The Jarrett Stidham-Tony Romo comparisons have started. NFL analyst Chris Simms selected Stidham at No. 35 in his latest quarterback rankings, but he wasn’t exclusively critical of the young quarterback.
It may be hard to fully picture what Stidham can do. After all, his only professional action came against the New York Jets in a mop-up situation last September. Nevertheless, we have begun to see analysts and writers make their predictions as to how they believe Stidham will fare in his first season as a starter.
Stidham will be part of a crowded quarterback room. Brian Hoyer, J’Mar Smith, and Brian Lewerke make up the competition there. it will certainly be interesting to see where the chips fall as the organization looks to regain its offensive identity.
In the meantime, Simms sees a lot of the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback in the Auburn alum.
“First off, I loved [Stidham] coming out of college,” Simms said on a recent edition of Pro Football Talk television show. “I saw a lot of him in preseason last year, and loved the way he looked. Really, when you look at him, there’s nothing to say or look at him physically and go, ‘Oh, there’s a weakness to his football game.’ He reminds me a little of Tony Romo. He’s a very pure thrower of the football. He’s got great mechanics, he’s natural that way. He’s smart, and we know he’s being well-schooled up there in New England.
“He doesn’t have as strong of an arm as Tom Brady, but it’s not far off — it’s right there in that range. It’s a really good arm, and he’s a good athlete. Not an athlete that’s going to run for a ton of yards, but can move around the pocket and extend plays that way. That’s what I’m excited about with Jarrett Stidham: He’s got great feel. He’s a natural at playing the quarterback position, let alone, he’s got skills that can really shine and stand out as well.”
Stidham will certainly have his work cut out for him. New England has the hardest schedule in all of football. Seeing how he does in tough situations, particularly in games on the road, will be good tests moving forward.
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