Patriots QB Bailey Zappe

PRESS CONFERENCE

December 3, 2023

Q: Sum up the game today.

BZ: Some good things and some bad things. We had a chance there at the end. Defense played great. Offense, it starts with me. I’ve got to make plays towards the end. I’ve got to throw better balls. I’ve got to make the balls catchable, especially in conditions like today – wet ball, wet hands. I’ve got to throw the ball better. It starts with me on the offensive side in getting things going.

Q: You mentioned a couple of weeks ago how coming in kind of cold later in games made it tough to get a rhythm going. This week, seemed like today you were the main guy. Did that give you confidence in this game? It seemed like you were taking some shots out there and trying to get some things done downfield.

BZ: It was a little bit different, of course. But like we always say here, you’ve got to be ready no matter what the circumstances are. Whether you’re coming in third quarter or you’re starting the game, whatever the coaches tell you to do, you’ve got to be ready. Just got to get ready for Steelers this Thursday.

Q: I know you guys don’t like to make excuses, but how tough was the weather to play through today?

BZ: I mean look, both teams have got to play through it. I mean, yeah, it’s not ideal, but you’ve got to deal with it. Like I just told Mike, it starts with me. It’s a wet ball, whatever. It’s hard to catch, I’ve got to throw better balls. There’s no excuses, like you said. You’ve just got to play better.

Q: Bailey, you did a good job today obviously extending plays. What’s the line in a game like today, where points are at a premium, between extending plays and taking sacks? On that second drive, you guys are at the Chargers’ 38 and maybe field goal range, you take a sack on third down and a sack on fourth down. What’s the line between trying to extend the play and in a game like that, saying I can’t take a sack here?

BZ: Yeah, that’s totally on me. Like you said, I’ve got to understand where we’re at on the field. I have to understand that we have points, and I have to understand plays – it’s done. There’s nobody open. I’ve just got to throw the ball away. I just tried to do too much, and that’s on me.

Q: What specifically did you like today, and what did you think you need to improve moving forward?

BZ: I think we did a few things good, run game, pass game. Some things I need to work on is of course what we just talked about, understanding when the play’s over with, not taking a sack when you know you’re in field goal territory and you can get points. Just things like that. Like I said previously, that falls on me. I’ve got to get better at it. I’ve got to get back and watch this film and get ready for Thursday versus the Steelers.

Q: I think you expressed some positivity about practice, what you were seeing in practice earlier this week. What have you noticed changes between practice and getting on the game field for you guys?

BZ: I would say that, given the circumstances that we’re in, there’s no division in our team. Everybody comes to work every day. Everybody pushes each other. Defense pushes offense. Offense pushes defense. I think, as long as we stay this way these last five games, things will start going in our favor. We just have to keep working.

Q: The defense has allowed 10, 10, and 6 points. You’ve lost all three. I know this is your first start, but do you feel like the offense is letting down the defense based on how well they’ve been playing?

BZ: Yeah, our defense is great. Our defense is playing phenomenal. Like I’ve said multiple times, it starts with me as a quarterback on the offensive side. I’ve got to do better. I’ve got to get us down there. I’ve got to get us in an opportunity to score points. Taking sacks and doing all those things isn’t doing a good job of doing that. I’ve got to throw it better. I’ve got to make smarter decisions. Once I start doing that, then we’ll start scoring points.

Q: I was wondering, you targeted Tyquan Thornton for some big plays today. What did you see from him?

BZ: Tyquan is a great receiver. We have a great receiver group. We have guys that can go down there and catch the ball. You’ve just got to give them a chance. There’s some times where I need to throw a better ball. Like the deep one to Tyquan, I need to throw it better. I led it too far. Maybe if I throw it six inches shorter, that’s a touchdown, he’s catching and running it. We’ve just got to keep grinding. Those guys are doing phenomenal. I’ve just got to get them the ball.

Q: Having the full week of preparation, the full preparation, your immediate reaction, is it more of a missed opportunity for you today getting a chance, or is it still a learning experience?

BZ: I would consider it both. We didn’t win, so I would technically clarify that as a missed opportunity. Of course it’s always a learning experience no matter win or lose, there’s things you can look back on, good and bad that you can learn from and grow from. I think that’s what I’m going to use today as and just grow with it. Whatever the decision is next week, then get ready to play Steelers.

Q: Bailey, you made it through the game without any turnovers, didn’t move the ball as much as you wanted to. Just how do you think you can build upon that heading into the Steelers?

BZ: Yeah, biggest thing is for the quarterback position is not throw interceptions. We were able to do that today, but we weren’t able to score points. We’ve got to score points, and that starts with me, and that starts with, like I said, just making smarter decisions and just growing in the things that we did good today and learning from the things that we didn’t do good. It’s a short week, but we’ll get after it tomorrow and be ready for Thursday.

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–PATRIOTS–

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