The Patriots quarterback league is expected since the departure of Tom Brady into free agency and was only vaulted into hyperdrive when New England decided to sign Cam Newton, adding the former MVP in the mix with second-year man Jarrett Stidham and veteran Brian Hoyer. So far, the competition between the quarterbacks has really not existed, as the initial waves of training camp have been overcome with COVID-19 tests and more individual drills in shells along with learning the game book.
Monday was the first full-pulse exercise for New England and before that major mile marker was reached in Foxborough, Bill Belichick gave a status update to the quarterback league during a performance on ESPN Radio. With Stidham and Hoyer already having some experience in the Patriots system, Belichick noted an emphasis for Newton to get on the highway with the terminology.
“All quarterbacks have been good,” Belichick told the program “Keyshawn, JWill and Zubin,” as transcribed by WEEI. “Brian Hoyer has the most experience of one of our quarterbacks in our system. Jarrett Stidham is really coming here in year 2. He’s had a great year last year in terms of learning and personal and technical development at the position. And Cam has has been a late addition, but he has brought a lot of energy and, of course, playing experience to our room, for him it is a matter of getting into the details of the Patriots system, terminology, etc., which he worked extremely hard on. Brian Lewerke is a college free agent quarterback who is also in the room and a developmental type player.It’s a good group.
“… They’ve all been great. I would say, Cam, I just had no experience working with Cam. But he works extremely hard. He puts a lot into it, like Jarrett and Brian. That’s a really hard working job. , competitive group. “
Because of the OTA-style sessions that have gone on since the start of the camp, Belichick highlighted that the Patriots “really had no” competitive situations, but that is now changing with plenty of padded practices going on. This is where things should start to heat up between the quarterbacks, specifically with Cam Newton and Jarrett Stidham. Those two are apparently the ones fighting for Tom Brady’s former throne, while Hoyer, who is on his third stint with the club, is a valuable backup.
What will be interesting to check is how quickly someone starts divorcing themselves in this competition. Due to the limited full – time practice and zero precision games this summer, it will be important for New England to get who the starter is ready for the regular season opener against the Dolphins, which is less than a month away. Identifying Brady’s ultimate successor sooner rather than later should help New England become smoother on the ground by 2020.
