Bailey Zappe helped get the job done for the Patriots in Week 5, and one of his college coaches sent some praise the rookie’s way.
New England shutout the Detroit Lions, 29-0, at Gillette Stadium. Zappe got the start due to injuries from Mac Jones and Brian Hoyer, and the fourth-round draft pick played a relatively efficient game. He passed for 17-of-21 for 188 yards, and Zappe threw one touchdown and one interception, though the blame for the pick could be attributed to Nelson Agholor.
While the quarterback didn’t put up flashy numbers, he didn’t cost the Patriots the game, and he drew praise from head coach Bill Belichick. His college offensive coordinator Zach Kittley congratulated his former signal-caller on his first career NFL win.
“Congrats to my guy (Bailey Zappe) on his first career start and win! Many, many more to come,” Kittley tweeted.
Kittley was Zappe’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach throughout his college career at Houston Baptist and Western Kentucky. The current Texas Tech offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach also worked closely with Patrick Mahomes when was he an assistant quarterbacks coach in 2015. Not bad company to be in.
Kittley also had a quick “stud” tweet in response to Zappe’s touchdown pass to Jakobi Meyers.
Patriots fans were enamored with Zappe throughout the day, but talk of replacing Mac Jones should probably slow down just a bit. However, for now, Zappe can enjoy his first win as he continues to seize the opportunities put in front of him.
