Bill Belichick’s comments on not starting Jarrett Stidham are telling

Bill Belichick was once again asked about the Patriots’ QB plan for the rest of 2020.

With the New England Patriots’ playoff hopes continuing to dwindle, certain fans and media members have been calling for the coaching staff to make change at quarterback amid starter Cam Newton’s recent struggles in the pocket.

While Newton certainly hasn’t colored himself in glory over the last three weeks — across which he’s completed just 56% of his passes for 272 yards and one touchdown compared to three interceptions — it would be wrong to put the offense’s ineptitude squarely on his shoulders.

It’s clear head coach Bill Belichick is of a similar mindset, and his latest comments on opting against handing the keys of the offense to backup Jarrett Stidham pretty much sum up how the Patriots feel about his potential.

Belichick condensing his response each time he’s asked about the quarterback situation proves he’s getting tired of fielding these questions. And you know what? We don’t blame him. After all, the Patriots made it clear during training camp how they felt about Stidham when they listed him as the third-stringer behind veteran Brian Hoyer.

You could honestly make the case that the only reason Stidham entered the fourth quarter of Thursday night’s loss to the Rams was to protect Newton from taking any further blows. Let’s not forget that he was limited limited in practice with an abdominal injury leading up to the game and was getting pummeled all night, taking four sacks and multiple QB hits.

People need to stop acting like Belichick doesn’t know what’s best for Newton and the Patriots. If he was still speculative about whether Stidham could be the long-term answer at quarterback, do you really think he would continue rolling with the former MVP in largely meaningless games?

Obviously not.

The theory that Belichick is using the former MVP to mask his poor roster construction is plausible, but let’s not make this any more complicated than it needs to be. He and the rest of the coaching staff simply don’t think very highly of Stidham, and that’s what their decision has boiled down to this season when Newton’s job security has been brought into question.

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