New England Patriots
“We’re going to watch the tape on him and figure out what he likes to do. They didn’t like him over Bo [Nix]”
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FOXBOROUGH – Jarrett Stidham is a former Patriots quarterback who is set to start the AFC championship against his former team after Bo Nix broke a bone in his ankle during Denver’s win against Buffalo last Saturday.
Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels certainly knows about Stidham’s game, having coaching him in New England and Las Vegas.
But there are just a handful of Patriots players left on the roster from Stidham’s time there. Linebacker Anfernee Jennings and offensive guard Mike Onwenu, both selected in the 2020 draft class, are two of them.
“I remember that he’s a competitor, someone that took his job seriously,” Jennings said. “Somebody that prepared the right way. Somebody that knows how to play football like an NFL quarterback and somebody that we’ve got to prepare for.”
Onwenu overlapped with Stidham on the Patriots offense in 2020 and 2021.
“I mean, obviously, I’m blocking for him, so I can’t really speak to him or his play, but I think he was a great quarterback,” Onwenu said. “I think he was supposed to be next in line. So I’m sure he’s still a great quarterback.”
Other players, such as defensive lineman Milton Williams are less familiar with Stidham.
“Nothing. I ain’t going to lie. Nothing,” Williams said when asked what he knew about Stidham. “We’re going to watch the tape on him and figure out what he likes to do. They didn’t like him over Bo [Nix], so.”
Robert Spillane played against Stidham two years ago as a member of the Raiders.
“This is a brand-new team, a brand-new defense that I’m a part of, a brand-new offense that we’re going to be going up against,” Spillane said. “So, those past memories are long ago and we’re just going to focus on what they’ve been doing as an offense and go from there.”
Stidham has not thrown a pass in an NFL game since the end of the 2023 season, but he has been in the league for several years now. On Sunday, he’ll have a chance to show what he can do with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line.
“Again, he’s got the snaps that he has – the 400 or so snaps that are in regular season action,” Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said. “And then they have a lot of snaps on what they want to do. So, we’ll have to be prepared for the plan and the things that they’ve shown. I’m sure there’ll be some things that they haven’t shown. He’s more than capable to go out there and operate. It’s why he’s a backup, and one that was coveted around the league.”
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