Jarrett Stidham is ready to take the reins as the next starting quarterback of the New England Patriots in the 2020 NFL season.
The New England Patriots were forced to find a new starting quarterback for the upcoming season. During the offseason, Tom Brady left the Patriots organization to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It was a shocking turn of events for the fans as well as the players, coaches, and front office members.
As a result of this, New England had to find a replacement for Brady — but no one will ever be able to replace the six-time world champion. Nevertheless, they had no choice but to find the next starting quarterback for the Patriots.
The replacement is most likely going to be the second-year pro Jarrett Stidham. He will have some similarities with Brady by being forced into the starting role in his second year.
The only difference is that Stidham is starting because the previous starter left via free agency, whereas in Brady’s case, Drew Bledsoe got hurt.
Stidham was taken in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft (133rd overall), and was already christened to be Brady’s replacement when/if Brady retired or left via free agency/trade.
Fast forward one year later, and Stidham is ready to be the starting quarterback for the New England Patriots. The question is: Will he succeed as the starter or will he fail?
Here are four reasons why I think Jarrett Stidham will succeed as the starting quarterback for the New England Patriots in 2020 and beyond.
1st Down: Stidham learned from the best
Some of the most successful people in their selected professions are successful because they learned from the very best in the business.
Jarrett Stidham had the honor of learning from the GOAT (greatest of all time) for all of last season. He couldn’t have had a better teacher than Tom Brady, and picking his brain for the entire season gives Stidham a distinct advantage.
He learned how to read defenses, change the play at the line of scrimmage, look off defenders, etc. — all aspects to being a great quarterback that Brady excels in.
Stidham also learned how to conduct himself on and off the field, dealing with the media and the Patriot Way. He also learned the championship pedigree from Brady.
Stidham learned a lot from Brady, but now he has to take those lessons to the field and be successful in 2020.
2nd Down: McDaniels is still the offensive coordinator
Josh McDaniels has been one key component to the success of the Patriots offense during his time as the offensive coordinator.
He will design up plays that will play to Stidham’s strengths as a quarterback. He will be able to provide that level of comfort for Stidham if the young quarterback runs into trouble.
McDaniels should keep his quarterback at ease by taking him under his wing. Both know the system very well, so I can see this being a good partnership for 2020.
3rd Down: Offensive veterans will help Stidham
Jarrett Stidham won’t be alone on offense this season because there are a handful of players familiar with the offense who can help their quarterback through growing pains.
Julian Edelman, James White, Sony Michel, and the offensive line are some players that Stidham can rely on to have success in 2020. Edelman and White can help him gain confidence with some short passes, eventually leading to deeper passes down the field.
Then, if the passing game doesn’t work, Michel and the offensive line can help him calm down by gaining some success in the running game. That means Stidham won’t feel like he has to make all the plays himself and can rely on his teammates.
4th Down: The team has confidence in him to be the man
Bill Belichick and the other coaches have confidence that Stidham will be the guy because they didn’t add another quarterback to create competition.
There were a handful of quarterbacks available for the Patriots to sign, including Cam Newton, Jameis Winston, and Colin Kaepernick. There were also a lot of quarterbacks available in the draft for New England to select.
With all these options available for the Patriots to improve their team, they decided that Stidham is good enough to be the starting quarterback. If there is anything that can help Stidham be successful in 2020, it is that same confidence from his coaches.
All in all, I am still on the fence about whether or not Stidham will have a good season in 2020. I think he will ultimately succeed as the Patriots quarterback, but there is still a chance he won’t succeed. I am optimistic, though.
Stay tuned for the other side of the coin and four reasons why Stidham isn’t the answer at quarterback for the New England Patriots.