Patriots: NFL insider clarifies reported Jarrett Stidham injury drama
NFL insider Ian Rapoport weighed in on Patriots QB Jarrett Stidham.
Remember earlier in the year when it was reported that the New England Patriots were “upset” with Jarrett Stidham for the manner in which he suffered his hip injury? That seemed pretty bizarre considering at that point Cam Newton was garnering every positive headline you could imagine. He was expected to be the starter. Why would it matter?
Stidham has yet to be active this year due to hip/leg ailments that set him back, but many were under the impression that he was also in the doghouse given this previous buzz — that we will don’t have the complete lowdown on.
Well, according to a much more reputable NFL source, that’s not the case. Ian Rapoport, who’s right on par with Adam Schefter in terms of credibility, weighed in on the situation Monday with OMF on WEEI, Boston’s sports radio station.
Ian Rapoport via @OMFonWEEI on Jarrett Stidham: "He had that hip injury, which took 3-4 weeks to heal, and he lost a lot of reps and fell behind."
— Ryan Hannable (@RyanHannable) October 5, 2020
Adds he hasn't heard a negative thing from anyone in the organization relating to him, just suffered an injury at a bad time.
The unfortunate timing of the injury has left Brian Hoyer as the team’s starter for their Week 4 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs after Cam Newton was ruled out after testing positive for COVID-19. If not for the injury that’s left him inactive for the first three weeks, perhaps he’d be QB1 on Monday night.
But the biggest takeaway here is that the Patriots (again, reportedly) weren’t upset with him. If Rapoport, who has some of the best sources in the league, is saying this, it’s safe to take his words at face value given his track record.
The Patriots are a team that’s all about preparation. If Stidham’s conclusion to training camp didn’t end with ample reps, which has likely held him back in any capacity compared to Hoyer, it’s pretty much a foregone conclusion that Bill Belichick is going with the guy who’s been able to put in the time, especially when the situation doesn’t involve a star player.
Story: Why Brian Hoyer, not Jarrett Stidham, is expected to get Patriots' QB call vs. Chiefs tonight. https://t.co/QcowwFG6eB
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) October 5, 2020
And if you’re not totally sold on this report, perhaps you will be if Belichick pulls Hoyer at any point on Monday in favor of Stidham if the veteran is vastly underperforming or simply not getting the job done.
That’s not out of the question because the Patriots are going to need all the help they can get against the defending Super Bowl champions.
