Another day, another non-committal answer about who will be the Patriots starting quarterback this week.
When speaking to the media Tuesday ahead of the team’s Week 12 matchup against the Giants, Patriots coach Bill Belichick did not provide a definitive answer about who will start Sunday amid Mac Jones’ ongoing struggles.
“I’ve told all the players the same thing: Be ready to go. So, hopefully they will be,” Belichick said, according to CBS News Boston.
Upon being asked again, Belichick refused to show his hand.
“I’ve told everybody to be ready to go,” he said.
The Patriots (2-8) are coming off a disheartening 10-6 loss to the Colts two weeks ago in Germany, where Jones was benched yet again.
During the international contest on Nov. 12, offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien could be seen screaming at Jones on the sideline in a fiery scene.
For O’Brien, that’s simply how he gets his point across.
“That’s kind of the way I coach. Sometimes, the way to get the point across is to be very demanding and very intense about it. that’s how I coach, that’s how I am,” O’Brien said, according to WEEI’s Mike Kadlick.
Jones, 25, was benched with less than two minutes remaining in the Week 10 contest, with backup Bailey Zappe failing to orchestrate a game-winning drive.
The former Alabama product went 15-for-20 with 170 yards and an interception in the loss.
Jones, the 15th overall pick in the 202 NFL Draft, has thrown 10 touchdowns and 10 interceptions this season.
Given the uncertainty surrounding Jones’ job status, it’s been speculated the Patriots could potentially turn to the 24-year-old Zappe or 28-year-old journeyman Will Grier.
“If I was a betting man I would say — and I don’t have any intel on this — but Will Grier gets the reps to be the starter, and if he fails in that, then Zappe would start and Grier would be [No.] 2, and you proceed through the end of the year and you try to maintain the culture,” Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston floated last week on “The Rich Eisen Show.”
Zappe became a rookie sensation last season as Jones recovered from injury.
Grier, meanwhile, joined the Patriots in September following previous stints with the Panthers, Cowboys and the Bengals’ practice squad.
The Giants and Patriots kick off at MetLife Stadium at 1 p.m. Sunday.
