As things stand, Zappe could end up competing with newly acquired signal-caller Matt Corral for the No. 2 quarterback job.Corral is currently the only quarterback on the 53-man roster other than a starter mac jonesthe Panthers’ 2022 third-round pick, was waived by Carolina last week.
“Matt is available and we’ll add him to the group and see how it goes,” Belichick said. “Obviously they haven’t seen him on the field, haven’t worked with him yet, but based on what we saw at Carolina and the college film at Mississippi State, he’s a player we want to work with.”
When asked if it was too early to consider Kolar as a backup for Sunday’s season opener against the Hawks, Belichick didn’t commit one way or the other.
“He hasn’t even played yet,” Belichick said. “We’ll see.”
The last thing quarterback Belichick was asked about was tom bradywho will return to Gillette Stadium on Sunday for a ceremony in his honor.
“It’s great to see Tom,” Belichick said. “Tom means a lot to this team, this organization and me personally. It’s been a tremendous experience to be able to coach him and share the things that we share together and a lot of that player/coach relationship.
“Of course it’s very appropriate to recognize all the great achievements he has achieved here. “I’m looking forward to meeting him and am delighted that he’s getting a lot of recognition and appreciation for it because he certainly deserves it. “
During his weekly appearance on WEEI on Monday, Belichick was asked if there was one particular memory that summed up their two decades together.
“I think of six of them,” the coach said with a laugh, referring to the six championships the two won together.
“I can’t say enough about Tom what he means to this organization and what he means to me personally. “He embodies everything you could hope for in a player,” Belichick added. “His work ethic, his The ability to handle a lot of things on and off the field. His instincts, anticipation and decision-making during the most crucial moments in the most important games in franchise history, let alone seasons.
“He just set a standard for so many years of performance on a daily basis and then it turned into performance every year and it became not only a Hall of Fame career but probably the best career in the history of the National Football League that he did It gets to this point on a day-to-day basis.”
Leif is on hold
Patriots deploy offensive lineman Riley Reiff He was placed on injured reserve Monday, meaning he will miss at least the first four games of the season.
Reiff has not practiced since injuring his knee in the team’s final preseason game. The fact that Reiff even played in the game reflects the uncertain state of New England’s offensive line.While most of the other projected starters had the night off, Reiff played 15 games before getting hurt to get more playing time at right guard with the rookies Sidi Sow.
When the Patriots signed Reiff to a one-year, $5 million contract ($4 million guaranteed) this offseason, the expectation was that he would play right tackle. But due to availability and performance issues, the team moved Reeve to right guard.
Once starting right back Michael Onwenu Back in practice, the Patriots have options. They could keep Reif inside and move Onwenu out to tackle, where he played his rookie season, or they could keep Onwenu in his spot and let Reif compete with Sove, Calvin Anderson To get the right forklift job. Now, Reiff has missed at least four games.
Rafe and the receiver Tyquin Thornton The Patriots are the only Patriots to be placed on short-term injured reserve.
To fill Reeve’s spot on the 53-man roster, Patriots promoted tight end pharaoh brown Off the practice squad. Brown joined the team last Wednesday.
Brown steps up
Brown signed to the practice squad late last month, but the adjustment process should be relatively smooth for the veteran alongside the offensive coordinator. Bill O’Brien in Houston.
“Bill O’Brien gave me my first chance coming off Cleveland’s practice squad,” he said. “He signed me to the Texans. We had a good little run while he was there.
“I was ready to be an active player, and it started in the offseason. I left (Indianapolis) and five hours later I was here and started practicing the next day because I’m kind of familiar with O’Brien’s offense. It kind of lowers the pressure level.”
The 29-year-old Brown, who is 6-foot-5 and 246 pounds from Oregon State, has 51 catches for 478 yards and two touchdowns in his career.
The West Coast native sounds like he’s enjoying his time in New England so far.
“This is my first time on the East Coast,” he said. “You never realize there are beautiful beaches. I thought it was a little cold. I was like, ‘Do you want to lay on the beach?’ “
“I’m just getting to know the city. I love seafood. This is the only NFL team where you walk in and you get a whole lobster. You can’t beat it.”
New QB rules
A memo released by the league on Monday details when the new emergency quarterback designation applies and when it does not.
For the Patriots, the only way they can suit up Jones, Zapp and Corral is to have all three on the active game-day roster, according to the memo. (For the record, New England rarely has three quarterbacks on its game-day roster.)
They could also temporarily elevate Zappe, who was waived on the bye day, to the 53-man roster. However, this would require them to remove a player from their active roster.
Belichick said Monday that he has not decided whether Zappe or Corral will start the season as a backup.
return to action
wide receiver Devante Parker He, who missed last week’s practice with an undisclosed injury, was among the players spotted at the start of Patriots practice Monday.offensive lineman James Ferentz That reportedly includes people who were not seen, as well as defensive linemen Jeremiah Farms came back. The first injury report of the season will be released Wednesday.
You can contact Christopher Price at christopher.price@globe.com.follow him @cpriceglobe.