FOXBORO -- With Tom Brady sitting out of Friday's training camp session, it meant a ton of reps for backups Brian Hoyer and rookie Jarrett Stidham.
Stidham certainly showed signs of being a rookie with multiple interceptions and also taking a long time to get rid of the ball, but he also drew the praise of some of his teammates afterwards.
“I thought he had his best day today," tight end Matt LaCosse said of Stidham. "He made a throw on a wheel route that was really impressive. I think it was to James White. It was a really impressive throw. It was kind of off his back foot. I’ve been very impressed. I know this is a tough offense to learn, so I think each day we’re going to see him improve.”
Hoyer probably knows better than anyone what Stidham is going through.
“I’ve been in that position,” he said. “Especially in this offense, we ask a lot out of the quarterback, and there’s a lot on your plate. You just try to take as much as you can, digest it and keep on moving forward.” Hoyer added: “There’s a lot going on. The multiples keep adding up each day too. Our defense isn’t just this simple defense either. They’re doing a lot of things. We’re doing a lot of things. There’s a lot of stuff going on out there, and you have to process it relatively quickly. …
“Look, I’ve played in a lot of offenses. Some offenses, a rookie quarterback can go in, and it’s very simple for him. They don’t have to worry about a lot, and it’s just, pick a guy out and throw it. We’re asking our quarterbacks to do a lot. To me, that’s why this is such a great system. … You’ve got to take pride in being a quarterback in this offense and put the time in. I think he’s trying to do that. It’s only the second day of training camp. So, there’s a lot of stuff going on. Eventually, it kind of settles down, and you kind of just try to soak it all in and keep going one day at a time.”
It's not all that surprising Stidham is struggling early on considering the Auburn offense was very basic with only one read, but if he continues to improve each day, he has the natural talent to stick around and potentially one day make an impact.
In the short-term, it feels he's pretty much guaranteed a 53-man roster spot since he was a third-round pick, and with a very strong camp could even push Hoyer for the backup job.
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