'Pats West': Jarrett Stidham is Running Workouts With Most of the Patriots Receivers. His Assault on the QB1 Job Begins!

We interrupt this March Madness coverage to bring you this earth-shattering announcement:

Well, well, well. It was just yesterday we were talking about how Chris Palmer, the quarterbacks coach extraordinaire, was blaming Jarrett Stidham's low spot on the Patriots depth chart last year on the huge "gap" between the coaching he got at Baylor and then Auburn. Now, as he enters his third season, the quarterback depth chart couldn't be more unsettled, and he's clearly in a make or break scenario, it would appear he's not about to play it passively. Instead, he's rallying his guys to him. All the way out to the West Coast. And if reports are to be believed, he won't be the only QB at Camp Studman:

So in addition to Stidham and Newton, he's getting Hunter Henry and "the majority" of the receiving targets. Since they currently have four tight ends under contract, about 10 or so wideouts and another half dozen running backs, that's a hell of crew he's putting together. The Ocean's 11 of New England's bounce back year. 

Seriously, I am going to resist the temptation to read to much into this. Various combinations of various Pats ran various drills together during the pandemic restrictions last year. And with all due respect, the results (27th in points and yards, dead last in passing TDs) speak for themselves. 

But I'm not going to just read nothing into this captain's practice, either. It shows more than a work ethic you have to appreciate. It shows that Stidham is determined to establish himself. And that he, Newton, and the others that show up are ready and willing to pay the price to see that 7-9 doesn't happen again. 

I mean, NFL practices in mid-March are unheard of. As far as I know, no other team is doing this. Maybe has never done it. The playoff teams have barely recovered from the season. A good percentage of the bottom teams won't have their starting quarterback until after the draft. And here we've got guys about to make the statement that it's never too soon to get going rebuilding the Dynasty out of the ashes of 2020. 

I can't help but compare this to the practices Tom Brady ran in Tampa last year. With the exception that that was Florida and this is California, which is still under restrictions. So this will probably get Stidham, Newton and Henry arrested and suspended for the year and all of Belichick's draft picks taken away. But it's still nice to see.