‘I wouldn’t say that is about one play’: Invoice Belichick on why he changed Mac Jones with Bailey Zappe

Invoice Belichick made the short turnaround after coming back from Germany, chatting with New England media on Monday morning following his crew’s 10-6 loss to the Colts in Frankfurt on Sunday.

Throughout his interview on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Present,” Belichick defended the crew’s efficiency regardless of the end result (dropping the Patriots to 2-8). Requested if it was a low level in his New England tenure, he disagreed.

“I don’t suppose I’m following you,” Belichick mentioned. “I imply we had an opportunity to win the sport on the finish, we simply couldn’t make the performs to win it.”

Concerning end-of-game conditions, he was requested in regards to the choice to drag Mac Jones for Bailey Zappe on the ultimate drive.

Belichick echoed feedback he made in his postgame press convention on Sunday.

“We simply felt like we wanted to make a change at that time,” he defined.

Jones, who was sacked 5 instances, accomplished 15 of 20 passes for 170 yards.

But on what may have been a go-ahead scoring drive late within the fourth quarter, he under-threw an meant move for tight finish Mike Gesicki in the long run zone. The end result was an interception, sending Jones to the bench after New England managed to get well the ball with time for one final possession.

On the subject of Jones’s pricey turnover, Belichick mentioned it wasn’t mentioned afterward.

“We actually moved on from the play and went to the following state of affairs there,” he mentioned. “So we didn’t actually speak an excessive amount of about that play. Gesicki’s on a deep over route, simply didn’t get it to him.”

Was that second — a red-zone turnover, particularly — the kind of mistake that landed Jones on the bench?

“No I wouldn’t say that is about one play,” Belichick replied.

Later, throughout the digital media availability held after the WEEI interview, a follow-up query was put to Belichick on the subject of what he meant by that assertion.

Was it in regards to the circumstances inside simply the sport in opposition to the Colts, or was this about errors made all through the season?

“Yeah, simply the best way the sport was going,” he mentioned.

Zappe made his third reduction look of the season.

Although second-year quarterback entered the sport on the ultimate drive having not performed beforehand throughout the day, Belichick maintained that he believed Zappe was ready.

“Yeah, we’ve labored the two-minute drill,” he famous. “He’s acquired a whole lot of alternatives on that, and he’s really completed fairly effectively with it.”

On the Patriots’ final offensive play — a fake-spike that resulted in Zappe throwing the game-losing interception — Belichick was requested if he’d seen any motive why the Colts ought to’ve been flagged for a penalty (given the quarterback’s postgame feedback).

“No,” was all that Belichick needed to say on the topic.

Wanting forward, the hypothesis about which quarterback will begin the Nov. 26 matchup in opposition to the Giants has already begun.

On the potential for Zappe getting the beginning, the Patriots’ coach refused to get forward of himself.

“I don’t know. We hadn’t actually talked about that. We’re simply coming back from Germany, simply making an attempt to get reorganized right here,” mentioned Belichick. “We haven’t talked about any of that.”

What does he consider Jones’s confidence stage at this level?

“Look, we’re not having the form of success we wish to have, however we’re all opponents,” Belichick mentioned in response. “All of us present to work day-after-day and each week. You’d must ask Mac that query although.”

Given the continued struggles, questions on gamers’ motivation may turn into more and more louder because the Patriots transfer nearer to being formally eradicated from a playoff race.

Nonetheless, Belichick reiterated his standard strategy.

“I really feel like we’re working arduous, we’re getting higher at a whole lot of issues,” he mentioned. “We’ve simply been in a whole lot of shut video games, and we simply haven’t been capable of end and make sufficient performs to win.”

“If we do this, then the outcomes change,” Belichick added.

Current to observe the Patriots in Germany on Sunday was crew proprietor Robert Kraft, who expressed his ideas in regards to the “disappointing” season in a pregame interview with NFL Community.

“You’d have to speak to Robert about that,” Belichick mentioned relating to Kraft’s feedback.

Did the 2 communicate after the loss?

“Effectively, yeah I imply briefly after the sport,” he mentioned. “Disappointing state of affairs, clearly, the best way the sport ended.”