Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL:
1. Belichick’s QB approach: By the time the Patriots had finished the week of practice the day after Thanksgiving, coach Bill Belichick still hadn’t informed his quarterbacks who would start in Sunday’s road game against the New York Giants (1 p.m. ET, Fox).
It was by design — and unconventional, as is often the case with Belichick.
“Just waiting to find out,” one player said before leaving the locker room Friday. “People probably don’t believe it, but this is the way he does it.”
Sources said practice repetitions had been split about 50-50 between Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe, with Jones usually getting the initial nod. The complexity of the Giants’ blitz schemes under coordinator Wink Martindale, and Jones’ aptitude at sorting through them, led some in the locker room to believe Jones had the edge. One recent practice in which the defense recorded multiple interceptions against Zappe contributed to another player believing Jones would ultimately be the choice. Will Grier won’t be an option Sunday, since the Patriots waived the third-string quarterback on Saturday.
By keeping his decision from his quarterbacks, and the rest of the team, throughout the week, Belichick seemingly made the calculation that the unknown would sharpen the focus of each player more than making an early-week announcement of a starter players could rally around.
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“Everybody has their own things to work on — just concentrate on what you have to do, be ready to go, and don’t worry about what everybody else is doing. I think that’s good advice for all of us,” Belichick said.
Players, such as offensive tackle Trent Brown, echoed that message.
“It is what it’s going to be at the end of the day,” he said of the QB situation. “Me personally, I just have to do my job. Everything else around me doesn’t matter.”
When Belichick met with reporters Tuesday and Friday, after the Patriots’ Week 11 bye, he kept repeating the same answer when asked about his QB plans, saying he told every player to be ready to go.
Needless to say, whenever a team is deciding between two quarterbacks, it usually isn’t a good thing. Some might have viewed Belichick’s approach with the media as playing games on the topic, and perhaps there was a little bit of that — the next time Belichick announces a starter to reporters before he tells his team would be a first.
But in reality, it was mostly part of a calculated approach, combined with hard coaching behind the scenes in hopes of creating a spark.
Not much has worked for Belichick this season. Whether this works is one remaining layer of intrigue in a disappointing 2-8 season.
2. Mac’s X-ray: When Jones went for an X-ray after the team’s Week 10 loss to the Colts, they were checking his right shoulder/arm, according to a source familiar with the test. In-game statisticians had credited the Colts with nine quarterback hits against Jones, the final blow coming when 291-pound defensive lineman Taven Bryan drove him to the ground two passing plays before his badly underthrown interception. Jones acknowledged this past week that he’s working through things like any NFL player, saying: “Every week’s a car crash in its own way, so you’re trying to get back from that. I do think the bye week helped get the body back. I’m looking forward to finishing strong.”
3. Draft position: When a 3-8 team (Giants) hosts a 2-8 team (Patriots) in late November, a notable longer-range subplot is how the game might impact draft position. Per ESPN Analytics data, the Giants (85%) and Patriots (59%) have the third- and fourth-best chance to land a top-5 pick in the 2024 draft, behind the Bears (95%) and Cardinals (88%). It would be the Patriots’ first top-5 pick since taking defensive end/outside linebacker Willie McGinest fourth overall in 1994.
4. Trent’s tale: It seemed important to Brown, the starting left tackle, to share with reporters this past week that he solicited a second opinion on his right ankle injury, saying that the second look revealed both high and low ankle sprains and that the injury has been the primary reason he has missed the past two games.
He took exception to speculation that an off-the-field issue was at the root of his absence, speculation that was sparked in part by the club listing “ankle/personal” on the injury report. Brown said that attending his uncle’s funeral was his personal issue and that he had hoped to spend more time with his family while the team was in Germany but was required to be in New England for rehab.