Felger & Mazz: Did the playcalling favor Bailey Zappe in Patriots loss to Bears?

Did the offensive playcalling in the New England Patriots 33-14 loss to the Chicago Bears on Monday night favor Bailey Zappe over Mac Jones? That was a question that Greg Bedard of BostonSportsJournal.com raised following the game. On Tuesday, Felger, Mazz, and Jim Murray gave their thoughts on that theory.

Mazz: (In response to the thought that the playcalling favored Zappe over Jones) I mean, on some level, there's got to be some truth to that. Again, we can debate how much. But if you're asking me, like the part that resonates with me is this idea that they like him better because he does what they tell him to do. I think that that is true. Do I think that they are deliberately going in and saying we're plotting to undermine Mac Jones? No, I don't. But I do think that they favor Bailey Zappe.

Jim Murray: I wouldn't put it past them. Do they strike you as, oh, I don't know, petty individuals, Patricia and Judge?

Felger: Patricia for sure.

Jim Murray: Yeah. So, "you question why I'm here.? Eff you, I'll give the good plays to the kid".

Felger: So I think that that's plausible. Also, it's worked better with Zappe.

Mazz: Yeah, right.

Felger: So it's like human nature. A coach is going to favor the kid or favor the player that gives them better results.

Mazz: Of course.

So if Patricia and Judge were trying to work with Mac Jones, and I know the schedule was harder, it's not apples to apples, but I'm talking like emotionally as a coach.

Mazz: Yeah. The psychology of it.

Felger: You're working with Mac Jones, he's pushing back on what you're trying to install, and it's not working. Then another player takes over, it works, and he does everything you say. Well, isn't most every coach going to favor the guy that goes in there and it works and he does what you say?

Mazz: I mean, I think so. I think it's human nature.

Felger: So, I don't know how much Judge and Patricia's influence on this got Zappe, you know onto the field last night, or led to this cockamamie plan. Who knows exactly? But from the outside it feels like something like that is going on. That's how you get a bad plan. Because there's different voices. You're trying to serve different purposes as opposed to a singular approach. It was a mess. And it gets to be a mess because maybe there's too many voices or too many people you're trying to please and it becomes disjointed. So, that has the ring of truth to me. It just does. That's how you get that bad approach.