it was clear there was some dissatisfaction with how the situation unfolded.

“It’s just a tough situation,” said Meyers. “I can’t really even speak on it too much. I’m happy Zappe is getting his chance, but I feel for Mac at the same time.”

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