In a season that has been as wild with shakeup as a board game of electric football, give Jarrett Stidham his chance. And as for those pesky trade rumors, let Deshaun Watson get his legs and confidence back with the Houston Texans.
As all the trade talk heats up, let’s hope it is nothing more than a boring media reaching for something to talk about. The truth? In twenty years, the Patriots have never had a reason to consider their backup quarterback as a player they needed to play. That is one fortunate advantage New England enjoyed during Tom Brady’s tenure.
We can now tenderly call that time “The Brady Years.” Brady played so well and stayed so healthy we enjoyed nine Super Bowl games and brought home six Super Bowl victories. But we all knew one day Brady would walk off the field. We all wondered what it would be like when he did.
For the first time, aside from when Brady had his knee injury, the Patriots have the crux of starting at quarterback and Cam Newton got another chance to be a starting quarterback. He is, after all, a former Super Bowl QB and a two-time collegiate National Champion.
But Newton couldn’t get it done as successfully in New England as he is accustomed. He never looked completely comfortable, and that’s fine. He has no reason to try to force himself or risk serious injury. He has proven himself in the world of football, so kudos and thanks for taking a chance with us.
That said, Newton put his name in the place of three long-standing Patriots’ franchise records, and those may be the only three records not owned by a man named Brady. Newton quietly overtook Steve Grogan’s most rushing yards in a season by a Patriots quarterback with 592. His 12 touchdowns top Grogan’s mark as well. And he eclipsed the record for the longest run by a Patriot quarterback with a run of 49 yards.
Backup New England Patriots quarterback Jarrett Stidham watches from the sideline (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
All three of those records now belong to Cam Newton. But all the time, Jarrett Stidham has been waiting and watching. And now seems like the natural opportunity for Stidham to step in and assume the starting quarterback role.
As 2021 turns the corner from spring to summer and begins to go round the turn headed for autumn, New England would be wise to put the money invested in Stidham to work. That’s the only way we’ll get to see if Stidham is good enough to be Brady’s successor.
Nobody really knew what to expect when the Brady years were finished, and now we have an example. Ok. It’s time for Round Two.
So now we’ve borne witness with the 2020 season and, as the playoffs continue, the Patriots are on the outside looking in, preparing for next year. We’ll all speculate through spring and summer, and we’ll speculate some more as training camp begins, but by the time the 2021 season starts, we will have the answer to the question of who will head the quarterback role in New England.
In a season that has been as wild with shakeup as a board game of electric football, give Jarrett Stidham his chance. And as for those pesky trade rumors, let Deshaun Watson get his legs and confidence back with the Houston Texans.
