NFL
Why Jarrett Stidham Will Succeed as Tom Brady’s Heir for the Patriots
Stephen Sheehan began his sportswriting career as a high school student covering sports for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel through a student outreach program. He wrote for Bleacher Report and Fan Rag Sports and worked full-time for Sportscasting in 2020 and 2021. Stephen specializes in covering the NFL, particularly the New England Patriots. Stephen is inspired by the stories sports can tell, from money to tragedies to breaking news; there are so many different ways to cover the industry. He monitors Twitter and various websites every day to find stories to tell in unique ways. Stephen was a 2008 Culpepper Journalism Foundation Fellowship winner, received a bachelor's degree in journalism in 2013 and a master's in sports management in 2015 from the University of Florida, and is an active rugby player and former rugby and football coach.
Get to know Stephen Sheehan betterPublished18 Apr 2020
Jarrett Stidham threw a pick-six on his first NFL drive. That didn’t exactly inspire confidence in Bill Belichick’s drafting acumen. But smart New England Patriots fans know it takes time for players to develop. After all, Julian Edelman wasn’t an overnight success story. James White barely saw the field as a rookie before becoming a Super Bowl hero. Even Tom Brady needed time to develop before seizing the starting job once Drew Bledsoe got injured.
Patriots fans may be understandably nervous about the future of the NFL’s most successful franchise. That’s part of the problem with Brady’s departure. New England has never truly had a question mark at the most important position in football for 20 years. But fear not, Patriot Nation. Belichick already has Brady’s replacement on the roster, and his name is Jarrett Stidham.
Jarrett Stidham was a top QB recruit before landing at Baylor
A former receiver turned quarterback, Jarrett Stidham developed into a star at Stephenville High. The Texas native only threw a single interception as a senior and signed with Baylor as a highly-coveted five-star recruit. In fact, 247Sports rated him as the Patriots QB showed plenty of flashes at Auburn
After sitting out a year, Stidham became the starter at Auburn. He didn’t disappoint. Despite playing with an average cast of weapons outside of Kerryon Johnson, he led the Tigers to an impressive 10-4 record. Once again, he showed tremendous accuracy and decision-making. He threw 18 touchdowns and just six interceptions while adding another four rushing TD. The most impressive part of Stidham’s first year was his performance in primetime SEC matchups. After a rough outing against LSU, he ripped off a three-touchdown effort against Texas A&M. He followed up with another clean game against Georgia (69.6 completion percentage and three TD). And he most notably completed 75 percent of his passes in a stunning upset over Alabama. By the end of the 2018 season, Stidham looked like a future first-round pick. Unfortunately, he regressed slightly in his final year at Auburn. However, the Tigers’ offensive system didn’t suit Stidham’s strengths. And looking at his receivers and running backs, it’s easy to see why he failed to elevate his game in his final collegiate season. Excuses aside, Stidham said all the right things in the pre-draft process and has never tried to blame his former teammates or coaches for his draft-stock slide. When the Patriots selected Stidham in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL draft, it definitely raised some eyebrows. New England hadn’t Jarrett Stidham’s teammates are confident in his abilities
While the Patriots still need to for the backup job, he threw just four passes in the regular season. Despite his inexperience, he earned the confidence of one of the Patriots’ most respected veterans. Recently retired tight end Ben Watson “I’ve seen a lot of guys who come in with a lot of hype who didn’t pan out. I’ve seen guys who came in under the radar and turned into superstars,” Watson told Fox Sports 1’s “First Things First” on Tuesday. “Stidham has all that there needs to be for somebody who’s going to be successful. He’s a student of the game. You hear that a lot, but what that really means is that when we’re in the meeting rooms, he’s paying attention.” Those words should carry weight for Patriots fans. The 20-year dynasty began on the back of a quarterback who many doubted could make an NFL roster, let alone
Bill Belichick has been building for life after Tom Brady
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