FOXBORO, Mass. — New England Patriots rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe was thrown into the fire for his first NFL game action. But he hasn’t been alone in his development, leaning on one team staffer that has drawn high praise around the building.
In just under two full games of action, Zappe has played well. The fourth-round pick didn’t have much time, if any, to prepare with the first-teamers before he was thrust into action against the Green Bay Packers in Week 4 following an injury to primary backup Brian Hoyer. Despite that, Zappe played well and kept New England in the fight until the very end. In his first NFL start, the 23-year-old looked more like a seasoned veteran, taking everything the Detroit Lions would give him on the way to a dominant 29-0 victory.
Zappe’s early play has drawn praise, not only from fans and media members, but Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and Lions head coach Dan Campbell, as well. Some even want the kid to become New England’s starter moving forward. While that likely won’t (and shouldn’t) happen, New England appears to have found at least something in the Western Kentucky product.
Though the credit most certainly goes to Zappe for his play, Patriots offensive assistant Evan Rothstein has gotten a portion of it as well.
“I’ve picked Evan’s brain a lot, too,” Zappe said Wednesday. “He’s been around the game of football, especially NFL, for a while. That’s somebody that I go to for a lot of things, such as Joe Judge, (Matt Patricia) and coach Belichick. He’s another guy that I like going to and picking his brain, asking him questions on certain things. He always has great feedback.”
Rothstein, who is in his second season with the Patriots after arriving alongside Patricia from Detroit in 2021, has become a bit of a renaissance man throughout his decade-plus in the NFL. He’s held the titles of special teams quality control, special projects coach, offensive assistant/research and analysis, head coach assistant/research and analysis, and now offensive assistant across his 11 NFL seasons.
Bill Belichick has said Rothstein “wears a lot of hats” and has “done some of the things that Ernie (Adams) did” over the last two seasons. Being compared to a man that can accurately be described as Belichick’s football life partner isn’t half bad, especially for only having worked in New England for just over a year.
As Zappe prepares to (likely) make his second pro start against the Cleveland Browns in Week 6, Rothstein should continue to provide the rookie with pertinent information to keep himself prepared for the challenges of being an NFL starting quarterback.
