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Two key factors driving Bailey Zappe’s recent success with Patriots originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Four months ago, Bailey Zappe was briefly out of a job. Earlier this season, he was relegated to third-string quarterback behind Mac Jones and Malik Cunningham.
Now, Zappe is the New England Patriots’ starting quarterback, with a 2-1 record and a 106.1 passer rating in his last three games. So, what’s powering Zappe’s sudden transformation into a productive NFL QB?
Our Patriots Insider Phil Perry joined NBC Sports Boston’s The Gameplan on Wednesday night to highlight two specific things Zappe has done “on his own” recently to change the fortunes of the Patriots’ offense despite having below-average protection and a subpar group of pass-catchers.
Here’s a breakdown of both:
1. Extending the play
“That is modern-day quarterbacking,” Perry said. “It is never going to be perfect snap to snap to snap in terms of the protection that you’re getting. The athletes on the defensive line are just too good in 2023. So, what he has done has been able to make that first guy miss.
“Usually it’s his ability to step up in the pocket and keep his eyes downfield. (For) Mac Jones, it got to a point with him where he was shaken enough by the protection that he had gotten that he was looking for escape lanes. He was looking to tuck it and run, he was looking to maybe just go down and even take a sack because that was better than the alternative, which might be throwing it into a team meeting by the opposing defense and coming away with a backbreaking turnover.
“Zappe has been able to move around, keep his eyes downfield, allow his receivers a little bit more time to shake free and create some explosive plays.”
🔊 Patriots Talk: Resilient Bailey Zappe is making his case for… something | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
To Perry’s point, Zappe faced pressure on nearly half of his dropbacks against the Denver Broncos (44.4 percent) but completed 9 of 13 passes under pressure…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/two-key-factors-driving-bailey-143531971.html
Author : NBC Sports Boston
Publish date : 2023-12-28 14:35:31
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