NFL Notebook: How Jarrett Stidham can learn from Jimmy Garoppolo

FOXBOROUGH -- This week’s edition of the NFL Notebook is chock full of draft stuff, including which guys on the Patriots’ roster made out best when things wrapped up on Saturday, how New England used this draft to try and create some leverage with some looming contracts, and a few potential positional battles this spring and summer. But first, we take a look at quarterback Jarrett Stidham and what he might be able to learn from Jimmy Garoppolo and his evolution while in New England.

1. The ink wasn’t dry on Jarrett Stidham’s Patriots’ draft card when the questions began: Do the Patriots have The Next Guy? The heir to the throne? Or is Stidham just the latest Tom Brady understudy who will end up leaving Foxborough before No. 12?


Let’s start with what we do know: A look at his film suggests that at this point in Stidham’s career, his background and pedigree suggest he has a better shot at ultimately being The Next Guy than just about anyone else they’ve brought in over the years other than (maybe) Jimmy Garoppolo.

There are plenty of reasons why. He’s done well at a high level over an extended period of time — on Saturday afternoon, after New England made him the 133rd overall pick, I spent a good portion of the rest of the day watching his 2017 season, including one five-game stretch near the end of the year (that included games against Georgia, Alabama and Texas A&M) where he completed 72 percent of his passes, threw for 1,172 yards and eight touchdowns. The Tigers won all five games, and while Stidham wasn’t overwhelming offensively, he did everything he needed to do to help his team win games. There was sound execution, terrific decision-making, and big plays when needed against a world-class defense. Check out this highlight reel from the Alabama game.



The problem? That consistency didn’t carry over into 2018. He appeared to take a step back at times. His completion rate, passing yards, completions, and yards per attempt all dropped from 2017 to 2018 as Auburn went from 10-4 to 8-5. On a conference call with the media on Saturday, he hinted at some of the reasons behind his regression, saying play calls, personnel losses (like his most trusted target in future Lions running back Kerryon Johnson) and other things played a role.

“I think myself, coach (Gus) Malzahn, (offensive coordinator Chip) Lindsey, if we were all to kind of look back and go back and read through the season, I think we’d just open it up a lot more,” he said. “When you lose a guy like Kerryon Johnson and Braden Smith up front, some of those guys that have a lot of experience, you just have to find out your identity.”

So if you’re the Patriots, how can you assure yourselves you’re getting the 2017 edition of Stidham instead of the 2018 version? And that you’re getting a guy in Stidham who is closer to Garroppolo than, say, Ryan Mallett? To try and find some answers, I called Jeff Christensen, the throwing guru who shepherded Garoppolo through his most formative years before he landed in New England. A coach who spends a lot of time studying the habits of quarterbacks everywhere, he sounded a note of optimism when it came to Stidham’s development.

“The kid they just drafted, he has his moments where, from a technique standpoint, he throws the ball pretty well. And there are moments where he deviates,” Christensen said of Stidham. “The question is when he gets to the NFL level is whether or not he has the awareness to achieve that consistency or not.”

In Garoppolo’s case, part of that boiled down to a level of faith. Young quarterbacks get wrapped up in having to throw to pass-catchers, when they need to be focused on throwing to a spot and having faith that the guy will be there when the ball is delivered. Christensen said Garoppolo learned that skill. Stidham will have to play with that level of faith if/when he gets significant snaps at the NFL level.

“Certain guys, when they have really, really good technique, even though they play with lesser talent in college, they play well,” he said. “But a lot of time when they get with dudes who know what they’re doing in the NFL, they can play at a higher level because they are playing with dudes who can go get it. Some of that was the case with Jimmy. And maybe that could be the case here.

“But if you get to that point, it comes down to moxie and savvy and toughness and what kind of people he’ll surround himself with and how much he’ll study Tom and whether to not he’ll ask the right questions,” he added. “But really, he can play. I’ve seen him make enough really good throws to say he could have a future.”

(For what it’s worth, it’s going to be fascinating to see how everything shakes out this spring and summer with the three backups on the roster. Stidham is sticking. Brian Hoyer is one of the best teammates you could ask for, but now, I can envision a scenario where the New England decision-makers say, “Well, we have a year invested in Danny Etling and we’re not going to owe Hoyer a lot of money if we cut him,” and they end up going with the two kids as Brady backups. But more on that potential positional battle in a second.)

At the end of the day, we’re not really going to get a sense of Stidham’s full potential until he’s under center in legit game action. Garoppolo’s ascension came in part because he finally got his chance to get game reps in 2016. He responded to the challenge. Whether or not Stidham is capable of answering the bell in similar fashion when/if he gets the chance will go a long way toward determining the legacy of this draft, and whether or not Stidham will have a legit chance at being The Next Guy or Just Another Guy.

2. One of the things that really became apparent over the course of the last three days was the fact the Patriots hope to continue to give themselves some leverage moving forward when it comes to keeping costs down. The decision to go after Joejuan Williams could have been precipitated (at least in some part) by Stephon Gilmore’s looming $18.7 cap number in 2020. It’s also realistic to think the decision to take highly-regarded Hjalte Froholdt in the fourth round is a way to guard (no pun intended) against the possible loss of Joe Thuney, who is entering a contract year. Running back Damien Harris will theoretically be able to serve as insurance for the likes of James White and Rex Burkhead, both of whom have two years left on their current deals. And New England could cut costs at punter if Jake Bailey is able to beat out Ryan Allen. In short, the personnel machine rolls onward, regardless of how important you may have been to a defending Super Bowl champion.

3. In the spirit of Mike Vrabel’s quote about watching the draft as a player, we can project a few possible position battles for the Patriots this spring and summer:

a) N’Keal Harry vs. Demaryius Thomas vs. (possibly) Josh Gordon: All big, boundary receivers, you would figure Harry would get first crack at the position, but it’s going to be interesting to see if there’s a situation where you could get more than one of them on the field at the same time, provided Thomas and Gordon can get out there consistently (or at all) come 2019.

b) Bailey vs. Allen: Allen has been a constant for the Patriots as the primary punter since 2013, but his one-year deal doesn’t have a lot of guaranteed money. Bailey had a terrific college career, and as a right-footed punter (a rarity in New England), could mount a challenge to the incumbent.

c) Stidham vs. Hoyer/Etling: On his conference call with us Saturday, Stidham was very complimentary of Hoyer and Etling, but it’s clear he’s going to be able to bring an interesting new dynamic to the quarterback room going forward. He’s not going to supplant Brady, but Stidham is going to make things dicey for the two other quarterbacks on the roster last year.

4. Right-footed punters have been few and far between in New England over the years. The last righty to deliver a punt for the Patriots? Brady boomed one in 2013 (a 32-yarder). The last regular right-footed punter to work for New England was Todd Sauerbrun in 2006. Since then, it’s been almost nothing but lefties. After the draft on Saturday, pro personnel director Nick Caserio was asked about the decision to draft the right-footed Bailey, and he responded with a small smile. “I know that’s been a topic of discussion that we’ve had 56 left-footed punters since Bill’s been here, but punting, there’s a lot of different things that go into punting,” he said. “I mean, it’s just the spin of the ball is going to be a little bit different and those types of things. So, I think you just look at the player on its own.”

5. Stidham and fellow rookie Harris already know each other — the two played Pee Wee football together when they were eight years old. “I’ve known Damien for basically my entire life, it seems like, and we’ve definitely kept in touch,” Stidham said Saturday. “I’ve obviously played him the last couple of years. It’s funny, as soon as I get off this call, I’m actually going to give him a shout and tell him how excited I am to play with him again. Life always comes full circle, and to be with the very first year of tackle football playing with Damien and now we’re both New England Patriots, it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

6. Did a member of the Patriots’ draft class inadvertently reveal one of the offseason changes in the New England coaching staff? In a Saturday afternoon conference call with the media, defensive lineman Byron Cowart said he worked out for New England in the months leading up to the draft. Who was that workout with? "It was the D-line coach,” he replied, before adding it was “Coach Covington.” The Patriots have not announced their new defensive line coach, but that was likely a reference to DeMarcus Covington, a New England coaching assistant since 2017. Covington was considered a rising star on the staff, and the likeliest candidate to ascend the coaching ladder this offseason. If Covington did indeed become the new DL coach, that would mean the defensive coaching staff would look like this:

Defensive coordinator: Open (It wouldn’t be a surprise to see consultant Bret Bielema become the new defensive coordinator.)
Defensive line: Covington
Linebackers: Jerod Mayo
Cornerbacks: Open
Safeties: Steve Belichick

7. Two of the winners in this year’s draft? Braxton Berrios and the guys who are currently part of the tight end depth chart. Berrios, who sat all of last year, figured to have a bit of an inside track when it came to a roster spot, if only because he was around all summer long, and that counts for something. While there’s a lot of time between now and the start of the season, the fact the Patriots didn’t take more than one receiver certainly increases his chances when it comes to being a significant contributor in 2019 as a possibility in the passing game. The same is true for the tight end spot, as New England didn’t end up with a player at that position. Again, there’s a lot of time left this offseason when it comes to team building (I still wonder if Kyle Rudolph is a possibility), but the group led by Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Jacob Hollister, Matt Lacosse, Stephen Anderson, Ryan Izzo and the rest have a better chance to make an impact than if New England had added T.J. Hockenson, Noah Fant or anyone else. (Of course, that changes a bit of they tempt Benjamin Watson out of retirement.)

8. Updating three of our favorite Patriots’ draft-related stats.

a) Defensive back remains Bill Belichick’s favorite draftable position. Taking into account New England’s haul this week, the Patriots have taken more defensive backs (33) than any other position since he took over in 2000. Defensive line and offensive line (31 each) are tied for second. In addition, there have been 22 linebackers, 17 wide receivers, 12 tight ends, 11 quarterbacks, 10 running backs, three fullbacks, two kickers (one, Owen Pochman, also worked sparingly as a punter), two long snappers and two punters.

b) The Patriots drafted three college captains — Harris, Froholdt and Stidham. In all, seven of their last 19 draft picks have been college captains.

c) The SEC continues to hold a special place in Belichick’s heart. Five of the 10 draftees were from the SEC (Vandy, Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Ole Miss). Since he took over the Patriots, the top three favorite draft schools have been Florida (nine), Georgia (seven) and Arkansas (six). In addition, LSU, Arkansas, Illinois, Notre Dame, Michigan, Alabama and Miami have all had five. For the record, he’s drafted four players each from Rutgers and Nebraska and as well.

9. Here’s a quick rundown of where some players from New England ended up:

First round
No. 14: OL Chris Lindstrom (Atlanta — Boston College)

Second round
No. 62: WR Andy Isabella (Arizona — Massachusetts)

Third round
No. 65: DL Zach Allen (Arizona — Boston College)
No. 81: DB Will Harris (Detroit — Boston College)

Seventh round
No. 228: TE Tommy Sweeney (Buffalo — Boston College)

10. So where do the Patriots go from here? We already know that some of the rookies are on their way to Boston. The team will start Phase Two of the offseason program this coming week, which will be an opportunity for coaches to spend at least some time with players, all while they continue to laid the groundwork for the 2019 season. As for the scouts, you’d think this would be an opportunity to take a break. Not so, said Caserio. Their focus is on the junior days with junior prospects, which basically kicks off a whole new scouting cycle.

“Our guys were here for the past three or four days and while the draft is going on, they're watching the draft and they're watching prospects in their area for next year so we can put together our spring prospectus. It's a continuous moving target,” said Caserio. “Our guys do a great job. They take a lot of pride in what they do and it shows. They're as important to the process as anybody because a lot of the players that we pick is based on a lot of the work and information that they've accumulated that we have in our database that we resort to, I'd say, on a pretty regular basis.

“Even once they transition from college to pro, they kind of flip in the system and then we still have all of that information so if it's a player on another team that's not here, OK, well, somewhere along the line if he comes into our program, let's go back and look at the information. What did we have on him? Sometimes it matches up or sometimes it helps you make a decision on a player that otherwise you wouldn't have that information.”