Bill Belichick gave Patriots players 4-word message about QB situation

Oct 10, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick reacts during the second quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Bill Belichick has yet to publicly commit to a starting quarterback for Week 12, and the New England Patriots coach claims he is leaving his players in the dark about the decision as well.

Belichick was asked at his press conference on Tuesday if he has chosen a starting quarterback for Sunday’s game against the New York Giants. He said he has delivered the same message to all of his players, which is to “be ready to go.”

“I’ve told all the players the same thing — be ready to go,” Belichick said. “Hopefully, they will be.”

Belichick was then asked if he has made a decision and not yet informed his players. He repeated his initial response and then said “we’ll let you know on Sunday.”

Belichick on starting QB: "I told everyone to be ready to go" pic.twitter.com/IUWDwaVzRg

— NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSBoston) November 21, 2023

New England is coming off a bye, so it would stand to reason that Belichick has a decent idea of who his starting quarterback will be. Most people think either Bailey Zappe or Will Grier will get the nod after Mac Jones was benched for the final drive of New England’s 10-6 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 10. Jones was pulled in a one-score game after he threw a brutal red-zone interception.

It would be tough to imagine Belichick going back to Jones after that, but there was one hint last week that Jones might still be holding down the starting job.

The reality is neither Zappe nor Grier would be a significant upgrade over Jones. Belichick knows that, but there have been reports that Patriots players have seen enough of Jones. The 71-year-old coach may have to take that into consideration if he wants to prevent his locker room from imploding.