The NFL is an ever-changing business. Teams, coaches, and players are adjusting every minute during their season. And, after a loss 22-12 loss to the Dolphins that ended their postseason hopes, the Patriots have to take a look at themselves and evaluate what’s best for their future.
In past weeks, Bill Belichick has been definitive when speaking on the quarterback position and who was going to be starting. Cam Newton has been that answer.
This week, his tone seems to be just a bit different when this question came up.
“Really the same question you just asked. We’ll see,” Belichick said about Jarrett Stidham getting more opportunities in the final two games of the season.
The earlier question he was referencing was about younger players getting some experience in the final two weeks.
“We’ll evaluate what the opportunities are,” said Belichick. “We’re still going to prepare and play as well as we can on Monday night. We’ll see how that all shakes out. It could be a possibility in certain situations.”
The last two games of the season, with nothing to play for, should be all about planning for the future. Young, inexperienced players should be given a chance to display their talents to try and earn a bigger role in 2021.
So, if there’s a chance that Stidham can help the team in the future, this should be the time where he gets a full week’s workload of starting reps at practice to give him a taste of life as an NFL starter.
Later in the conference call, the head coach was asked about how soon that type of switch would have to happen in the middle of the week.
“We haven’t set any timeframe on that,” he said. “I don’t really see it going that way. We’ll go through our normal weekly process and make the decision that we feel is best for the game in everything.”
Belichick’s been enamored with Newton this season, so the switch to Stidham as the starter may be a bit more difficult for him than it seems.
