Thanks to yet another lopsided loss, this time 24-3 at the hands of Aaron Donald, rookie running back Cam Akers and the surging Rams, Patriots backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham earned some more mop-up duty Thursday night at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
Stidham’s opportunity came because Cam Newton’s performance very much earned yet another late-game benching, this one including a pick-6 interception thrown on a red zone screen pass in the second quarter to lowlight his fourth game in the last five outings throwing for less than 120 yards.
Forget the issues the Patriots have in terms of a lack of talent at tight end or wide receiver, the fading former NFL MVP Newton has pretty much proven he cannot throw the ball or lead an NFL passing offense at a high enough level right now. It is what it is as a once-wise football philosopher said way more than once, and it was certainly plain enough for FOX analysts and Hall of Fame passing-game playmakers Terry Bradshaw and Tony Gonzalez to express in their immediate postgame analysis.
“I don’t think there is any question it is time to sit Cam down,” Bradshaw said simply.
It really is that obvious.
“Right now he doesn’t have it and I don’t know if he’ll ever get it back,” Gonzalez added.
By extension, the Patriots don’t have it either.
The latest loss dropped the Patriots to 6-7 on the fading first season without Tom Brady under center in Foxborough.
Though New England is not officially eliminated from playoff contention, it’s going to take a true Christmas miracle in the coming weeks for the team to make it to the playoffs for a 12th consecutive season.
Again, it is what it is.
It is indeed time for Stidham to start. To get a full week of practice preparation. In fact, coming off the Thursday night loss, the second-year former fourth-round pick could actually get more than a week to prepare for a trip to Miami to take on the Dolphins a week from Sunday.
It’s the perfect time.
Bill Belichick is paid to do and prides himself in doing what’s in the best interest of his football team. That includes keeping an eye on both short and long term issues.
Yet for some reason, Belichick doesn’t sound like a man with even a hint of wavering faith in Newton as the leader of his team, a quarterback he’s been seemingly smitten with since he arrived in town this summer.
Immediately after the loss in L.A. Belichick got what he described as a “great question” that he was “glad” to have asked when a reporter wondered if he would be sticking with Newton as the Patriots starter next week.
“Cam’s our quarterback,” Belichick said.
Why not go to Stidham? What has Newton shown to stick with him?
“He’s our quarterback,” Belichick reasserted. “I just answered that one.”
Actually, no, you didn’t. Neither question, really.
Belichick’s dug-in stance became even stranger when he was asked if he was happy with Stidham’s development and what he’s seen from the young quarterback in limited action in recent weeks.
“Yeah. Jarrett’s worked hard. He’s tried to take advantage of his opportunities. But that’s not really the point,” Belichick said.
Uhhhh, what now?
Isn’t that quite the point? Newton isn’t doing the job, so it’s time to find someone else who might be able to?
Newton, who made it clear that the abdomen injury that landed him on the injury report recently is not adversely affecting his play, was obviously asked if he was concerned after his latest benching that he might lose his starting job.
“That’s not my call,” Newton said accurately.
He’s absolutely right. It’s Belichick’s.
It’s an obvious call that the coach for some yet unspoken reason is curiously dead set against making.
But why?
The Patriots have pretty much lost the chance to make the postseason. Their seven losses are the team’s most since the infancy of the dynasty back in 2002. Newton is floundering worse than some of his throws. The team doesn’t currently have a competent passer and, with three games to play, there is no reason to believe Newton should be in the plans for 2021.
Belichick has one chance to salvage some value from this sinking season. Brady is gone. The playoffs are all but gone.
Now the only opportunity to pull some tangible benefit from 2020 is to actually find out what Stidham can do over the final three weeks of the schedule.
Maybe he’ll fall on his face and look worse, if that’s even possible, than Newton has. If so, it will make it clear that he, like Newton, is not worthy of being the QB of the present or the future, despite the Brady-heir narrative that was so popularly spun last spring.
Maybe, though, Stidham surprises his hesitant head coach.
Maybe No. 4 uses the next three weeks to gain experience, open some eyes and give his own career and his team’s offense a jolt of life.
One way or the other, it’s worth a try.
Whether Belichick wants to admit it or not – whether he is willing to even consider it or not – the reality is that it’s time for Stidham to get his shot as the Patriots starting quarterback.
Sadly, at this point New England really has nothing more to lose.
