“ZAPPE! ZAPPE! ZAPPE!”
That’s the chant that engulfed Gillette Stadium on Sunday afternoon as fans made their way towards the exit signs.
The Patriots, of course, beat the struggling Detroit Lions 29-0 on Sunday, and they did it with rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe under center sporting his #4 jersey in the team’s famous “Pat Patriot” red throwback uniform.
Watching Zappe and journeyman quarterback Garrett Gilbert trot out of the flying Elvis tunnel was a far different sight than than we’ve been used to over the last 20 seasons. Duos like Brady and Cassel, Brady and Garroppolo, Brady and Hoyer, Newton and Stidham, or even Jones and Hoyer have become the norm.
Little did we know, the duo of Zappe and Gilbert were on their way out to get a victory.
Zappe went 17/21 passing for 188 yards and a touchdown in his NFL starting debut. He was smart with the football, he was accurate, he was efficient, and his only “mistakes” were either no fault of his own (see: Nelson Agholor), or were still deemed “plus plays” due to the keen awareness the rookie brings to the game.
I asked Zappe after the win how much more confident he was on Sunday compared to last weekend when he was thrust into action in Green Bay:
“I would say a fair amount. Getting another week of practice in, getting mental reps, physical reps taking every day this past week. Taking every rep as a game rep. Continuing to work with receivers, O-line before and after practice, and just building that comfortability with everybody. It was a great way to come out this Sunday and get a win.”
He certainly looked comfortable… and he made the fan’s feel comfortable as well.
Mid-way through the third quarter, when the Patriots seemingly had the game locked up, the raucous Foxboro crowd showed their gratitude towards the signal caller as they erupted in a “Thank you, Zappe!” chant.
“I like the support,” Zappe said when he was asked how it felt hearing his name screamed from the fans. “But to be honest with you, I was just more excited about the win. To get a win with my team, that was really the focus point for this week. That was going to be the focus point for the rest of the season.”
As the game came to a close, the Gillette Stadium audio engineers knew exactly what to do, signaling to Bobby McFerrin to close this thing out with “a little song [he] wrote.”
So, whether it’s Mac Jones or the rookie third stringer at the helm next weekend for the Patriots… “Don’t Worry, Be Zappe”.
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