New England Patriots News: Jarrett Stidham hype train full steam ahead
New England Patriots veteran stars continue to express confidence in second-year quarterback Jarrett Stidham.
Now that the shock has settled in that Tom Brady will not be wearing a New England Patriots uniform in 2020, both players and fans are onto the next stage of grief, which in this case is both acceptance and moving forward.
Unless Bill Belichick does something wacky like trading for Andy Dalton or signing Cam Newton, second-year quarterback Jarrett Stidham appears to be the man for the Patriots. At least that seems to be the plan for the Auburn product prior to the 2020 NFL Draft.
Even if someone like Justin Herbert, Jordan Love or Jacob Eason falls in their lap, it’s Stidham’s job to lose because of the work he has already put in. We got a glimpse of his success during the preseason in 2019 and players like Stephon Gilmore has confidence that the young quarterback has what it takes to lead the Patriots into 2020 and beyond.
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"“He came in and worked hard and got better and better as the year went on. He has a strong arm,” Gilmore told ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “He makes some tough throws. Definitely made it hard on me in practice each and every week, going against whoever, I was covering, making some great throws. It allowed me to get better in practice to prepare for the games.”"
If hearing that from the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year doesn’t make you feel better, veteran safety Devin McCourty praised both the attitude and maturity of Jarrett Stidham on his “Double Coverage” podcast a week earlier, stating that his poise and competitive nature are attributes that really stood out in facing off against him during practice.
But still, Stidham will have a lot to prove in taking over an offense led by the great Tom Brady for the last two decades. But, before we as fans put too much pressure on the 2019 fourth-round pick, let’s remember who Brady was before he came in and took over for Drew Bledsoe.
He was also in his second season and was actually less athletic and talented than Jarrett Stidham. Bill Belichick at the time put Tom Brady in a position where he can manage games while depending on his defense to keep the team in games. It worked out all the way to a Super Bowl victory back then. The belief is that Belichick and Josh McDaniels can at least repeat that success with Stidham.
As to how good of a starter Jarrett Stidham will be, well, that will depend on Stidham. But like Brady had defensive players like Ty Law and Lawyer Milloy to practice against, Stidham will be practicing against a great secondary headed by Stephon Gilmore and Devin McCourty.
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If both of those veteran defensive backs have confidence getting aboard the hype train, perhaps we all should as well.