New England Patriots: Jarrett Stidham ready for big moment

Jarrett Stidham is poised to be the New England Patriots starting quarterback in 2020 and a former coach thinks he is ready for the big moment.

Life will not be easy for Jarrett Stidham. He has some giant shoes to fill. Stidham will be the QB that takes over for New England Patriots legend Tom Brady.

This offseason was filled with rumors that the Patriots would look elsewhere at quarterback. With Andy Dalton on the Dallas Cowboys and Cam Newton still on the free agent market, that isn’t the case anymore. New England has put its trust in Jarrett Stidham.

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If the Patriots didn’t trust Stidham they would have signed Dalton or Newton by now. The fact that they didn’t shows that they think they can win with Stidham.

I have to agree with them. Of course, Stidham is no Tom Brady (no one will ever be), but I think he can be succesfull. He has a quality arm and can use his legs to escape pressure.

Stidham will also have some help up front. The returns of Joe Thuney and David Andrews will be a major boost. This will hopefully ensure that Stidham has plenty of time to make decisions in the pocket.

A lot of players have spoken about Stidham’s abilities. Stephon Gilmore and Devin McCourty are confident in the new starter.

Stidham also has another vocal supporter, his coach at Auburn, Gus Malzahn.

"“It definitely helped him to learn under the best and see what that looks like, but he’s the kind of young man, too, this is what he’s been waiting on. I’ll tell you, the moment won’t be too big for him. He’ll be up to the challenge, that’s what I expect,” Malzahn told ESPN.com.“Even when he got here, before he played his first game, you could just kind of tell he was a mature young man. Like a gym rat, always at the complex trying to learn, study film. When he got drafted by the Patriots [in 2019], I thought it was a perfect spot for him system-wise — spreading the field. He’s so good with protections, changing protections, and scheme-wise everything that goes with it, and just the flexibility the scheme gives him. I think that really applies to his strength.”"

Of course, Malzahn isn’t going to trash Stidham, but I think he makes an important point.

Stidham will need confidence and calmness to ensure he succeeds next season. Both on and off the field he will be under a lot of pressure.

Also, Malzahn points out Stidham’s intelligence on the field. That will be very important next season. By using correct protections and audibles, Stidham will ensure that he is succesfull on the field.

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Like a lot of people, I am excited to see what Stidham can do in 2020. He might just surprise some people and put together a quality season.

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