'They Feel A Lot More Confident In Jarrett Stidham Than Outside World Does': CBS Sports Analyst Charles Davis On Patriots QB Situation
(CBSBoston)- The 2020 offseason has been an interesting one for Patriots fans. They have watched the departure of Tom Brady and seen beloved tight end Rob Gronkowski join Brady in Tampa.
There had been speculation that Brady's time in New England might be winding down, but to see it actually come to fruition was still a shock to the football world. But, as with all fan bases, the attention quickly turned from Brady's leaving to what does that mean for the Patriots this season?
As free agency and the draft came and went, there were rumors aplenty of names like Andy Dalton, Cam Newton or Belichick shocking the world to move up the draft board and take Tua Tagovailoa or Justin Herbert. None of those things happened. And honestly, we likely should have expected that. Those kinds of splashy moves aren't really in the team's DNA.
The team seems quite comfortable with the quarterbacks they have in house, and there has been plenty of speculation as to whether the organization truly believes last year's fourth round pick, Jarrett Stidham, is up to the task of starting Day 1. NFL on CBS analyst Charles Davis points to all of the opportunities the Patriots passed up as the reason he believes Stidham will start and take the first snap in Week 1 of the 2020 season.
"They could have very well had Jordan Love if they stuck at 24, if he was their guy. That told me they didn't have him in that ranking on their board. That wasn't where they wanted to go. Obviously they made no big move up to get Herbert or Tua, which, honestly would have been un-Patriots like anyway," said Davis. "Then the second crop of quarterbacks comes through and they don't take any of them either. The Jacob Easons, Jake Fromms, those guys, nothing. They have moved on. That tells me that they have Jarrett Stidham as their guy. They have had him in their building for a year. They know him better than we do."
All of Belichick's comments, limited as they may be, to this point would seem to point to that conclusion as well. In his post draft conversations, the coach complimented both Brian Hoyer and Stidham saying that he likes both guys and is confident with both.
For Davis, he will always give Belichick the benefit of the doubt, particularly because of what the coach was able to do in the 2008 season when Brady was out due to injury.
"I always fall back on this, and it seems lazy, but the last time Tom Brady was away and someone took over for all 16 games, when Brady got hurt that season opener in Kansas City? Matt Cassel was the quarterback and they go 11-5," said Davis. "I always tell people, I was doing college football a lot at that time. I have spotting boards at home from USC games during that time Matt Cassel was there where Matt Cassel is listed as the third team tight end. And he goes to New England, becomes the the backup quarterback and they go 11-5. Now, it's not guaranteed, but they tend to promote from within, take care of their own, and I believe they feel a lot more confident in Jarrett Stidham than the outside world does."
For what it's worth, Stidham's old college coach, Gus Malzahn, expressed confidence over the weekend that his old quarterback will be more than capable of stepping into a starting role. Malzahn told ESPN reporter Mike Reiss that the "moment won't be too big" for a guy who the coach believes landed in a perfect spot with the Patriots.
"When he got drafted by the Patriots [in 2019], I thought it was a perfect spot for him system-wise -- spreading the field," said Malzahn to ESPN. "He's so good with protections, changing protections, and scheme-wise everything that goes with it, and just the flexibility the scheme gives him. I think that really applies to his strength."
There's a reason why Vegas has listed Belichick as the Coach of the Year. Like Davis, and many of us following the NFL, it's hard to bet against him knowing exactly what he's doing.
