Tom Brady left in March to go to Tampa Bay. With that he took not only the expectations that the Patriots were going to win the division but the twenty years of bandwagoners.
This left people wondering about what the Patriots were going to do at quarterback. Some wanted the Patriots to sign a huge name free agent while others took a look at fourth round draft pick Jarrett Stidham.
Those who looked at Stidham either looked at the entire body of work or just the 2018 college season. Some of us saw hope in making the playoffs and expected ten wins under Stidham.
Cam Newton is two quarterbacks. That's an issue with Newton. On one hand, Newton is an elite quarterback, from the Randall Cunningham mold. On the other hand, he is a running back with the passing ability of Brian Hoyer. We know what Newton is, we just don't know which Cam is going to show up.
At Baylor in 2015 and at Auburn in 2017 Stidham looked like a top quarterback, being the number two quarterback out of high school behind Kyler Murray but ahead of Several starting quarterback. It's documented that he would've gone in the first round but returning for a disappointing 2018 season sent him into the fourth.
Newton fans will blame the situation in Carolina for Newton's issues. Over the Past two seasons, Patriots fans have blamed the situation for Brady's issues. As Belichick loves to say, stats don't always tell the tale, and in 2018, the situation was the reason for the fall of Stidham.
Jarrett Stidham looked good in the 2019 preseason. He was good enough to beat out Brian Hoyer. However, he threw one pick six and people were quick to write him off. Doesn't matter that he practiced with the first team in place of Brady.
Look at Tony Romo's 04 & 05 seasons & Tom Brady's 2000 season before taking the starting Jobs. Neither looked like they belonged on their teams until they started in place of Drew Bledsoe.
Teammates and Belichick have praised both Stidham and Newton. Former Patriots are coming out, praising and criticizing both quarterbacks. Fans are taking the Newton praise as legit and dismissing the Stidham praise as propaganda. While accepting the Stidham criticism and dismissing it for Newton.
There is excitement with some for Newton, while others are like meh because we know what were getting for the most part. The unknown of Stidham gives people excitement to see what he has. We want to know is which category does Stidham fall into; Starter, backup, or bust. Nobody but Belichick knows what we have with him.
Newton is a member of the New England Patriots and as such, we want him to succeed but that doesn't mean we're all required to be excited for his signing.
The only thing many Patriots fans know about Newton is the tantrum he threw after losing the Superbowl. Both prior to and after that, Patriots fans didn't give him a second thought until he signed, unless they were playing madden. Kinda like nobody gave Stidham a second thought until Brady.
These two Auburn quarterbacks while they've had different paths, are both in the same place right now. Swimming in a sea of question Mark's for different reasons. Be excited for who you want but come week one, remember the name on the front is all that matters.
No comments:
Post a Comment