I have an itch to scratch.
It's been irritating me more than the tag on a crappy t-shirt.
It started Wednesday afternoon when Bailey Zappe cleared waivers. A well-placed source tells a plugged-in reporter(s) that this was the plan all along. That Bill Belichick knew Zappe would go unclaimed. That the Patriots still "want to work with him." That the 2nd year pro was the first option to back up Mac Jones. That Zappe Fever still exists in some corners of the offices at Gillette Stadium.
GIVE. ME. A. BREAK.
Belichick took a risk - calculated as it may be. He dared the rest of the league to 'Go ahead and claim Zappe. Stick him on your 53-man roster even though he doesn't know the playbook. Let me know how that works out for you.' No team dared do that lest they irk the 71-year-old head coach. So he won that part of the gamble. When's the parade?
But what's the cost of such a gamble? It told his team - if they were paying attention - that Belichick was willing to risk the team's short-term future for what, exactly? An additional special teamer (Ameer Speed)? An 11th offensive lineman (pick one)? A 6th or 7th cornerback (Shaun Wade)? I don't see the method to this madness, even as folks like Florio fawn over it.
As for the player himself, it signaled to Zappe that he was not good enough. Not only here but across the league (and spare me the seven teams inquiring about his services. I don't doubt that, but - here's the important part - no one made an offer that he couldn't refuse). Is that any way to get the - cough - backup in the right frame of mind, as he's just one snap away from playing ball?
(Bedard note: Releasing Zappe now also cost the Patriots $485,304 in dead cap money combined this season and next. And he's no longer on his four-year rookie contract. Zappe, who could be signed to another team's active roster at any time, is a free agent after this season.)
Look, there's no arguing how subpar a summer this was for Zappe. He struggled to process in Bill O'Brien's system. It wasn't just what you saw in the preseason, but what it looked like daily in training camp — holding the ball too long. Inaccurate when he finally cut it loose.
It was odd to see this kid - and he's still a kid - go from having a real confidence about him, one that his teammates could see and appreciate last season, fall this quickly. We're less than a year removed from "Zappe, Zappe" chants filling the Foxborough air, replaced now by this less-than-ideal summer that turned into a real gut punch.
"Hey Bailey, we don't care if someone else claims you," but if they don't, 'Hey, we're happy to continue onward and upward' (I guess).
Context matters. If what Belichick, the GM, gave Jones was criminal last season, from a coaching standpoint, and this august from an offensive line standpoint, what then was Zappe dealing with?
The last four to five weeks saw Zappe running for his life, not just in televised games but in mundane and all too often uncompetitive practices. He didn't get a makeshift first-team line; he got the dregs, guys pressed into duty because of injuries and illness, and well-paid athletes not being in the best shape of their lives. How, then, do you gauge the performance? Belichick wants us to be something other than results-oriented, but Zappe's process was derailed not only by his failings but those around him. And who gambled with that? The guy responsible for building this roster, a roster that's original 53, featured one QB, two RBs, and two TEs.
Belichick famously took a shot at the Indianapolis Colts for going into a season with nothing behind Peyton Manning. He said the Patriots would never do that. For about 24 hours, the coach did precisely that, leaving only Mac on the roster. Oh, sure, he would have found himself another quarterback. Or pretended he was okay with Malik Cunningham in that spot. But while you may believe it, I didn't and won't. QB is the most critical position not just in football but also in sports. And this is how you treat it?
Belichick's Patriots have had so much success over so many years that most are conditioned to assume he did it again rather than get poked at in @oldtakesexposed. I get it. I do. I often find myself searching for some unseen angle that can explain the method behind the madness. Belichick has earned that respect. But this isn't the man we're judging now. He hasn't had three years like this in New England. Heck, he barely had a three-week stretch that has gone like this. So, while I get it, I will not go there mindlessly. I see the decision on Zappe as just another in a series of roster mismanagements that took the Pats from perennial AFC finalist to a team looking for its first playoff win since they beat the Rams in the Super Bowl. That was February 3rd of 2019. It's not ancient history, but in this football life, it's damn close.