Tag: Jarrett Sitdham

What Cam Newton’s presence means for Jarrett Stidham with Patriots

Newton’s arrival means a quarterback competition in New England for Jarrett Stidham and the Patriots.

In case you have not heard by now, former Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton is coming to the New England Patriots. Signing a one-year, incentive-laden, deal that could earn him up to $7.5 million, he suddenly brings legitimacy to a potential quarterback controversy.

But because Newton seems likely to win that competition, it’s easy to wonder: What does the signing of Newton mean for Jarrett Stidham?

Prior to Newton’s arrival, Stidham was thought to be the front-runner for the starting quarterback position. Now, Newton puts a real wrench in that plan for Stidham. He will have quarterback competition heading into 2020. This means he better be on top of his game once training camp begins.

This situation could go one of two ways. First, Stidham could start all of the games New England plays. Newton could be on the bench in case Stidham gets hurt or struggles. In that instance, Stidham would undoubtedly be feeling some pressure to perform well. With New England up against the toughest schedule in the league, Stidham certainly has his work cut out for him.

Alternatively, Newton could be the starter in 2020. That would leave Stidham on the bench, with another year to learn and grasp the offense. This could mean he is relegated to clipboard duties for the upcoming season. Again, it goes back to the schedule. Would I necessarily want a first-time starting quarterback to face the hardest schedule in football? Now with another option in play, it might be worth it for the long term if Stidham set this one out

The signing of Newton gives New England the flexibility to allow the second-year signal-caller time to grow. With the schedule the organization has, it may be wise to let him develop. That of course would dash his dreams of being a starter for 2020. However, it may put the organization in a better path for future success.

The bottom line is, the signing of Newton means that Stidham has to be ready. He has to be ready for a quarterback competition. Before, Stidham could have taken it easy for 2020, and learned on the fly. Now, if he wants to be a starter, he has to prepare like one. With Newton only 31 years of age, it’s not like this is his swan song and he only has one year left to play. If he is healthy, he could end up playing a few more years in New England. There’s a possibility that it could happen.

Stidham has to really show that he is committed to winning the starting job. As of right now, the path for him to do so has gotten a bit more rocky.

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It seems Julian Edelman is out to prove he’s not a product of Tom Brady

Julian Edelman is being fueled by doubters of the Patriots this offseason

Julian Edelman is already hard at work ready to prove the doubters wrong. As noted by one of his teammates, the wideout is determined as ever to make an impact.

At 34 years old, Edelman is certainly one of the veterans on the wide receivers unit.  He has been getting acclimated to post-Tom Brady life, using his time this offseason working out with Jarrett Stidham, as noted the quarterback noted on social media. Even son, one has to wonder if Edelman can replicate his production from last year.

The Kent State alum caught 100 passes for 1,117 yards last year. As New England tinkered with its wide receiver unit throughout the season, Edelman was a constant in terms of production.

Now, he is set on proving himself as noted by Mike Giardi of NFL Network.

The Patriots are certainly hoping all his offseason work pays off. It helps that he has a chip on his shoulder already.

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Chris Simms compares Jarrett Stidham to former Dallas Cowboys star

Jarrett Stidham has been compared to Tony Romo as analysts make predictions for the second-year player.

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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Guz Malzahn: Jarrett Stidham takes ‘coach-like’ approach to preparation

Jarrett Stidham takes his preparation seriously with a coach-like mentality.

As a new era under center is set to begin for the knowing the New England Patriots, second year quarterback Jarrett Stidham is taking things seriously.

Stidham’s former college coach Gus Malzahn, who coached Auburn when Stidham was there, notes the quarterback has a coach-like approach when it comes to preparing. With New England having the hardest schedule in all of football, this is certainly encouraging news to hear for Patriots fans.

For a quarterback who only has four passes and an interception in 15 snaps of action, he certainly has a lot to learn as the continues his journey towards a starting role. Malzahn notes the fact that Stidham was able to learn from Tom Brady is certainly a positive for the young quarterback.

“He’s like a coach,” Malzahn told NESN.com. “He came in here, and he’s like a gym rat. He’s in the film room, he’s studying, he’s asking questions, protections, what-ifs. He’s that guy. The fact that he was able to learn under Brady for a year, I think is a great situation for him.”

Stidham certainly has big shoes to fill. It will be interesting to see how he does in the 2020 season, especially when difficult situations present themselves.

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The 3 games we’re most excited about from the Patriots’ 2020 schedule

With the 2020 schedule released on Thursday, we take a look at three games we’re most excited about.

The New England Patriots 2020 schedule is out. Let’s just say it is not an easy one. The Patriots have the hardest schedule in all of football, and it will certainly test a young offense led by a new quarterback.

With the season beginning in Miami and ending in Seattle, it seems like the doing the Patriots will travel to just about every stop in the country. The first four weeks of the season will be tests in of themselves. With Seattle and Kansas City on the road, this will give New England something to measure their progress by.

Ahead of an action-packed schedule, let’s take a look at three games I am most excited for.

Week 1: vs. Miami Dolphins

The opener against the Miami Dolphins is one game I certainly am excited for. For starters, the entire Dolphins organization underwent an overhaul in the offseason. These Miami Dolphins are certainly formidable opponents, and they are working hard to establish an identity.

With Tua Tagovailoa now a member of the Miami Dolphins, the team has a new face of the franchise. Led by old friend Brian Flores, Miami looks to continue building off of what was a modestly successful season against the Patriots,

When you factor in that Elandon Roberts and Kyle Van Noy will be coming into town as well, this certainly is a reunion of familiar faces. With Miami defeating New England in Foxboro last season by a 27-24 margin last year, New England will certainly look to get a win back. Last season’s victory ultimately gave New England a harder road in the playoffs, and it gave Miami something to build off of for 2020.

Now, both teams look to start new era as another chapter in this divisional rivalry will be written. Besides the fact that this is the opening game of the season, all of these mini-storylines are reasons to be excited about the opener.

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Urban Meyer thinks Bill Belichick will make Jarrett Stidham great

Meyer spoke glowingly about the New England Patriots quarterback during a recent radio appearance.

There is no doubt that Urban Meyer has one of the most successful coaching resumes in college football history. Between his work at Utah, Florida, and at Ohio State, his accolades (three college championships) speak for themselves. On Wednesday, he spoke to Colin Cowherd during an appearance on “The Herd.”

In the conversation, he brought up Patriots quarterback Jarrett Stidham.

Meyer said that Stidham would be a great player for the Patriots. Citing the New England Patriots successful offensive system and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, Meyer has high hopes for the young quarterback. Anytime Meyer endorses a player, it certainly makes people take notice.

It’s also worth noting that Meyer recruited Stidham, before the latter decided to go to Baylor.

“The common denominator of every great quarterback – he’s on a great team,” Meyer, who recruited Stidham before the Texas native signed with Baylor, told Cowherd. “The great quarterbacks who go to bad teams also become bad quarterbacks. … You put (Stidham) with Bill Belichick, Josh McDaniels, that system … They’re going to make that quarterback a great player.”

With how successful Meyer has been, his endorsement certainly is a positive. Stidham has had several endorsements this offseason. Now, it’s up to him to go out and prove that he is worthy of them.

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Auburn’s Guz Malzahn thinks Jarrett Stidham with thrive under pressure with Patriots

Jarrett Stidham earned the praises of his college coachIn a recent interview.

New England Patriots second-year quarterback Jarrett Stidham may be under a lot of pressure in 2020. After all, he may be quarterback tasked with replacing Tom Brady. His former college coach believes that he will thrive under pressure.

In an interview with the Zack Gelb Show on CBS, Malzahn talked about how Stidham would be able to be successful in New England’s system and what he can bring to the table.

Stidham’s best season at Auburn came in 2017. He threw for 3,058 yards, 18 touchdowns and six interceptions. His best game that season came on Nov. 2017 against Texas A&M. In that contest, he threw for 268 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions. He was extremely efficient that season, and led Auburn to a 10-3 record.

“Jarrett is very steady,” said Malzahn on the Zach Gelb Show. “The thing about it is with us he had the ability to play his best games when the stakes were the highest. In 2017 we played Georgia and they were No. 1 and he played his best game. Two weeks later we played Alabama and they were No. 1 he played his best game, led us to the SEC championship. He’s a very solid person, kind of a gym rat. He understands the game of football, really from a coach’s standpoint. The system that they run fits him really well and I expect him to be very successful.”

Stidham was drafted in the fourth round with the 133rd overall pick in 2019. With the NFL Draft coming this week, it will be interesting to see if the Patriots select a quarterback with a high-round pick. New England has several areas that need to be filled as the organization enters a new era of football. Beginning the draft with the 23rd overall pick, there are many directions they can go in.

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Andy Dalton is the perfect bridge quarterback for the Patriots and Jarrett Stidham

Should the New England Patriots experience a transition at the quarterback position, Andy Dalton can help New England handle it smoothly.

With Tom Brady’s future in New England still up in the air, it is worth looking at quarterbacks that could buy some time for Jarrett Stidham to ascend to the role of starter. There are a couple of names in free agency worth looking at. But there’s a trade target, Andy Dalton, who may be the answer. He would be the perfect bridge quarterback should the Patriots transition from Brady.

Dalton threw for 3,494 yards, 16 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 2019. The 3,494 passing yards were his most in a season since 2016. The 16 touchdowns were down from his total of 21 in 2018. However, it is worth noting that the Bengals offensive line struggled in a big way.

Dalton, 32, may be approaching the twilight of his career. Only two years removed from a 25-touchdown season, he does have a recent track record of solid performances. He still has a strong arm, and that hasn’t seemed to disappear with age.

He averages 7.1 yards per pass for his career, and he recorded 6.6 yards per pass just last year. His career-high was 7.3 yards per pass in 2013, and with the right pieces around him, he could get back to that level, which would make him a serviceable, middle-of-the-pack quarterback.

There are questions as to whether he can perform in big moments. In the playoffs, Dalton has a 0-4 record.  Throwing for 873 yards, one touchdown, and six interceptions, he has a 57.8 passer rating. He may need help from his surrounding cast. Though the Patriots’ skill players underwhelmed in 2019, receivers N’Keal Harry, Mohamed Sanu and Jakobi Meyers may benefit from the another season in the system. Perhaps when the postseason rolls around, they can help elevate Dalton’s play. So, too, could New England’s 2020 offseason additions. Dalton’s contract counts as $17.5 million against the cap in 2020 — that could allow the Patriots to bring in talent (and likely more talent than if they retained Brady). If the Bengals release Dalton, the Patriots could sign him for an even more favorable deal in free agency.

The Patriots offensive line was one of the was one of the best in football last year when it came to not allowing quarterback sacks. They allowed 28 on the year. That was the fourth-least number in football.

For comparisons sake, the Bengals offensive line was tied with the Seattle Seahawks with 48 sacks given up on the season. That was the ninth-most in the National Football League. Dalton would have a bit more to work with in New England on the line than he has had with Cincinnati.

A Dalton-New England pairing is worth thinking about and looking at for the organization. He could be a relatively cheap option to help the Patriots. Especially if Brady decides to leave town, Dalton would be a great filler while Stidham continues to adjust to the professional ranks.

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