New England Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe was booed heavily in Thursday’s preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers, when entering the game in the middle of the first quarter.
Zappe came in as the replacement for rookie quarterback Drake Maye, who only played one series up to that point.
He managed to hold down the fort for New England, as he led a touchdown drive in the middle of the second quarter that was punctuated by a rushing touchdown by running back Kevin Harris.
The Western Kentucky product played for the majority of the second half of the game.
Bailey Zappe replaces Drake Maye and enters the game to a loud flurry of “Boo’s” 😳pic.twitter.com/CgxtgrNHNk
— Carlos Talks Pats (@LosTalksPats) August 8, 2024
The silver lining is that the boos quickly turned into cheers, especially as Zappe managed to get into a rhythm in the second quarter. If anything, this simply proves that fans are excited to see the future more so than the past in New England.