Gus Malzahn says the Patriots’ system plays to the strengths of his former QB, and that the opportunity to start « is what he’s been waiting on. »
Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL:
1. Ready to seize his chance: Becoming a starting quarterback in the NFL is hard enough. Filling the void created by Tom Brady’s free-agent departure makes it that much harder.
Jarrett Stidham is the leading candidate to fill that role, and his former coach, Auburn’s Gus Malzahn, believes he has the makeup to succeed.
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« It definitely helped him to learn under the best and see what that looks like, but he’s the kind of young man, too, this is what he’s been waiting on. I’ll tell you, the moment won’t be too big for him. He’ll be up to the challenge, that’s what I expect, » Malzahn told ESPN.com.
« Even when he got here, before he played his first game, you could just kind of tell he was a mature young man. Like a gym rat, always at the complex trying to learn, study film. When he got drafted by the Patriots [in 2019], I thought it was a perfect spot for him system-wise — spreading the field. He’s so good with protections, changing protections, and scheme-wise everything that goes with it, and just the flexibility the scheme gives him. I think that really applies to his strength. »
Stidham turns 24 on Aug. 8 — which is five days after Brady will turn 43 — and he made an impression on veteran teammates such as Patriots safety Devin McCourty last season.
That doesn’t surprise Malzahn based on what he saw at Auburn.
« He’s a people person, too. He has the ability, right off the bat, to develop relationships. People rally around him, » he said. « When he first got here, he had spent one-on-one with the coaches, one-on-one time with the players. He just has that ability that people want to follow him.
« In 2017, he had an outstanding year. He played his best football in our biggest games. Of course, we beat our two rivals and went to the SEC championship game. Had a great year. The next year, our top two receivers tore their ACLs in the spring, so that was kind of tough on him. But he did a great job when he was here. »
2. Transitioning to post-Brady life: Patriots defensive tackle Lawrence Guy said one of the benefits of the team’s virtual offseason program is that players might feel more comfortable asking questions because it is a more protected setting, while McCourty cited perhaps an even more important part: It has accelerated the process of transitioning without one of the NFL’s most iconic players — Brady. « One of the biggest things we have to do as a team, and as players individually, is move on, lock in, and get focused on life without Tom, » McCourty told Chris Carlin on ESPN Radio 98.7 in New York. « Not just to harp on it, and talk about it, but to actually move on and try to prepare.
