How will the New England Patriots offense look post-Tom Brady?
Well, simply put, it likely won’t look the same. Instead, the Patriots will maximize the strengths of whoever is under center starting the 2020 season — whether that’s second-year quarterback Jarrett Stidham or veteran Brian Hoyer. NFL Media’s Mike Giardi explained just that during an NFL Network appearance on Monday.
“Everybody from the outside looking in says, ‘Well, it’s going to be Tom Brady’s offense. They’re going to run Tom Brady’s offense.’ That’s not the case,” Giardi said. “The Patriots have made a point of over the years tailoring their offense to their personnel. And Jarrett Stidham, if he ends up winning the job — and again, he has to win the job from Brian Hoyer — if he does, he’s a more mobile quarterback. They will highlight his strengths.
“And we’ve seen it in the past, albeit for brief windows,” Giardi added. “When Jacoby Brissett had to take over from Jimmy Garoppolo, who took over for Tom Brady, they ran a run-heavy offense that included having Brissett run the football. When it was Matt Cassel back in the 2008-09 season, they realized he’s more mobile, let’s move the pocket, let’s make him feel more comfortable. They’re always going to highlight the strengths of the player they have and try to mute those weaknesses.”
What will the #Patriots offense look like? And what has N'Keal Harry been up to and why? @nflnetwork @NFLMedia pic.twitter.com/A746unrYcP
— Michael Giardi (@MikeGiardi) May 25, 2020
Giardi’s points are right on track, even referenced from Patriots coach Bill Belichick himself.
Belichick spoke to the media earlier this offseason and noted how the offense will look different without Brady, but added how the Patriots have “adapted” to different quarterbacks and made it fit best to what they did in the past.
“I don’t really see that changing,” Belichick said in April.
So, for now, the bigger question comes down to which quarterback the offense will adapt to.
