FOXBORO, Mass. -- Mac Jones was entering a powder keg Monday night, and everybody knew it.
Last week, we openly wondered whether Bailey Zappe-obsessed Patriots fans could turn on Mac Jones if New England's offense were to struggle early against the Chicago Bears. We repeated those concerns shortly before kickoff amid mounting reports that Zappe and Jones both could see the field against Chicago. And it wasn't just us; every news outlet in the region engaged in similar speculation. Patriots fans over the last few weeks made their feelings known on the Jones-Zappe debate, and it was easy to envision Jones having to shake off a month's worst of rust in his first game back.
Well, things were even worse than imagined during the first half, with a disaster unfolding at Gillette Stadium. And Bill Belichick can blame himself for the resulting mess and chaos surrounding his two young quarterbacks, both of whom played poorly in New England's jarring 33-14 loss.
Jones and the Patriots' offense started the game with a three-and-out, prompting faint boos and "Zappe!" chants from the crowd. The noise grew slightly louder after a second straight three-and-out and became deafening once Jones threw an awful interception on New England's third drive. Belichick gave the fans what they wanted on the fourth series, with Zappe entering the game to a thunderous ovation.
The rookie signal-caller responded by leading the Patriots on consecutive touchdown drives while turning a 10-0 deficit into a 14-10 lead. With Jones standing on the sideline, tens of thousands of Patriots fans jubilantly cheered his apparent demise. They eventually were quieted as Zappe and the Patriots' defense cratered during the second half, but the damage already had been done.
It was an ugly situation, one that made Jones a sympathetic figure. After the game, receiver Jakobi Meyer took issue with everyone involved -- coaches, fans -- for the way New England's franchise quarterback was treated in his home stadium.
"Not even as a football player, it's tough as a man to see somebody who worked so hard get that kind of treatment," Meyers said in the locker room. "But at the end of the day, we're all trying to feed our families, so we've got to go out there and make plays for whoever's throwing it."
Belichick's reaction Tuesday morning? "I didn't talk to Jakobi after the game, so I'm not sure about all that."
But how did we get here? Why has Jones lost the support of the fans and been left with shot confidence?
Where there is a lack of information, there will be noise. And, for someone who demands his players "ignore the noise," Belichick seems content with allowing a self-inflicted drama to become the biggest storyline in the NFL.
Over the last month, Belichick has had numerous opportunities to publicly back Jones as New England's quarterback. But he's refused to do so while using reporters -- whom fans neither like nor trust -- to communicate that Zappe isn't a serious contender to take Jones' job. Despite everything that's unfolded since Jone sprained his left ankle in Week 3, nobody -- Belichick included -- who's watched each and every throw from Zappe and Jones since the spring believes the former is better than the latter. And Belichick's decision to reinsert Jones into the starting role reinforces that point.
But fans weren't there during minicamp and training camp, and they probably weren't paying attention during the preseason when Zappe threw a pick in all three games. The only context they have is Jones struggling out of the gate and Zappe playing mistake-free football against a lineup of awful NFL defenses. They would've benefited from an unambiguous message, delivered by Belichick, on why Jones is the man for the job. Instead, they got repeated use of "day-by-day" -- just for the LOLz, or something.
Belichick might relish trolling the media amid questions of Jones' health and job status, but his commitment to vagueness fueled an engine of speculation with "Felger and Mazz" behind the wheel and Patriots fans riding shotgun.
Nevertheless, the scene from Monday night still could've been avoided.
Belichick after the game said that the plan was for Jones and Zappe to split time, and that Jones' health was a "factor" in the bizarre, preseason-like approach. He also claimed that Jones' removal in the second quarter was less a benching and more a reflection of the game plan. Moreover, Belichick indicated Jones would've come back into the game in the fourth quarter had the score not gotten out of hand. With the Bears steamrolling to a victory, Belichick exercised caution with his still-rehabbing quarterback. At least, that's what he wants us to believe.
But if Jones wasn't healthy enough to play the full game, then he shouldn't have been on the field at all, plain and simple. Belichick had to know that Jones could initially struggle against a decent Bears pass defense, and that such regression from the Patriots' offense would play right into the hands of mutiny-minded, booze-loaded fans. And he also had to know that bringing in Zappe after a Jones interception would enable fans eager for a permanent change at quarterback. Even if Belichick really planned on playing Zappe in the second quarter no matter what, he could've shifted course in the moment and spared Jones humiliation in front of a national TV audience.
Jones should've played the entire game or not at all. While there was a case to be made for giving Jones a soft landing ahead of this Sunday's pivotal game against the New York Jets, you also could've argued for rolling with Zappe for one more game and instead allowing Jones to knock off the cobwebs on the road and without the pressure of "Monday Night Football."
The 70-year-old Belichick either didn't have his finger on the pulse of the situation or didn't care and was fine with flying by the seat of his pants. We're not sure which is worse.
However, Belichick after the game was given opportunities to clean up the mess. It might've been too little, too late, but it would've been better than nothing.
Instead, he doubled down on the bit across three media availabilities: a postgame news conference, a WEEI appearance and a morning Zoom call.
Belichick said Jones' health played a role in the two-quarterback approach, but also said his removal from the game had nothing to do with performance or a medical decision. He said Jones would've come back into the game if the score was closer, but also said that starting Zappe in the third quarter, when the Patriots only trailed by six, was "the best decision at that point in time." He again refused to publicly back Jones as the starting quarterback.
As for the two-quarterback gameplan, Belichick said he, Jones and the coaching staff were on the same page. The Patriots head coach also kept reporters in the loop, as NFL Media's Tom Pelissero clearly knew something was up earlier in the day and ESPN's Adam Schefter shortly before kickoff reported that Jones and Zappe both would play.
But other Patriots players? They apparently were kept in the dark, something that became clear during conversations inside the locker room.
"I talked to the quarterbacks, talked to the leaders on the team. Everybody knew what the plan was -- I mean, not every single person, obviously," Belichick conceded during his "The Greg Hill Show" interview. "... There was no lack of communication."
That last point doesn't hold up under the slightest bit of scrutiny.
Again, it didn't have to be this way.
Belichick could've done what the Indianapolis Colts, Carolina Panthers, New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys all have done this season: publicly announce a quarterback and nip quarterback controversies in the bud. Sure, none of those situations are perfectly analogous, but none were handled worse than New England's. He also could've done a better job of overhauling the offense during the offseason and preventing reported "friction" with Jones -- but that's a totally different rabbit hole.
That Belichick still hasn't provided any clarity ensures this distraction will persist for at least a few more days. And if it's all about motivating and humbling Jones, we're struggling to see what press-conference mysteries accomplish that Monday night's embarrassment couldn't.
Belichick long has said he always will do what's best for the team, and he typically delivers. But his bungling of the Patriots' quarterback situation has been a colossal whiff that would get lesser coaches fired.
