Currently the Patriots have Stidham under contract and Jake Dolegada signed to a future contract. There's is talk about Newton being the starter in 2021 and Stidham who played equally as bad as Cam Newton, being garbage and out of the league.
Let me repeat that, played equally as bad, was comparable and yet one guy is wanted back while the other guy is wanted out. Why?
Almost every excuse for one, can be made for the other, and both have excuses the other doesn't have. The reason why people want Cam back is because he was the MVP in 2015. People are making every narrative to support Cam and smear Stidham.
Okay, if we're going to be living in the past, going into and following the 2018 draft, Stidham was considered a first round draft pick.
Furthermore, since we're doing narratives. Newton was brought in to be a bridge quarterback, while Stidham was redshirted and Newton showed he can't throw no more spiking balls into the ground and forgetting the simple playbook the Patriots ran. Don't like it if you're a Newton supporter, who's been bashing Stidham? Anyone with football knowledge and the ability to research can make that argument. It's all about the narrative to fit your agenda.
Now before I continue, there is also Brian Hoyer. The guy should be an assistant on the Patriots coaching staff. Everywhere he has gone, he has mentored younger quarterbacks. He's been an unofficial quarterback coach and should just accept his fate but he's hanging on for a chance to be the Next Trent Dilfer or Brad Johnson. Slim to no chance, 2020 was his best chance and he blew it versus K.C.
Basically the breakdown on Cam Newton is his mechanic issues prevent him from throwing short to intermediate passes, he's only good between the numbers limiting the play calling. He doesn't see the entire field and gets tunnel vision at times. He doesn't see the field. His accuracy requires tall guys with speed and large wingspans, and he needs a simple playbook. Newton can run but he's gotten slow, and his decision making while option plays is also a little slow. His decision making on where to go with thr ball is off but that could be because he doesn't see the field, sucks outside the numbers, struggles with short to intermediate passes, and cannot remember the playbook because it's too complicated. It was referred to as calculus.
Here's the Colts Law on Cam Newton. He'll breakdown the positives and most of the negatives on him. You'll see things I mentioned and things I didn't. He's a more knowledgeable football content maker and less biased. There are positives that I didn't see and negatives I did and didn't. With Cam to paraphrase, "he is Flawed but not finished yet." If you wanna know the rest, check out the video.
https://youtu.be/gs7s4WiM3Kw
Stidham is a year 1.5 player at best because of the way the 2020 offseason or lack there of. He looks scared or lacked confidence and it shows in his play, especially when he has the opportunity to run. Stidham is afraid to take hits. Like Newton his ball placement is off due to mechanics and he doesn't see the entire field, however he's young enough to correct it. Again like Newton, he gets tunnel vision at times and his pocket presence is inconsistent. His knowledge of and to run the playbook is off due to spending so much time with the scout team and getting third team reps. His decision making is off but it's more due to lack of experience. The worst thing the Patriots may have done was play him in 2020. They may have ruined him the way the Cardinals ruined Josh Rosen. My boy Ray over at Dear Patriots Nation can tell you all about how Arizona ruined Rosen's confidence.
Here's the Colts' law on Stidham, watch until the end because he makes a good point at the very end. Again, you'll get what he sees, like it or not. Things I admit, I missed. Basically on Stidham to paraphrase, "he is not ready to be a starter but it's too soon to throw him away." Again, check out the video for the rest.
https://youtu.be/McU6UZ1r08k
The purpose of me turning to Colts Law was to ask him if Stidham was a possibility of competing for the starting role in 2021. I wanted to know if he was trash like everyone was saying, if I was way off or some place in between. Luckily. He also broke down the film on Newton. My opinion has and always will be, that from everything we saw in 2020. Stidham was an equal passer to Cam Newton, and passing is the primary job of a quarterback. Everything else is secondary and expendable.
I am against changing the brady offense to fit a Newton style quarterback play. There are accurate mobile quarterbacks that the Patriots can sign, that can do what the offense was meant to do.
The Newton style mobile offense is too risky but is great if you like defenses who get to feed off high risk - home run ball offensive football. I've heard people in the past say they want a quarterback who can do two things, scramble and throw hail marys. Madden has ruined football expectations but that's what Newton fans would see the offense become.
I have always said I would've preferred Tyrod Taylor on the Patriots. I have begged for him to be Brady's backup and would take his safeness over Newton's high risk - big play style any day of the week. Taylor led the Bill's to the Playoffs but needed help because the owners got involved and benched him during the season, which blew up in their faces.
With that said, I believe if Newton has a chance to start, with how bad of a passer he was in 2020, than so does Stidham. Stidham was equally as bad at the position. It's about what have you done for me lately, not what did you do for someone else years ago.
Newton is a better rusher but is in the decline. His play is built around his legs, and thus his career expectancy must be viewed on thr same level as a running back. Stidham on the other hand is inexperienced with a better upside due to his age.
And I get the Patriots Pass catchers were below average but the quarterback play hurt them more than they hurt the quarterbacks. There's too much tape, plus Cam's own words to back that up.
Look, do I think Stidham should start in 2021? No. Do believe he was redshirted and may have been ruined by the 2020 off season or lack their of and for playing in 2020? Yes. Stidham is under contract and the Patriots should bring in a bridge guy, regardless if the Patriots draft a quarterback or not; unless they draft someone capable of starting.
I like Brissett and I like Tyrod Taylor. Both could be a bridge guy and mentor a younger quarterback. Jakobi has a better upside in terms of longevity but I believe Taylor could run the Brady offense better. Stidham is a backup level at best, at the moment. Strictly as a passer, so is Cam, and with what he admitted on the I Am Athlete podcast, even with his running ability, he hurts the development of the pass catchers. Plain and simple.
Plus is he's not helping with film study or pointing out ways a younger quarterback can read a defense and other things quarterback coaches do, is he really worth bringing back just to teach micromanagement? There's more to being a bridge quarterback than that, and if that's all he brings in, I say let Newton go.
As far as Stidham, develop him for more year and if you don't like his development, cut him next offseason in his final year. Stidham must take a major leap in 2021 to bring himself to a bottom tier starting level talent. There's if's ands or butts about it.
Two passers of equal play, one with more opportunities to out on film for fans to see, while the other had to impress in practice. James White gives just as much reason to think he might of as everything we seen on tape of Stidham says he didn't. So trust Bill and stop writing off the guy who's actually under contract.
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