Getty Jarrett Stidham
Tuesday was a day Jarrett Stidham would most likely rather forget. The second-year pro who is vying for a starting quarterback spot with the team during training camp struggled with turnovers on the second day of practice.
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Stidham Tosses Three Interceptions
On Tuesday, Stidham completed 8 of 11 passes he threw across 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills. Unfortunately for him, the three he didn’t complete were intercepted.
Correction on Stidham: he was 8-for-11 with 3 picks. All his incompletions connected with defenders (Michael Jackson, Stephon Gilmore, Kyle Duggar)
Obviously, this is just training camp and drills, but if there is one thing we know the Patriots’ coaching staff won’t tolerate from their quarterbacks, it’s turnovers. Unfortunately, in a fairly small sample size, Stidham is beginning to saddle himself with the turnover-prone label.
The 2019 Regular Season Pick-6
Again, this was just one regular-season game, but it was Stidham’s only meaningful action during his rookie season. Stidham makes a rather egregious throw that turns into a pick-six for the New York Jets’ former safety Jamal Adams.
LOL,… Look at Brady
Every throw Stidham makes will be highly scrutinized for two reasons. He’s vying to be the man who replaces the legendary Tom Brady, who earned his spot on the team 20 years ago largely because of his ball security. Interceptions don’t just make the Patriots’ coaching staff roll their eyes, they sicken the fanbase because most aren’t old enough to remember having a quarterback who regularly turned the ball over.
Secondly, Stidham’s throws will be perhaps overanalyzed because he’s competing against two veterans for the starting job, one of whom is former NFL MVP, Cam Newton.
Most believe Newton will be the guy to win the job, and he certainly performed better than Stidham on Tuesday, so there is some real pressure. Brian Hoyer, the other veteran quarterback on the team, has been perhaps the most consistent of all the players with his understanding of the offense and crisp throws.
He has connected on multiple big passes with the surprising Devin Ross during two days of padded practice. It’s never a good day to throw three interceptions, and all this just further proves why Tuesday was perhaps the worst possible time for Stidham to be inaccurate or to show poor decision making.
We’ll see if he can bounce back on Wednesday.