Skip Bayless: Jarrett Stidham may replace Tom Brady this season
Longtime talking head and sports analyst Skip Bayless just went on national television and suggested Jarrett Stidham might replace Tom Brady in 2019.
Fans of the New England Patriots are certainly no strangers to hot takes over the years – just as they’re no strangers to all the “New England’s time is over” or “Tom Brady’s in decline” articles and arguments that annually come out sometime between February and September like clockwork.
But per NESN’s Mike Cole, one of those takes came out on Thursday night and then continued into Friday morning… and it was especially scorching.
Skip Bayless, the longtime foil to Stephen A. Smith on ESPN’s popular “First Take” segment, now spends his days debating all manner of sports subjects with Shannon Sharpe on FS1’s “Undisputed,” a show very much in the same vein as “First Take.” And as Cole notes, usually it’s the man who replaced Bayless – Max Kellerman – that offers up the unpopular and unflattering opinions on Brady and the Patriots dynasty.
During the fourth preseason game between the Pats and the Giants, however, it was Bayless who decided to jump into the digital frying pan with a sizzler about Brady and his presumed heir apparent: rookie Jarrett Stidham.
Only Belichick: In the final preseason game, when most teams play nobody, he's playing Edelman, Josh Gordon and Demaryius Thomas with rookie QB Jarrett Stidham. Does Belichick ever want this kid to look good, to quickly become the Next Brady, to make Tom Brady expendable.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) August 29, 2019
Bayless’ take is obviously flawed in that it fails to acknowledge the pre-existing circumstances surrounding Julian Edelman, Josh Gordon, and Demaryius Thomas – every one of which has missed significant time during New England’s offseason programs and throughout training camp due to either injuries, rehabilitation, or suspension.
Bayless wasn’t done though.
Jarrett Stidham wound up throwing 90 passes in 4 preseason games - about 23 attempts per game. Unheard of. Belichick is FAST-TRACKING him. Here he comes, Tom. Sorry you have to put up with this.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) August 30, 2019
The suggestion that Bill Belichick is “fast-tracking” his rookie quarterback is flat-out ridiculous. New England is expected to keep Brady, Stidham, and veteran backup Brian Hoyer on its final 53-man roster this season – a rarity for the Pats, who seldom keep three signal-callers active. By Bayless’ own logic, should anything happen to Brady, it would thrust Stidham into the spotlight and give Belichick an opportunity to showcase his rookie draft find.
But that can’t be the case if Hoyer remains on the roster as New England’s No. 2 option behind Brady, obviously.
Having landed on the hottest of hot takes, Bayless carried over the “momentum” of his late-night tweetfest into the studio the next morning, going so far as to say that Belichick plans to have Stidham “replace Tom Brady next season, if not this season.”
"Bill Belichick has his new Jimmy G, his new next Brady. He has now fallen in football love with Jarrett Stidham. It's very clear, especially after last night, that he is fast tracking Jarrett Stidham to replace Tom Brady next season, if not this season..." — @RealSkipBayless pic.twitter.com/4kM0kCnkoT
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) August 30, 2019
Next. Brady and Edelman joke about Mr. Miyagi on Twitter. dark
Perhaps it’s time for Mr. Bayless to pump the brakes just a bit.
While no one can objectively look at Stidham’s performance through four preseason games and not at least be encouraged by what he’s shown us, suggesting that he’s due to bump Brady into retirement or signing with another team this season or next is completely preposterous – especially considering TB12 is just a season removed from winning the league MVP award, and less than seven months away from winning his sixth Super Bowl ring.