Felger & Mazz
February 7th
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk joined Felger and Mazz on Radio Row on Tuesday in Arizona. While on, Florio made a comment about the Patriots QB situation that could make you wonder if they’ll be in the market for one this off-season.
Felger: Can I go back to Mac Jones and Bill real quick, because Chris Simms was on earlier with our mid-day show and sort of hit on a little bit that it felt like one of the biggest problems this year was when Mac Jones started “calling around” for help with the Patriots offense. And Chris was discussing how maybe he was calling Alabama, doesn’t know if it was specifically Bill O’Brien, but can you give us more details on that piece to it right there? And then that was immediately around when they started playing Bailey Zappe or pulled Mac Jones for Bailey Zappe on that Monday night, that all sort of that all sort of timed out together, is that right?
Mike Florio: Well, I don’t know about the Alabama thing, and that’s something Chris has never mentioned on our show, or if he did I wasn’t listening to him, which does happen from time to time. But, it wouldn’t surprise me because there was a duality to the Mac Jones reality last year. There was “The Stepford Patriot” Mac Jones, and then there was the guy that we saw more and more of as the season went on who would blow a gasket on the sideline and drop F-bombs and he was frustrated, he was upset, and it doesn’t surprise me at all that that would have happened if it did happen. And look, the whole Bill O’Brien thing that was floating around weeks before the regular season ended, that was one of the worst kept secrets in the NFL that Bill O’Brien was coming back to New England. So I think they recognized, and again, it was either Bill Belichick acknowledging it on his own, which is good, or someone else imposing their will on him and him submitting to it. Because at this point, Bill Belichick, if he’s getting any pressure from anyone in ownership, he could just say, “I’m too old for this crap” and just tap out. So I think it’s just good that we’re at a point where they’re making the change it need to make, and this should settle Mac Jones. And now at the end of the season, there was the comment from Bill about Mac Jones….
Felger: “He’s proven he can play in this league”.
Mike Florio: Right, I think that Belichick is going to defer to Bill O’Brien to a certain extent. “What do you think of this guy? Should he be our starter? Could we get somebody else? Should we draft someone?” I think they are looking at this with more of an open canvas, blank slate, than maybe we would assume because there’s so many guys out there this year. This is unprecedented. The quarterback carousel, the musical chairs, there’s a lot of guys out there that the Patriots could pursue. And I think that Bill Belichick wants the counsel of Bill O’Brien before he makes a decision.
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – DECEMBER 24: Mac Jones #10 of the New England Patriots looks on during pregame against the Cincinnati Bengals at Gillette Stadium on December 24, 2022 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
Listen to Felger and Mazz from 2-6 every Monday-Friday on 98.5 The Sports Hub, with hosts Mike Felger, Tony “Mazz” Massarotti, and Jim Murray “Big Jim”. You can listen live in the Sports Hub App and subscribe to their podcasts here. Follow @FelgerAndMazz on Twitter to keep up with the show!
