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The Patriots offense was a catastrophe in 2022, both on the field and behind the scenes.
Second-year quarterback Mac Jones’ regression, coupled with rookie Bailey Zappe’s stints as the starter, divided more than just New England fans — it also stirred debate in the locker room.
“I think player-wise there was enough trust that we’re going to put the best guy out there,” recently retired safety Devin McCourty told WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show” this week. “But the struggles on offense, I think there were some guys in the locker room that were like ‘Let’s go with Zappe.’ Or ‘No, Mac looked good today.’”
It made for a lack of trust among the offensive personnel – never truly gaining any serious momentum because of the divide.
“It was just a back-and-forth, which to me, spoke more about what we had on offense than the quarterback,” McCourty said. “We never were solidified as an offensive group that guys had full confidence in anything we were doing.
“There was never true hope.”
The New England offense ranked 26th in both total yards and yards per game and saw Jones take a significant step backwards from his rookie season, going from 3,801 yards in 2021 to just 2,997 in 2022.
When Jones went down with an ankle injury in September and backup Brian Hoyer suffered a concussion, Zappe was thrown under center.
The rookie saw action in four games, putting up 781 yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions.
He went 2-0 during his short stint as the starter with blowout wins against the Browns and Lions.
There was even more of uncertainty about the Patriots’ quarterback situation when Jones was benched for Zappe during the 33-14 loss against the Bears on “Monday Night Football” in Week 7.
Despite being benched, however, Jones remained the starter the rest of the season, even as he clashed with Patriots coaches.
Belichick’s flip-flopping between QBs didn’t help the locker room division, either, though at least one veteran had Jones’ back — even if he’s now retired.
“I think he’s the future of New England,” McCourty said of Jones in February. “He’s in that building right now doing different things, working with guys, talking to guys; that’s what he wants. He wants to be that quarterback.”
He should be better equipped for success in 2023 with the Patriots re-hiring Bill O’Brien as offensive coordinator, the signing of wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster and rumors of pursuing a true No. 1 wideout.
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