New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick was sending mixed messages last week when he was asking about his plans for Cam Newton and Jarrett Stidham, with the team’s playoff hopes fading. But during an interview with WEEI on Monday, Belichick provided some clarity on swapping Stidham for Newton in the fourth quarter on Thursday night.
“Cam was taking some hits, a combination of things. It was the right time to put him in there,” Belichick told WEEI.
After the 24-3 loss on Thursday, Belichick insisted Newton was the Patriots’ quarterback — and he refused to answer further questions about the quarterback situation on the day after the game. The coach also said he put in Jarrett Stidham with the intention of winning the game — and not with the intention of waving the white flag to get Stidham some developmental game time.
Bill Belichick on @OMFonWEEI says putting Jarrett Stidham in last Thursday "might have given him an opportunity to play, so that's what we did."
More: "Cam was taking some hits, a combination of things. It was the right time to put him in there."
— Ryan Hannable (@RyanHannable) December 14, 2020
Newton took four sacks and Stidham took two. The Rams managed 10 quarterback hits during the course of the blowout. New England’s passing offense struggled to get production with so much pressure, and Newton finished 9 of 16 for 119 yards and an interception.
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