FOXBOROUGH - On Wednesday, Sean Payton was asked if he had a message for Broncos fans in advance of Sunday’s AFC Championship game.
“Well, they’re going to have plenty of rest after this one,” Payton said. “Two weeks.”
The inference is that Denver would be playing in the Super Bowl, which happens to be two weeks from this Sunday in Santa Clara, California, at Levi's Stadium (home of the 49ers).
Most Patriot players didn’t take the cheese when that quote was tossed back at them. They shouldn’t, at least not publicly. It was innocuous at best. At worst, it was Payton being Payton, which is to say, confident bordering on cocky.
However, Kayshon Boutte had a little fun with that statement, telling reporters he hadn’t heard it, but then adding, with a smile, “You can rest in Cancun, too. At the end of the day, it is what it is.”
If the Denver reporters are paying attention, I’m sure they’ll run that back to the Broncos players later today, and who knows what words might get tossed back Boutte’s way. Not that it should make a bit of difference in who wins or who loses...
'SMART. ACCURATE'
Yesterday, I wrote about Jarrett Stidham, who has been inserted into the biggest game of his life after the Bo Nix season-ending ankle surgery. Stidham hasn’t thrown a pass in a regular season game for over two years, but has the trust of Payton, who has signed him to a pair of contracts over the last three seasons, totaling in excess of $17 million dollars.
Before Payton, Josh McDaniels had eyes for Stidham. He was the offensive coordinator here in New England when Stidham was selected in the fourth round, and later, in one of his first acts as head coach of the Raiders, swung a deal with New England for the quarterback. What did McDaniels like about the man that Denver now needs to deliver in a big way on Sunday?
“Smart. Accurate, Great human being. Worked hard. Great teammate,” McDaniels recalled on Thursday afternoon. “Just hasn't had an opportunity, you know, based on the situations and those kinds of things. I just enjoyed working with him. Enjoyed my time with him, and I’m sure he'll be ready to go this week, for sure.”
The Pats have wisely tapped into McDaniels' knowledge of Stidham this week, but it’s been a full three years since he last coached him, during which the veteran backup has become immersed in the Payton offense. Payton continues to pump Stidham’s tires, as you would expect, and has referenced a number of situations in which the backup delivered - from Teddy Bridgewater when Payton was with the Saints, to Davis Mills this year (3-0 for the Texans). For what it’s worth, those were regular-season performances.
Payton also brought up former Eagles quarterback Nick Foles, who famously beat the Pats in the 2017 Super Bowl. But Foles had six weeks of practice and four starts before he took the snaps in the NFC Championship game. Stidham doesn’t get that same kind of runway. He has a grand total of six days before making his first start since the 2023-24 season.
That was January 7th, 2024, to be exact, in a 27-14 loss to the Raiders. Stidham threw for 272 yards, 1 TD, and 1 INT, while also taking five sacks. The now 29-year-old does have one thing on his resume that Pats starter Drake Maye doesn’t: a 300+ yard passing game with 3 touchdowns. He did that in 2022 for McDaniels when the Raiders lost in overtime to the 49ers, 37-34.
MACK IS BACK IN TOWN
When the Patriots went to the practice field Thursday afternoon, Mack Hollins was
