FOXBORO, Mass. — Take a glance at Jarrett Stidham’s stat line from Friday’s training camp session, and you would think the day was a disaster for the New England Patriots rookie quarterback.
Stidham went 11-of-18 with three interceptions in team drills on the day, but most importantly, he finished strong. Stidham capped off his second training camp practice as a pro going 5-of-5 in a red-zone session. Included in that stretch was a pretty touchdown pass to running back James White on a wheel route over linebacker Brandon King.
Growing pains are to be expected out of a rookie quarterback, especially in New England.
“I’ve been in that position,” backup quarterback Brian Hoyer said Friday. “Especially in this offense, we ask a lot out of the quarterback, and there’s a lot on your plate. You just try to take as much as you can, digest it and keep on moving forward.”
Stidham’s emergence in the spring pushed fourth-string quarterback Danny Etling to wide receiver. Now, as cliche as it sounds, it’s just about improving every day as the Patriots’ offense and defense gets more and more complicated.
“There’s a lot going on,” Hoyer said. “The multiples keep adding up each day too. Our defense isn’t just this simple defense either. They’re doing a lot of things. We’re doing a lot of things. There’s a lot of stuff going on out there, and you have to process it relatively quickly. …
“Look, I’ve played in a lot of offenses. Some offenses, a rookie quarterback can go in, and it’s very simple for him. They don’t have to worry about a lot, and it’s just, pick a guy out and throw it. We’re asking our quarterbacks to do a lot. To me, that’s why this is such a great system. … You’ve got to take pride in being a quarterback in this offense and put the time in. I think he’s trying to do that. It’s only the second day of training camp. So, there’s a lot of stuff going on. Eventually, it kind of settles down, and you kind of just try to soak it all in and keep going one day at a time.”
Luckily for Stidham, he likely won’t be asked to play in 2019. Tom Brady is still the Patriots’ starter, and it’s unlikely Stidham would push Hoyer out of the backup role.
Tight end Matt LaCosse was impressed with Stidham’s progress, however.
“I thought he had his best day today,” LaCosse said. “He made a throw on a wheel route that was really impressive. I think it was to James White. It was a really impressive throw. It was kind of off his back foot. I’ve been very impressed. I know this is a tough offense to learn, so I think each day we’re going to see him improve.”
