Patriots Captain Addresses Team’s Quarterback Situation

The New England Patriots will have to address their quarterback situation before the start of the 2020 season. Tom Brady left the Patriots after two decades. The whole scenario changes now. Head coach Bill Belichick will have to find a solution. Patriots running back James White discussed the current situation in Foxboro. He also talked about Jarrett Stidham and his role on the field.

The 23-year-old is expected to replace Brady in September. The Patriots also have Brian Hoyer. These two will have to compete this spring for the starting quarterback role.

“Guys come and go each and every year, so you have to be able to compete with new people,” White said during a conference call. “We’re confident in Stidham, confident in Hoyer, whoever it happens to be.”

The Patriots have a great quarterback

Stidham’s rookie campaign was brilliant. His teammates really liked him. Safety Devin McCourty and special teams captain Matthew Slater had words of praise for the young quarterback.

“He came in and competed right away,” White said. “Our offense can be pretty complex, and he was willing to learn, willing to take coaching. He was fighting no matter what the situation is. The second year, he’ll come in ready to learn. We’re all competing trying to make each other better football players, be on the same page on offense so we can all help each other out.”

White and Stidham didn’t have a big role. James collected 14 touchdowns for 61 yards. He had 61 contacts with the ball as a second-year player. His performance improved overtime.

“For me, Year 2 was huge,” White said. “I didn’t really play my first year. There are some guys on our team who didn’t play their first year or didn’t play that much. They’re going to come in that second year, the expectations are going to be a little bit higher. You know the offense, you know the defense, you know the special teams, now it’s just time to go out there and execute everything. You want to compete, make your teammates better, show them you’re going to be reliable on first, second, third down, whatever it is. We can’t be making the same mistakes because it’s going to be competition out there.”

Hoyer is the only concern Stidham has at the moment. New England may go after another veteran quarterback in free agency. Belichick may trade for one or he may pick it during the 2020 NFL Draft.