New England Patriots links 10/19/23 - Jones, Zappe, Grier & Cunningham ride the QB coaster

Mac Jones had a pretty good rookie year. Most New England Patriots fans and pundits alike thought the team hit the home run, finding their next franchise quarterback on the first swing in the draft. Back in 2021 heading into Week 7, the Pats’ record was 2-4 — before they ripped off seven straight wins, generating more good feelings all around.

Confidence was still high because the losses overall didn’t look too bad. Mistakes were identified and determined to be fixable - if not that year, then certainly the next. There was time. Jones was a rookie. He’d mature, the team would build around him and voilà! New England would be competitive again for the foreseeable future.

Today, the talk is about which backup quarterback will take over when Mac Jones gets the final hook. Malik Cunningham is confident, but is he ready to take over? Bailey Zappe vs. Will Grier. Trade Mac Jones? (To who, and for what?)

Then for the kicker, we get the story of how unlike the Patriots, Buffalo developed and supported Josh Allen. ‘Eesh. Doesn’t get much uglier than that. The trade talk is still in full swing with around two weeks before the Oct. 31 deadline.

Call me a diehard, but I’m still hoping for a good game on Sunday. Pats know how to game-plan against Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills — they just need to execute it without intercepting and penalizing themselves out of any chance of success. And frankly, this year’s roster may straight-up not be up for the task. We’ll see.

TEAM TALK

• Patriots-Bills initial Injury Report.
• Game Preview: Bills at Patriots - Series history, Scouting the Matchups, Tale of the tape; More.
• Mike Dussault offers ten key things to watch for in Buffalo. 1. Force Josh Allen into mistakes.
• Transactions: Practice squad changes. Patriots signed DL William Bradley-King and RB Patrick Taylor, and released DL Manny Jones and WR T.J. Luther.
• Mike Dussault notes WR Tyquan Thornton is hoping his speed can help provide the offense with a boost.
• Alexandra Francisco reports Lawrence and Andrea Guy host 3rd-annual Charity Baby Shower Bash for underprivileged mothers-to-be.
• Alexandra Francisco notes Marcus Jones’ single ‘Make It Right’ is trending at No. 9 on UK music charts.
• Press Conferences: Kendrick Bourne - Ezekiel Elliott - Mac Jones - Jahlani Tavai - Bill Belichick.
• Patriots Playbook: Buffalo Bills preview and NFL Week 7 predictions. (2 hours)
• Patriots Unfiltered: Previewing the Bills, potential trades for consideration and practice updates. (2 hours)

LOCAL LINKS

• Phil Perry says the Patriots need to prioritize figuring out their QB situation behind Mac Jones: Malik or Grier?
• Mark Daniels points out how the Bills supported and developed Josh Allen and the Patriots did the opposite with Mac Jones.
• Lauren Campbell relays ‘QB expert’ Dan Orlovsky: Patriots should trade Mac Jones ‘if they’re done with him.’
• Karen Guregian highlights Bailey Zappe talking about life riding the Patriots roller coaster and his up and down existence playing behind Mac Jones.
• Chris Mason reports Malik Cunningham is confident he can run the Patriots offense if called upon.
• Doug Kyed looks at how the Patriots are using Malik Cunningham in practice ahead of Week 7.
• Zack Cox spotlights how slow starts are killing the Patriots again this season. It’s the same problem that’s hounded the offense for years.
• Alex Barth comments on the extensive injury report turned in by the Patriots on Wednesday, including 20 players.
• Mike Kadlick tells us what fans can look forward to the rest of the way for the 1-5 Patriots.
• Chris Mason assesses the trade value of all 21 pending free agents on the Patriots roster.
• Mark Daniels reports DeVante Parker has moved on after last Sunday’s ‘fingertip’ non-catch and says he hasn’t seen any of your mean tweets.
• Alex Barth reports the Patriots swapped two practice squad players yesterday.

NATIONAL NEWS

• Tyler Sullivan (CBS Sports) Bill Belichick’s uncertain future with Patriots: What could a new masthead look like in New England? The Patriots could be in for a seismic shift after the 2023 season.
• Kevin Patra (NFL.com) Buyers/sellers at 2023 NFL trade deadline: Will Chiefs target WR? Should Titans deal Derrick Henry? Patriots: Sellers.
• Garrett Podell (CBS Sports) 2023 NFL trade deadline: 10 players who need to be dealt to a new team. No Pats.
• Staff (ESPN) 2024 NFL draft order projections: Bears, Cardinals top first round. Patriots 6th.
• Maurice Jones-Drew (NFL.com) NFL RB Index, Week 7: Top 15. Plus, five running backs who could be on the move ahead of trade deadline. No Pats.
• Interactive (ESPN) Brock Purdy could be the ultimate NFL luxury: a top-level QB playing on a cheap contract. How quickly do 31 NFL QBs earn Purdy’s $870K? Mac Jones: 427 minutes.
• Steven Ruiz (The Ringer) QB Rankings, updated. Mac Jones 23rd: “Jones isn’t fast enough. That’s not just a knock on his lack of speed: He also doesn’t think quickly enough to get himself out of trouble. ...” More.
• Cody Benjamin (CBS Sports) 2023 Week 7 NFL QB power rankings. Mac Jones 31st: Jones isn’t buckling to the public notions that the Patriots are preparing to pull the plug on him yet again, but he is buckling behind New England’s front. He’s now gone three straight games with zero TDs and at least one turnover.
• Matt Verderame (SI) NFL Quarterback Rankings Week 7. Mac Jones 28th.
• Staff (ESPN) NFL rookie QB tracker: Stroud shines, Bagent debuts.