Jerry Trotta recently wrote an article titled "Patriots.com editor thinks team should go with Jarret Stidham as Starter." In the article he asks why people are advocating for Stidham and quotes Paul Perillo but never answers the question. Instead basically says the Patriots might not have options but Stidham isn't the answer. So here are fourteen reasons people are still advocating for Stidham.
2) No OTAs. There is a 10 day training period where players get into football shape and get some chemistry with their teammates before taking summer off. The familiarize or refamiliarize themselves with how their teammates play and move.
3) The August camp could've started in July as teams are allowed to start training camp 15 days before their first preseason game. Even though there was camp, the camp training was limited in 2020. Teams were only able to do so much. Due to pandemic protocols.
4) There was no preseason games. That's four games of NFL experience Jarrett Stidham missed. Coaches use this to evaluate players but during the first three to four seasons, this is how many backups are getting NFL game time experience. Stidham missed this and was behind four games worth of NFL experience heading into week one and it showed when he did get time to play.
5) Stidham's injury. Stidham was the co-starter with Newton. Neither quarterback as a passer was pulling ahead according to many writers like Curran. Even CLNS said something in one of their podcasts. Lazar criticized Newton's passing ability and said things might be different if he was allowed to run. There is no telling who would've pulled ahead. It wasn't covid but it still caused him to be limited when he needed full on practice.
6) He was relegated to second string and scout team reps. Learning and running the opponents playbook almost every week. In week four Hoyer got all backup reps behind Newton and in week five when he should've gotten extra reps and a start, the NFL didn't allow the Patriots to do anything that wasn't virtual until Newton was healthy enough to play. Going as Far as moving the game to week six.
Furthermore, every time he took the field, Stidham's play was comparable to Cam Newton's play at some point during the season. Week four Stidham looked like Cam Newton versus the Raiders. Week seven, Stidham looked like Cam versus the 49ers. Week sixteen Stidham looked like a continuation of Newton's first half performance. His touchdown drive versus the chargers, was comparable to Newton's play versus Seattle. Only Stidham threw a touchdown. Need I go on?
7) Newton was brought in to start according to his supporters, which include many members of the media who were looking at Newton with "2015 beer goggles". Why does that make sense, because Belichick wanted to redshirt Stidham in 2020, according writers in January of 2020. It's possible Bill was hoping to pull a Randy Moss with Cam and only saw 2015 Newton when signing him but than again he did bring in Fisch but for which quarterback?
8) Stidham had a great year in 2017 and was projected as a first round pick in 2018, which extended after the draft until the 2018 season started. Stidham decision to return to school was disastrous in 2018 season. Stidham was viewed as a project going into the 2019 draft, a far cry from a first round selection. There were circumstances to say it might not all of been Stidham's fault.
9) Belichick and players praised Stidham after the 2019 Season. There were people with ties in the organization that said the Patriots believed Stidham was the future. When asked in December of 2020, when people were calling for Stidham to start, McDaniels said "He was comfortable with his knowledge of Stidham's development" but threw Belichick under the bus saying he doesn't decide who starts. That could've been McDaniels copping out or he really could've been blaming Belichick for why Stidham hadn't started.
10) In December Cam Newton, who some believe was a bridge quarterback, praised How well Stidham's development had progressed. Going on to essential say there was reason to be worried about Stidham showing enough to give coaches cause to make a switch.
11) James White in December said that Stidham was ready to start and In February he said that Stidham would be good when given the opportunity. White is a team leader and his opinion should be taken as such.
12) Belichick let Stidham play versus Buffalo but not start against the Jets. Buffalo was a top team who never let up against the Patriots in December. The Jets were an easier opponent. It was in Belichick's best interest to put Stidham in versus the Bills because the way the Jets were playing, week seventeen would've been the equivalent of a preseason game.
13) The Patriots have cap space and are bound to upgrade the offensive unit in 2021. The supporting cast fell from 17th in 2019 to 22nd in 2020. Belichick is going to do his best to get the team back into the top 16 in 2021. While I have said the Patriots quarterbacks were the reason for the teams decline.
Almost everyone has said "No Quarterback could've had a good season/succeeded with the talent around them." If the masses are true, Stidham was an inexperienced quarterback, who as much as he was ahead in his rookie season, was still only a sophomore project in development in 2020. Since no experienced quarterback could've done well, can't blame Stidham for being in a no win situation.
14) Stidham will have an actual offseason and will have more time for the coaches to actually train him on everything they couldn't in 2020. On top of that Stidham started training for 2021 almost immediately after the season ended with quarterback guru Jordan Palmer. Stidham is also likely to hold another camp in June and July.
I hate having to defend Stidham because I saw someone who was no better a passer than Cam, even if Stidham should have a higher floor because he's in development, as to where Cam is going to be an eleven year veteran. I asked a film guy to look at tape and what he saw was a quarterback still in need of development, which makes sense if you read his 2019 scouting reports and not his 2018.
During the 2020 Season, when Cam was having his ups and downs, I said if Cam is extended, it should be through the 2022 season. That the Patriots should continue to develop Stidham, have another quarterback competition in 2021. If some the 2022 off season, the Patriots are not sold on Stidham as the starter, draft or sign a quarterback to ride with Newton for the last year of his contract. That if they were sold on Stidham, to keep Newton as a backup.
This is why people are advocating for Stidham. These maybe excuses but they're no different than what the Cam supporters are saying for him. If everyone is going to base Stidham completely off his 2020 play and not combined with what he did in 2017, 2018, at Auburn, 2019 and all the circumstances he had to deal with in 2020; Than you have to base every quarterback off what they did in 2020, not in 2017 in Foxborough, 2015 in Carolina, or any other year with any other team and take any circumstances surrounding the player as an excuse. Otherwise, you're being a hypocrite.
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