Zappe says Belichick has made it ‘pretty clear’ he’ll start
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Get ready to see Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe start his second game of the season Thursday night against the Steelers.
Zappe said Tuesday that head coach Bill Belichick has “made it pretty clear” that he’s starting.
“But I’ll let him announce it to everybody,” Zappe continued. “It’s private right now. Whenever he announces it, that’s with him.”
The Patriots were shut out in Zappe’s first start of the season, a 6-0 loss to the Chargers on Sunday afternoon. Overall, there were a lot of things that Zappe would like to fix this week, though he acknowledged the difficulty a short week presents without any actual practices.
“There were some misreads by me, some misthrows by me,” Zappe said. “There were some things I can — ball placement, things like that. So, I’m going to work on that stuff as much as possible today and tomorrow before we head off and get ready for Thursday.”
Zappe said he plans to throw to his pass-catchers as much as possible before and after walk-throughs Tuesday and Wednesdays to get extra work in.
The second-year pro didn’t think it was all bad in Sunday’s loss.
“I would say like the operation as a whole was pretty well by the offense,” Zappe said. “We never really had any questions about the plays or anything like that. We got in the huddle, we got to the line, and we were rolling. So, I think the operation — of course I think there were two or three instances where we can fix and move it on to the next game, but I think it was pretty solid.”
The Patriots’ goal is obviously to win Thursday against the Steelers, but the starts Zappe receives over the final five weeks of the season also could have repercussions on his future as an NFL player. He went 2-0 as a starter as rookie last year but has struggled in training camp, the preseason, four
relief appearances and one start this season, ranking among the least efficient quarterbacks in the NFL.
So, there’s a lot pressure to perform. “Control what you can control,” Zappe said. “That’s what we say around here. I’m not really big into those things. I’m really cool, calm and collected. That’s kind of how my dad brought me up, my mom brought me up. i don’t really try to dive into trying to overload myself or anything like that. I try to control what I can control and wherever my read is, try to do my read and if something happens and I make a mistake, I try to go back and learn from it. I try to not dive into it and ride the rollercoaster ride. I try to stay level.”
Injury report with Stevenson focus:
Running back Rhamondre Stevenson will miss at least a few weeks after suffering a high ankle sprain Sunday versus the Chargers, according to ESPN.
The Pats’ leading rusher twisted his ankle on a first-quarter tackle Sunday that caused him to fumble. After the play, he could not put any weight on his right leg, had to be helped off the field and did not return. It’s possible Stevenson has played his final snap for the Patriots this season, with only five games left.
“Obviously, Rhamondre is a great player. He’s been a great player since he’s come into this league going back to his rookie year, obviously had some spurts. And then in the last two years really obviously had the bulk of the work,” center David Andrews said. “He’s a workhorse, however you want to say it. He’s a great teammate. I love playing with Rhamondre. He’s tough. He does a lot of things. He’s explosive. He’s tough. He runs hard.
Ezekiel Elliott, Ty Montgomery and Jamychal Hasty are the only other running backs available on the Pats’ active roster. Elliott rushed for 52 yards on 17 carries after Stevenson exited Sunday. He was listed as a limited participant on the team’s projected injury report Monday for Thursday night’s game at Pittsburgh.
Elliott later told reporters he feels good, despite dealing with a recent thigh injury. He’s rushed for 429 yards and two touchdowns this season, while averaging 3.8 yards per carry. Elliot has also caught 24 passes for 154 yards.
“He runs very tough and physical,” Andrews said of Elliott while also praising him as a teammate. “He’s got great vision, good quickness. I think he’s just a tough, physical back, and I’ve always thought that. You can tell how he runs. He’s tough.”