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Mac Jones was at practice on Wednesday in limited fashion, throwing the ball lightly during the 15 minutes the media had to watch some of the opening drills.
Jones had a limp still, but did drop back a few times, albeit in very light fashion. Right next to him was new practice squad QB Garrett Gilbert and Bailey Zappe, the guy who suddenly has quite a bit of attention heaped on him.
There’s a slim to very small chance we see Mac in a must-win game against the Lions on Sunday and Brian Hoyer was not at practice. Given the recent concussion issues in the NFL, there’s no shot we see him. That means Zappe is in line for his first NFL start when the Patriots put on the red throwback uniforms and white Pat Patriot helmets.
After practice, Zappe had his first true media free-for-all, with dozens of reporters and cameras huddled around his locker. It was just another first in what is quickly becoming a long line of them for the rookie.
“The same way I have for the past four weeks,” Zappe said when asked how he’s approaching this week. “Just taking it day-by-day, continuing to get better every day. Kind of have the mindset of one percent better every day. Kind of taking it that way and just going to practice every day with the mindset of taking every rep like a game rep. Just getting better every day.”
It doesn’t get much more nerve-racking than being thrust into action at Lambeau Field as a rookie against Aaron Rodgers, so Zappe really has nowhere else to go but up in that regard. There was a sense of calm to Zappe when he spoke on Wednesday, almost as if it were just another day at the office, quietly going about his work like any other rookie would.
“I think it’s the same for every week. I mean, I’ll continue to take advantage of every rep that I get, no matter how many it is,” he said. “I’m going to continue to get better every rep and get better every practice. Just really take it day-by-day.”
Zappe’s teammates were very vocal in postgame press conferences when talking about his performance in Green Bay and how impressed they were. It’s not every day that a rookie QB can win his team over in one afternoon, but Zappe did. That’s not to say he replaced Mac by any means – he didn’t – but when the team takes the field on Sunday, he knows they believe in his ability to lead and in turn, Zappe knows he can continue relying on them to guide him through this tough spot.
“I’m going to lean on my teammates a lot,” he said. “They helped me a lot at the Packers, and I’m going to lean on them even more this upcoming game, or whenever it is. I’m really excited for just going to practice every day and getting better.”
Perhaps the best part about this entire Zappe story is how locked in on the moment he really is, providing a lesson for all of us about being present.
After a career-altering opportunity on Sunday, he barely even looked at his phone.
“I have all my notifications turned off, so I really didn’t pay attention to it,” he said when asked if his phone had blown up after the game. “Text messages to family, that’s about it. It was nice. Everybody was very supportive. Very appreciative with congratulating me with everything. That’s really about it. I’m very appreciative. My parents have made a lot of sacrifices for me to get here and for that to happen is a dream come true for all of us.”