If Jarrett Stidham had shown signs of promise at practice, Bill Belichick would have noticed by now. The New England Patriots coach, one of the shrewdest talent evaluators in the history of the sport, probably would have recognized that one of his quarterbacks was playing well enough to earn a spot in the starting lineup.
At this point, that’s priority No. 1: find a quarterback.
We know Stidham would get a spot if he’d earned it, because he’s at the front of the line for the starting job. And the person who has the job, Cam Newton, has not been very good (five passing touchdowns, 10 interceptions in 14 games). That’s why talking heads on TV and radio are calling for Newton’s removal. That’s why Stidham suddenly carries the mystique. He’s the backup quarterback for a struggling franchise.
The backup? Young? Brimming with potential, right?
The folks in New England haven’t been around a struggling franchise in 20 years. But that mystique — “the backup who must have potential” — can fade quickly. And it would probably shatter like sugar glass if Stidham hit the field for a matchup against the Jets in Week 17.
“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,” offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said Saturday.
McDaniels and Belichick are watching Stidham’s progress — no doubt with tremendous interest. The coaches want to turn this franchise around. Their legacies depend on it. Don’t you think they’d hand over the reins to Stidham if they thought he was remotely ready?
If they had a way to upgrade their quarterback position, they’d take it. And because of that, we can deduce Stidham is simply worse than Newton — and probably significantly worse, because the Patriots seem unlikely to throw in Stidham for a let’s-see-what-the-kid-can-do appearance in a meaningless game in Week 17. Newton is likely to start again in Week 17.
Stidham didn’t look good in training camp, and he started the season as QB3 behind Brian Hoyer. When Hoyer flunked in his start against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Patriots gave Stidham a spin. It wasn’t pretty. No part of Stidham’s body of work — at least that the media has seen — has been impressive. His quarterback rating (16.6) is worse than Newton’s (45.1). Stidham’s completion percentage (50%) is worse than Newton’s (65.4). Stidham’s yards per attempt (5.8) is worse than Newton’s (7.1). And Stidham’s interception percentage (6.8%) is much worse than Newton’s (3%).
Stidham’s supporters will suggest that he hasn’t gotten an opportunity to work with the starting unit, which makes him look out of sync. While that’s true, it’s also important to consider he’s entering the game in garbage time, when teams tend to call coverages that allow receptions, particularly in the middle of the field, to help chew clock and bring an end to the game.
Belichick and McDaniels are keeping Stidham off the field. There’s a reason — and it may be the simplest one. Stidham isn’t good enough. And even if he’s the type of player who surprises in a game setting — elevating from poor practice play to great game play (which Stidham hasn’t done so far) — there’s very little that we can glean from a game against the Jets in Week 17. The Patriots need to invest enormously in their quarterback position, whether it’s with a high draft pick, a big trade or a large contract for a free agent.
New England has clearly made up its mind on Stidham. The ruling isn’t in his favor. He’ll surely get a shot to compete for the job in 2021. But you can bet the Patriots recognize they to be aggressive in finding additional competition for him (and perhaps Newton, if he re-signs) this offseason.
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