We’re 10 months removed from the height of the Bailey Zappe craze in New England. But after his waiving by the Patriots and subsequent practice squad placement, Zappe hour now feels like eons ago.
One other person I’m confident shares this sentiment is the Zappinator himself. This isn’t an “I told you so” column claiming that Zappe has been and always will be terrible.
It’s a sober reality check for the Boston sports media and my fellow Patriots fans who convinced themselves he was the future face of the franchise.
Sports fans love a good Cinderella story. The most famous one – well, ever – took place right here in Foxboro 23 years ago when Mo Lewis hit Drew Bledsoe.
You know the rest.
From Super Bowl games won on miracle plays to late-round draft choices becoming NFL legends, it’s no secret that Pats nation is predisposed to some of the most glorious narratives and outcomes in the history of football.
Unfortunately, that’s not the norm. Growing up in the height of the Brady-Belichick era made that an especially tough lesson for me to learn. The Patriots are a victim of their own success, and these last three pedestrian seasons have only been magnified by the dynasty that preceded it.
Mac Jones entered his second season coming off a highly-promising rookie campaign. After being saddled with play callers who had next-to-no offensive experience, he was off to a slower start.
The restlessness began and the blame was placed. The immortal Brian Hoyer was slated to start week 4, until a freak concussion took him out early in the first quarter. The Cinderella feeling came for a moment as the fourth-round rookie signal caller took the field at sun-soaked Lambeau.
But it didn’t take long for me to realize: the glass slipper just didn’t fit.
Don’t get me wrong, Zappe did a solid job keeping the team afloat for a few games. But after really inspecting his 2022 performances, it appears his play has been viewed through navy blue and red-colored glasses.
Zappe threw the ball to the other team three times during his four-game stint. He also fumbled multiple times (much like his most recent preseason appearance), two of which resulted in turnovers.
He played against two of the worst defenses last season in Detroit and Cleveland (not to mention two of the sorriest franchises out there).
The wheels finally came off against the Bears on Monday Night, in which Zappe and the team had a miserable second half at home against a team that finished the season with three wins.
The mainstream media narrative I’ve witnessed since is that Jones had a terrible second season, while Zappe thoroughly outplayed Jones in his small sample size.
Arguments have been made that the two should have been in a quarterback competition entering this season as equals, and I just couldn’t disagree more.
I wish Zappe had a better preseason and made the roster as the backup, but when inserted into a legitimate NFL offense run by Bill O’Brien, he struggled mightily. I can’t say I’m shocked.
The case of Bailey Zappe is just another example of the fanbase’s desire for another Tom Brady. The problem isn’t that Pats fans thought Zappe was the next Brady, but that they know Jones is not.
And they’re absolutely correct.
But that doesn’t mean Jones needs to be supplanted by his backup when that backup objectively just did not do enough to prove he is better. The team obviously agrees with me on some level, considering Zappe’s current status.
I would bet a lot of money that the quarterback we saw this preseason is closer to who Zappe really is as an NFL player.
I hope that’s not true, and he still has time to prove himself with this franchise.
But that’s where it stands for the Western Kentucky record-setter right now. We have to adjust our quarterback standards around here because, unfortunately, the Patriots are just another team now.
Brady may be coming back to Gillette week 1, but he’s never strapping on a helmet and leading the team to a seemingly-impossible game-winning drive again.
