New England Patriots considering playing two quarterbacks at outset
The New England Patriots are supposedly considering playing multiple quarterbacks to start the season.
Even for the greatest coach of all time in Bill Belichick, this is a stretch. In fact, history says it’s a terrible idea.
Few teams have ever truly split time with a quarterback and gotten good results. The most infamous were the 1971 Dallas Cowboys, with Hall of Fame coach Tom Landry vacillating between Roger Staubach and Craig Morton over the season’s first half. The merry-go-round culminated in Chicago, where Morton and Staubach rotated plays.
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Finally, Landry went with Staubach. The Cowboys didn’t lose another game en route to defeating the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl VI at Tulane Stadium.
However, expecting similar results with the tandem of Jarrett Stidham and Cam Newton is aggressive at best and reckless at worst. Stidham has never made an NFL start entering his second season while Newton, the 2015 NFL MVP, hasn’t played a down since Week 2 and is coming off serious shoulder and foot injuries. Newton is also in his first year with the Patriots, only signing less than two months ago.
Still, Belichick has said it’s an option to essentially play both men, per NFL.com:
“It might (benefit the team). Look, I always say, I’ll do what I think is best for the team, what gives us the best chance to win. So, whatever that is, I would certainly consider that. If it’s run unbalanced line, or double unbalanced line, or 23 personnel. Whatever it is. If it helps us win, then I would consider anything.”
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The New England Patriots have the luxury of starting slow considering the AFC East is one of the weaker divisions, but the NFL remains a sprint. Losing two of three or three of four could be a massive impediment to their playoff chances, even if the division only requires 10 wins to be the champion.
In the early going, New England hosts the Miami Dolphins before traveling for a prime-time game against the Seattle Seahawks. The next weeks see the AFC West, with New England hosting the Las Vegas Raiders before a Week 4 tilt at Arrowhead Stadium against the Kansas City Chiefs.
It’s arguable the Patriots could be 2-2- in said stretch whether they roll with one quarterback or experiment with both. If that’s the case, Belichick has time, but a decision will eventually need to be made.
