Zappe looks good in 1st reps
FOXBOROUGH — While Mac Jones took the bulk of the reps over the first three days of Patriots training camp, backup quarterback Bailey Zappe had his turn in the spotlight Sunday — looking sharp in his first sustained 11-on-11 action of the summer.
Zappe had a pair of touchdown passes to Tyquan Thornton, as well as one each to Jalen Hurd and Tre Nixon. He also displayed a nice chemistry with youngster Demario “Pop” Douglas, who caught multiple passes from Zappe. The secondyear signal-caller out of Western Kentucky had his final pass of the day picked off by defensive back Jalen Mills, but all in all, it was a positive afternoon for the 24-year-old.
After a few days that focused solely on red-zone work and produced occasionally sluggish results, it was a relief for Zappe — and the offense as a whole — to break out a bit.
“Red zone, everything is a lot quicker,” he said. “The field is a lot shorter. The defense doesn’t have to cover as much field down there. So, the decision making for us as quarterbacks is a lot more fast-paced.
“So to be able to do what we did today, score touchdowns like we did, it’s really good to see.”
Zappe had a wild ride as a rookie, going from the No. 3 job to starter early in the season. He started two games, helping deliver wins over the Lions and Browns while Jones rehabbed a high ankle sprain he sustained against the Ravens.
Zappe eventually gave way to Jones, but the spark he provided in the early going helped him win over a portion of the fan base, who chanted his name during an ugly loss to the Bears in Foxborough.
Now, heading into his second season, Zappe acknowledged his growing comfort level with the offense, as opposed to where he was at this time last year.
“Oh man. About 100 percent more [comfortable]. It’s a nightand-day difference for me,” he said.
“Just speaking from a defensive standpoint and being able to see defenses pre- and postsnap, that’s the biggest thing for me, and that kind of translates. Meeting with [Bill Belichick and Bill O’Brien], watching more film, just kind of diving into the playbook and everything, has just kind of slowed the game down for me.”
“[He has a] much better idea of what to expect,” Belichick said of Zappe’s progression. “[He] knows the offense, knows defenses much better than he did last year, has a much better idea of just the pace of installation, camp, what to expect, all those things. He’s had a really good spring, too.”
Zappe praised the “energy” of O’Brien.
“It’s been great. In these short seven months, I’ve been able to learn a lot from him.
He’s been around the game a lot longer than I have of course. I’ve been in the league two years, and he’s [been around] a long time. So there’s a lot more I can learn from him, so I’m trying to pick his brain every day. It’s been great.
“He brings real energy,” Zappe added. “It’s kind of amazing to see, even behind closed doors in team meetings and unit meetings, he has the same energy that he does out here. It’s been amazing working with him.”
Elliott’s time soon?
When it came to Ezekiel Elliott’s situation, Belichick wouldn’t tip his hand, but it was clear something is cooking between the team and the running back.
“I’ll pass on the guys that aren’t on our team,” the coach said when asked about Elliott.
According to league sources, the former Cowboy had a visit with the Patriots on Saturday and was still in town as of Sunday afternoon. And while Belichick was mum on Elliott, one report from ESPN said he had a chance to have dinner with some of the Patriots.
Receiver Kendrick Bourne missed out on the chance to break bread with Elliott, but sounded excited about the possibility of him signing with New England.
“Great player,” Bourne said of Elliott. “Would love to have him.”
It’s thin out back
Regardless of whether Elliott lands with the Patriots, Ty Montgmery’s absence (he wasn’t spotted again on Sunday) underscores the fact that New England is still thin at running back. “Everybody that’s out here, we’re working with, is just trying to get better,” Belichick said before practice when asked about the backfield. “It’s who we have on our team now. We’ll see what happens going forward.” . . . A report from ESPN said the franchise has honored 12 players as their annual “Offseason Award Winners.” David Andrews, Ja’Whaun Bentley, Chris Board, Myles Bryant, Hunter Henry, Mike Gesicki, Mac Jones, Jabrill Peppers, Cole Strange, Brenden Schooler, Matthew Slater, and Deatrich Wise Jr. were named. “We take input from all the coaching staff members, strength staff, conditioning. On the field, meeting room, classroom, leadership. So, a little bit of everything,” Belichick said when asked what makes an offseason award winner . . . On a terrific weather day in Foxborough, there was another overflow crowd — the team opened the ramps at Gillette to handle the extra fans . . . The players will put the pads on for the first time this summer Monday. The Patriots are scheduled to take the field at 9:45 a.m. Gates are set to open to fans at 8:30 a.m. For information, check out www.patriots.com/trainingcamp.