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Start Jarrett Stidham After the Patriots are Eliminated from the Playoffs

Who created the phrase, “failed experiment”? Isn’t it an oxymoron?

Think about it. The goal of an experiment to gather information. Whether you the results were what was desired or not, it’s still data that can be collected and analyzed to help get closer to an answer.

This season was an experiment for the Patriots. They had to find out if they would be fine without QB Tom Brady. After 13 games, the answer looks like a definitive no. Cam Newton seems like a great person, but he hasn’t been the solution under center.

New England is 6-7, third in the AFC East, and has one of the worst passing offenses in the NFL. But head coach Bill Belichick and the coaching staff stand by Newton as the starter because he gives the Patriots their best chance at winning. And while New England’s chances at reaching the playoffs is just six percent according to ESPN’s Power Index, it’s still a chance.

So what should the Patriots do if they are eliminated from playoff contention?

Obviously, start a new experiment by starting Jarrett Stidham.

New England seemed strangely caught off guard when Brady announced he was leaving the Patriots a day before the start of free agency. New England did not quickly sign a veteran quarterback, nor did they draft one, leading to speculation that Stidham would get his shot to write his zero-to-hero story.

That changed when the Patriots signed Newton in June. With his experience and resume, Newton was the obvious choice to start for the Pats.

Six months later, reality has smashed the rosy outlook. New England is below .500 while Newton hasn’t played at the level expected. And Newton has been nursing an abdomen injury for the past couple of weeks.

But if the Patriots are mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, then there’s no reason for Newton to continue playing hurt. Hand the ball to Stidham and let him play spoiler against the remaining schedule.

In two seasons Stidham has played the equivalent of about one game – 37 pass attempts. He hasn’t done much good with his limited opportunities, either: 54.1 completion percentage, 226 yards, two touchdowns, four interceptions, sacked four times and five rushing yards.

But what would Stid the Kid do when the game plan is designed around what he likes and his abilities? Whether Stidham earned the right to start or not, right now it doesn’t look like the Patriots have a long-term solution at quarterback. Once all playoff hopes are dashed, it’s time to exhaust all options, beginning with who is on the depth chart.

Just don’t include Brian Hoyer. He might be a great veteran presence now and a quarterback coach in waiting, but Hoyer obviously doesn’t have a future as a starting quarterback anymore.

What we know about Stidham is he played in Baylor’s spread offense and Auburn’s ball control system, and flourished in both. He has good size, has enough athleticism to make plays out of the pocket, and enough arm strength to make every pass.

And when he was given a lot of playing time during the 2019 preseason, Stidham shined: .678 completion percentage, 731 yards, four touchdowns and a pick. The COVID-19 pandemic cost the NFL the 2020 preseason, so we never got an encore from Stidham.

So has Stidham grown as a player? There’s only one way to find out. Throw him to wolves, fully prepared. Let offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels make Stidham the focus of the preparations. Give Stidham most, if not all, of the reps during practice.

And when Stidham steps onto the field, leave him there. Don’t put Stidham on a short leash. How well he can bounce back from a bad series or from mistakes and learns from them matters just as much as leading three touchdown drives in the first half.

As turnover-prone as Stidham had been, he performed respectably in mop up duty in his last two outings (7-10, 88 yards, one score). And while he threw a pick-six against the Kansas City Chiefs, Stidham also showed nice touch on his touchdown pass to N’Keal Harry.

Taking an extended look at Stidham might also provide an opportunity to take a second look at New England’s receivers. Newton had a tough time building chemistry with the pass catchers. And there has been enough times where Newton’s passes were a little off target and the receiver couldn’t make the catch.

Let’s see if Stidham has better luck with that. Those passes that Newton had overthrown or skipped to his intended target, would Stidham put them between the numbers or hit them in stride? Will Harry and Damiere Byrd be more productive working with Stidham than Cam?

Maybe we’ll finally see the rookie tight ends contribute. Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene have a total of one reception between them. Are they not getting open or is Newton just not seeing them?

Like the QB question, New England needs to confirm if the receivers and tight ends just aren’t good enough or if the problem was the triggerman. The Patriots will have a lot of money for free agency to sign the right players. And they will have the NFL Draft as another option to address these weaknesses.

This shift should happen only after the playoffs are no longer a possibility. A lot has to go right for the Patriots’ sliver of a chance to come to fruition, but as long as they have a chance, New England should absolutely go for it.

If the playoff door closes, put an end to the Cam plan. Time for the Stidham experiment. Whatever happens, the Patriots will get closer to finding their answer for their permanent quarterback problem.