Patriots: Jarrett Stidham aced every test in latest media session

Patriots QB Jarrett Stidham aced every test in Friday’s media session

It couldn’t have been easy for Patriots quarterback Jarrett Stidham to stomach the news that the franchise signed free agent Cam Newton to (presumably) be the starter this upcoming season.

After all, that was previously shaping up to be his job to lose, and the buzz out of New England indicated that the coaching staff is extremely high on his potential moving forward.

Well, those rave reviews likely remained prominent after the Patriots’ first media session of training camp on Friday.

In many ways, that conference was a huge moment for the 2019 fourth-round pick, and fans in New England should be thrilled with how he handled himself in front of the microphone. Each of his answers proved that he has a great head on his shoulders and will give everything in the competition to become the team’s starting quarterback.

The second-year gunslinger began his segment by asserting that he’s ready to be under center for the Patriots. How could fans not love that confidence? Every analyst seems to think the cards are stacked against him, but that’s entirely false. Not only did he beat out Brian Hoyer for the backup job in 2019, but he more importantly has had over a year to familiarize himself with New England’s playbook. The former MVP is 12 months behind him, in that regard.

Amazingly enough, that wasn’t even the biggest takeaway from the presser. When asked what he thought of the Newton signing, Stidham said:

"“Honestly, I was excited. What a great opportunity to compete with another great player, compete with Hoy (Brian Hoyer) and Cam. I was actually really excited for the opportunity ahead.”"

What more could fans want? The Auburn product is just 24 years old, entering his second season in the NFL and he already knows how to manage the media.

We’re not going to be reactionary on the heels of the first video conference of training camp and say that he’s going to win the starting job outright.

However, if that stood as the first test of the campaign for Stidham, he passed it with flying colors.