Just a few years ago, the New England Patriots had the best quarterback position in the NFL. But after having Tom Brady, Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett in the same meeting room, Bill Belichick now has a remarkably uninspiring group composed of Cam Newton, Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer.
Meanwhile, the other AFC East teams have devoted ample resources to tackling the most important position in the sport. Unfortunately for the Patriots, Belichick’s one-year bet on Newton and his investment in the fourth round at Stidham was not worth it.
Even if New England misses the playoffs for the first time since 2008, not all hope is lost. Because on Sunday, the Cleveland Browns saved Belichick and the Patriots from experiencing their worst nightmare.
Bill Belichick desperately needs a franchise quarterback
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For two decades, the Patriots enjoyed unparalleled stability as a defender.
But all of that changed in March, when TB12 took his talents to Tampa.
Despite having a great need in the position, Bill Belichick bet on the chance to add another flag during the 2020 NFL draft.
In July, he finally brought a veteran defender on board. However, Cam Newton’s experiment was a disaster. The 31-year-old launched just five touchdown passes and may never get another starting position.
Jarrett Stidham remains relatively unknown outside the walls of One Patriot Place. Auburn’s former transfer has only attempted 37 passes since New England called him 133rd overall in 2019. The fact that he never removed Newton is not a good omen for his chances of taking over as the team’s first quarterback.
With no short-term solution available and apparently no long-term plan in place, Belichick desperately needs to find a franchise defender … quickly.
Beads and dolphins will remain in that position for many years
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While the Patriots dominated the AFC East with Tom Brady in the center, the Buffalo Bills and the Miami Dolphins tried (and failed) to find quarterbacks in the franchise capable of facing the GOAT.
But after blowing up the draft choices of JP Losman, EJ Manuel, Cardale Jones and Nathan Peterman, the Bills finally found the answer to their biggest problem in 2018.
Buffalo bravely negotiated to select Josh Allen. Although the former Wyoming QB faced serious doubts about his accuracy, he has shown a great improvement since joining the league.
The 6-foot, 5-pound, 237-pound signal caller launched for 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns in his third NFL season. Allen also impressed as a runner with 383 yards and eight touchdowns. He won his first Pro Bowl seat and may even steal some MVP votes from Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes.
In Miami, the Dolphins finalized a brilliant reconstruction plan by arresting Tua Tagovailoa with fifth choice in the 2020 NFL draft. Coming from a devastating hip injury, the former Alabama star exhibited star potential. In nine games (eight games), he completed 65.1% of his passes for 1,453 yards, 10 touchdowns and just two interceptions.
It certainly wasn’t perfect, but Tagovailoa seems to have the skill set and maturity to become the face of the franchise. It is no coincidence that both the Bills and the Dolphins have won double-digit games this season, now that they have secured young defenders through the draft.
The Browns just saved Belichick and the Patriots from living their worst nightmare
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The Bills and the Dolphins invested choices in the first round and guaranteed millions of dollars to support the most important position in the sport. The New York Jets did the same in 2018, when they selected Sam Darnold in third overall.
Of course, Adam Gase ruined Darnold’s development and made the Jets a laughing stock. Going into Sunday, his team had a 1-13 record and appeared to be in the driver’s seat to land Trevor Lawrence.
But thanks to the Browns, Bill Belichick and the Patriots prevented their worst nightmare from becoming a reality.
Baker Mayfield played one of his worst games of the season at an opportune time for New England. New York defeated a Cleveland team with 10 wins and increased it to 2 to 13. And, for the first time, Patriot fans will not be upset by the victory of their hated rival.
Scoring a frustrating victory, the Jets simultaneously eliminated themselves from the number 1 choice in the 2021 draft of the NFL. Now the Jacksonville Jaguars are going to rebuild around Lawrence.
For Belichick, this must be seen as a monumental victory. Given his history with the Jets, it is no exaggeration to say that watching his former employer get a generational perspective would have hurt a lot. And as the rest of AFC East learned during Brady’s term, having a considerable advantage as a defender makes a big difference.
For the Patriots, it would have been a nightmare to deal with Lawrence for the next decade. Instead of planning the game to stop the unique talent in life at least twice a year, the Patriots only need to worry about Lawrence if the Jaguars are on their schedule.
Still, that doesn’t change the fact that Belichick must find a QB perspective to build on in the post-Brady era.
Unfortunately for the Patriots, the Jets will be choosing well ahead of them in April.
For Belichick’s sake, he had better hope that New York also spoils this situation.
All statistics are courtesy of the Professional Football Reference.