Patriots: Jarrett Stidham has brutal Day 2 after great first practice
By Adam Weinrib
Patriots QB Jarrett Stidham came down from the high praise he received on Monday.
On Monday, the Patriots QB hierarchy was reportedly indistinguishable, based on those in attendance.
Tuesday? Different story. Did you devote any time at all to making snap judgments after 10 balls thrown? That’s a shame.
Jarrett Stidham, the comfortable star in Monday’s action, combining with Brian Hoyer to make Cam Newton seem unfamiliar with the vaunted Patriots system, got his balloon pricked on Tuesday, throwing an unsightly trio of interceptions to three different defensive backs.
Tough start for Jarrett Stidham today. He’s been intercepted by Michael Jackson, Stephon Gilmore and Kyle Dugger.
— Mark Daniels (@ByMarkDaniels) August 18, 2020
Yeah, I guess that’s what Dante Scarnecchia was talking about.
There’s no shame in being picked by the Defensive Player of the Year, of course, and this also must have been a nice moment for Dugger, the Patriots’ top pick in the 2020 draft. However, Tuesday should serve as a reminder that just because Stidham is familiar with the playbook doesn’t mean he can “run away” with a head-to-head battle with the 2015 MVP.
Of course, we hope the Patriots beat will have the same energy today as they did when every insider in the game was “leaking” that Stidham looked better than any other body at the facility.
.@FitzyGFY has heard from his #Patriots sources:
— Jones & Mego with Arcand (@JonesandMego) August 14, 2020
"Patriots are taking it slow with Cam Newton although the shoulder looks good"
"Jarrett Stidham is dropping dimes, making all the right reads, throwing darts. Jarrett Stidham is the best looking player at Patriots camp"
This is why you can’t ride the training camp roller coaster. Whether the Patriots take it slow with Newton or not, he’s clearly the most talented option for this team right now. If Stidham wins a QB competition fair and square, then that’s a damning assessment of Newton’s health and readiness. No matter who’s a better pro in 2025, it should absolutely be Newton at the moment.
Enough of the leaks and narrative switches. Enough of the competing beat writers all hustling to make sure we know that each of these three picks were “nice plays,” removing Stidham’s agency in the equation.
This will go up and down, and getting the scoop on who the freshest QB is on Aug. 13 is not valuable to this fan base.
On this particular day, though, it’s not Stidham.
