The New England Patriots have shown nothing but support for Jarrett Stidham, who appears to be Tom Brady's successor at the quarterback position.
Teammates and coaches have lauded Stidham's attitude, and the team never seriously considered signing a veteran (outside of Brian Hoyer) to compete with Stidham under center.
But while the Pats evoke confidence with respect to Stidham's competence and readiness, Greg A. Bedard of the Boston Sports Journal said Stidham remained an unknown commodity to the team prior to Brady's departure:
How do I know? Well, for starters, multiple team sources told me after the season — well before Brady’s future was known or declared — that the team was pleased where Stidham was (similar to the spot to where Jimmy Garoppolo was after his first season), thought he had a chance to be a good player, but there much unknown about him. All things being equal, he likely needed at least another year of seasoning before really tackling the position.
But there’s also this: the Patriots don’t anoint anyone anything before they earn it on the field. That’s just a fact. Here’s another fact: the Patriots had no idea what they had in Brady before he had to go in against the Jets after Drew Bledsoe was injured, and the team largely played around Brady’s limitations on the way to the Super Bowl and beyond.
Of course, Bedard's final statement might be the most important.
Brady was hardly “ready” to become the full-time starter in New England when Drew Bledsoe went down in 2001, but he earned his stripes and thus began one of the greatest careers in NFL history.
Stidham might be an unknown commodity, but the Pats are willing to see what he can provide them on the field. New England should still boast one of the better defenses in the league, and the Pats will hope Stidham's mobility gives them some more options in terms of play-calling and scheming.
Plus, New England does not have much of a choice but to roll with Stidham, given they have just over $1 million in cap space.
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