They talked about the excuse of the Patriots still being in playoff contention. Then they talked about refusing to make the change once they were eliminated. They questioned why Belichick refused to make the switch.
Everyone has heard the "Stidham is bad" arguement, so when Lazar brought that there is a possibility that Stidham could be the starter and a bridge quarterback in 2021, it blue my mind as I didn't expect to hear it from respectable sources. I have been saying there's a sliver of a chance Stidham starts in 2021.
In the late winter of the first part of 2020, the Patriots intended on two things. One, re-signing Tom Brady, and, two, sitting Jarrett Stidham for the duration of the 2020 season. Tom Brady had to move on and forced the Patriots to find a veteran or start Stidham.
The Patriots Signed Cam in late June. This is where I can use Cam Newton's bandwagoners' words against them. "You don't sign Cam Newton unless you intend on him being the starter." That was all Stidham fans heard. I can already hear Newton's bandwagon. "Yeah, so! What's that got to do with anything?"
Actually that could have a lot to do with Jarrett Stidham, remember the Patriots wanted to sit and develop him for the season back in January. Half the sports writers and analysts called the competition a farce, believing Newton was the starter from the get go; agreeing with all the Newton bandwagoners.
Bill Belichick played Stidham in garbage time situations but refused to let Stidham start. On December 11th, Belichick was asked about Stidham and admitted that Stidham like most second year players had improved from his rookie season and said the following, "Jarrett’s done everything we’ve asked him to do, and he’s done everything he can do. I don’t think you can ask any more than that."
McDaniels was asked about Stidham before the second Buffalo game in December. McDaniels said, “We work as hard as we can to get everybody ready to go. I’ve seen plenty of Jarrett in practice. I see him every day. I’ve seen him for two years. I’m confident that I understand where Jarrett is at in his development."
So what does Belichick see in Stidham's development? In May Belichick said, "know he’s working hard in the offseason. I know he’s made a lot of progress in terms of understanding our offense and understanding opponent defenses..." flash forward to December, where Belichick spoke about his quarterback.
Mark Daniels wrote in early December, "When he was asked if he believed Stidham was “still an ascending player,” Belichick said, “Yes.” He added that the 2019 fourth-round pick has built good habits, fundamentals and gained more knowledge in the Patriots’ system this season."
So Belichick thought Stidham was leaps ahead of where he should be after the 2019 season and then said he's improved in 2020 and is still improving. Sounds like Belichick thinks Stidham is trending in the right direction, although his play in garbage time says otherwise. Remember stats don't tell the full story but that's what a lot of people are going off of.
Now back to how all this ties into why Belichick refused to start Stidham. Belichick is always doing what's gonna help the team win. With three games left, the Patriots season was all but over with. I think most people can agree with that, as their odds of making the playoffs were very slim.
Ask yourself this. If a coach has three games left with no chance of making the playoffs and they have a franchise quarterback, does the head coach continue to play them or does the coach bench them, so that they don't get hurt? A good coach would probably save them for next year majority of the time, right? Now what if that franchise quarterback was in development all season, would the coach risk injuring them to start in place of the bridge quarterback? Most likely not, am I wrong?
Now, let's go back to what we know. Belichick wanted to sit or redshirt Stidham in 2020, and the Patriots signed Cam Newton because "you don't sign Cam Newton unless he's starting". Belichick does whatever it takes to win, and winning in 2021 means making sure his starting quarterback for 2021 doesn't get hurt by starting the last three games of the 2020 season. A season which the team has already lost and the remaining games mean nothing.
Thus it made sense for Stidham to play as little as possible during the final three games, IF Stidham was the projected starter in 2021. Letting Stidham play a little bit against Buffalo in garbage time allowed Bill to give his quarterback some experience against a good defense in preparation for the 2021 season, and why Stidham didn't play against the Jets in week 17.
So when people like Evan Lazar bring up the fact that there's a chance that Stidham could start, it's possible, And when everyone questions why Belichick didn't make the switch at the end of the season for Stidham, there is another scenario besides the one where Jarrett Stidham sucks because he looked like Cam Newton throwing the football, during his garbage time play.
That other possibility is the scenario I laid out before you. That Belichick planned for life after Tom, and that the scenario everyone's talking about in 2021 with Mac Jones and a bridge quarterback, Bill Belichick did that in 2020 with Stidham and Newton. Keep an open mind and remember "In Bill We Trust!"
As Conor Carney says, "the only certain about Bill Belichick is that nothing is certain." So if you're dealing in certainty that there's no chance Jarrett Stidham starts in 2021, remember majority of us said the same thing about AB signing with the Patriots or Tom Brady leaving. How'd that work for us? Stop confusing improbability with certainty.
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