Bill Belichick Says This Patriots QB Won’t Start Vs. Giants

The New England Patriots had their bye week and enough time to get ready for the game over the New York Giants. It is another challenging game for the struggling team. Head coach Bill Belichick made a decision on his starting quarterback vs Giants, and no, it’s not directly related to Mac Jones.

Jones has the starting job and this won’t change on Sunday. Bailey Zappe and Will Grier are his backup quarterbacks. Belichick benched Jones in favor of Zappe on multiple occasions. According to his most recent statement, Grier won’t start the upcoming game against the Giants.

“(He’s doing) a little bit better each week,” Belichick told host Scott Zolak in an episode of “Patriots All-Access,” pouring praise over the talented player. “Just a little more familiarity with being able to run our plays. He just hasn’t had a chance to — you know what it’s like playing quarterback. The backup quarterback, you never get enough reps as it is.

“So, that’s the backup quarterback, and then the third quarterback is even less than that. And when you’re new and you haven’t been here in training camp and had the full background of OTAs and training camp and a chance really to run our core plays, it’s just a lot to catch up on.”

Belichick sticks with the same QB in the game vs Giants

Grier is 28 and has already earned the support of Coach B. He joined the Patriots in September and many thought that he’d be the perfect backup QB for Jones. It didn’t happen and Zappe is still the backup for Jones. Grier is now a third quarterback for the team. He even became No.4 when Malik Gunningham joined the active roster in Week 6.

“Will’s done a good job of it,” Belichick said. “There’s no issues with him. It’s just there’s only so many snaps out there. Your starting quarterback wants all the (first-team reps). You give some to the second quarterback, and the first guy feels like, ‘I wish I had those reps.’ The second guy needs some reps, and then you just run out of reps. Whereas in training camp, it’s a lot easier to spread those around. But it is what it is.”

Belichick made similar comments in his conversation with the media last week. He appreciates great players and Grier is definitely one of them.

“Will’s certainly improving every week in terms of understanding and working with his teammates and running the scout team and executing the plays that he has the opportunity to,” the coach said. “There’s just not a lot of opportunities for that, right now the third position, which is where he’s been. But he’s taken advantage of the ones that he’s had.”