How Bill Belichick Answered Question About Patriots’ Starting QB

Bill Belichick did not deviate from his starting quarterback script after the Patriots’ latest loss.

Asked Monday which QB would start this weekend against the Los Angeles Chargers, New England’s head coach offered a non-answer.

“We’ll take a look at this week,” Belichick said on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show” one day after his team lost to the New York Giants 10-7 at MetLife Stadium.

Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe both played — and struggled — in the Week 12 defeat, teaming up to go 21-for-35 for 143 yards and no touchdowns with three interceptions. Jones played the first half before being benched for the fourth time this season and second time in the last two games. Zappe went the final two quarters.

Belichick did not publicly announce a starter during the leadup to the game and did not tell players who would start until late in the week.

“I don’t announce starters,” Belichick said on WEEI. “I don’t announce starters at any position.”

He has done so in the past, however, most notably with Cam Newton late in the 2020 season. Why not now?

“Yeah, well, I didn’t announce a starter, and I’m not going to announce starters at every position every week,” the coach replied. “You could ask that every week. That’s not really what I’m going to do.”

Belichick said the No. 1 priority of whoever starts behind center needs to be ball security. Jones threw at least one interception in all nine of the team’s losses to date, and Zappe had a pick in each of his last two relief appearances. New England’s only two turnover-free games this season resulted in their only two victories.

“We just need to stop turning the ball over offensively, period,” Belichick said. “… We just need to do a better job on ball security, decision-making and so forth. Just too many turnovers. We turn the ball over too much.”

Belichick also didn’t rule out the Patriots possibly signing a quarterback and giving him starting consideration over the final six weeks of the season. Jones and Zappe are the only two QBs on the roster after the team released third-stringer Will Grier on Saturday to sign offensive tackle Conor McDermott.

“I don’t really see that right now, but I wouldn’t rule anything out,” Belichick said in his Monday morning video conference. “Anything that would help our team.”