WHICH PATRIOTS QUARTERBACK WILL START WEEK 1? HOYER OR STIDHAM

Over the last 20 years, the date March 17, 2020 is considered by many as the worst day in New England history, since it’s the first time since the 1999 draft that Tom Brady isn’t in a Patriots uniform. Ever since that dreadful Instagram post stating, “Although my football journey will take place elsewhere,” all the fans and media have been speculating on who will replace him. We’ve heard names thrown around left and right all throughout free agency like Cam Newton, Andy Dalton and Nick Foles. Even when it was draft night, every ESPN analyst was trying to guess on which quarterback from this draft will succeed Brady.

But none of them realized that Brady’s successor was actually selected in last year’s draft during the 4th Round…

His name is Jarrett Stidham.

I bet you’re thinking, “Who’s this bum?” Well, Stidham is 23 years old and sat behind Brady and backup Brian Hoyer all last season and was learning the playbook like the back of his hand while also learning from what Jordan Palmer described as, “the MIT course of quarterback training.” Even though Stidham had been drafted so late, that doesn’t mean he’s not a future star. Before his junior season at Auburn, he was looked at as a high 1st Round pick but his draft stock drastically declined due to his inexperienced offensive weapons that would drop passes like it was their job.

Matt Miller from Bleacher Report even gave Stidham high praise when he wrote, “Speaking to scouts pre- and post-draft this April, many believe that Stidham was better than Jordan Love as a prospect and would have ranked as the No. 3 or 4 quarterback in the 2020 class—behind only Joe Burrow and Tua Tagovailoa.”

During this past offseason, the Patriot brought back Brian Hoyer on a 1-year deal to potentially replace Brady since he was previously with the Patriots for 5 seasons. Hoyer just turned 34 years old, so it’s not like he’s the “future” for the Patriots, but he does have a lot of experience as a starting quarterback. He also has a very good understanding of the “Patriots Way” and knows the offense like the back of his hand, so he’s a perfect mentor for Stidham.

Many fans are wondering what the Patriots will do at the quarterback situation if there’s no training camp, especially after what Rob Ninkovich said yesterday on ESPN. Ninkovich stated, “I think Brian Hoyer will be the starter Week 1 and I say that because the quarterback position is one of the most important for reps under center, seeing defensive looks, looking at coverage, understanding the offense.” He continued, “…Look, they’re not practicing right now. There’s no minicamp, there’s no offseason, there’s no training camp. We don’t know when that’s going to happen.”

The quarterback situation is still all up in the air, but in my opinion I believe that you’ll see Stidham under center to start Week 1. I think it doesn’t make any sense to give Stidham more time as a backup when he will learn more during in-game situations. Last point, Hoyer has a QB record of 16-22, so the Patriots will be “Tanking for Trevor” if they go the Hoyer route.

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