FOXBORO — Bill Belichick started the week telling reporters he would wait until Sunday to name the Patriots’ next starting quarterback.

On Friday, he stayed true to his word.

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Belichick repeatedly declined to answer any quarterback-related questions in his Friday morning press conference. He used the same response when asked whether he had decided on a starting quarterback and if Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe had taken most of the starting reps in practice.

“I’ve told everybody to be ready to go,” he said.

Why did Belichick feel compelled to keep the decision a secret?

“Then we’ll be announcing ‘who’s starting this, who’s playing that, who’s doing this, who’s doing that.’ Once we get going on that — I’m not going down that road,” he said. “Sorry.”

What about strictly the quarterback position?

“Yeah, right,” he replied.

Belichick finally explained his reluctance to answer any quarterback question directly by saying, “I’m just not getting into that. Whoever it is, (I) hope they’re ready to go.”

On Wednesday, Jones said he hoped to start Sunday against the Giants. Jones finished the team’s last game, a 10-6 loss to the Colts in Germany, on the bench.

“Hope so. I mean, that’s the plan,” Jones said of starting. “I always work really hard for that. I really put a lot of attention and detail into the week.”

Pressed whether the plan was his or the team’s, Jones shrugged.

“We’ll see, right? We’ve had those conversations, and like I said focusing on the controllables,” he said.

Jones has been benched three times in 10 games this season, while Zappe has failed to seize the starting job from him. According to Pro Football Focus, Jones has committed more turnover-worthy plays than any other quarterback in the league, while Zappe owns the lowest adjusted completion percentage of any passer. He threw an interception into triple coverage to end the loss at Germany.

The Patriots and Giants will kick off Sunday at 1 p.m. at MetLife Stadium.