Urban Meyer: Jarrett Stidham will have 'good year' due to Bill Belichick, Pats' system

New England Patriots quarterback Jarrett Stidham threw only four regular-season passes his rookie year while sitting behind six-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady. Even with journeyman backup Brian Hoyer still on the New England roster, Stidham is projected to start under center for the Patriots now that Brady is playing alongside tight end Rob Gronkowski with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

One of the greatest college coaches of all time believes Stidham will find success his second year in the league, largely because of New England head coach Bill Belichick.

Urban Meyer, who won three national championships during tenures with the Florida Gators and Ohio State Buckeyes, spoke about the 23-year-old QB he once recruited during an appearance on "The Herd with Colin Cowherd" on Wednesday: 

"I remember watching his high school film and was very high on him. ... The common denominator of every great quarterback is that he’s on a great team. Great quarterbacks who go to bad teams all of a sudden become bad quarterbacks.

"It’s hard for me, sometimes, to understand the media, and often the fans, who say they have a bad team, so it’s the quarterback’s fault. ... You put him with Bill Belichick, [New England offensive coordinator] Josh McDaniels, that system. ... I can’t say he’ll be the next Tom Brady, but I’m sure he’ll have a good year."

Meyer also noted how well Matt Cassel played for the Patriots after Tom Brady suffered a season-ending injury in the opening game of the 2008 campaign. That season, Cassel helped New England win 11 games, but the Patriots still missed the playoffs.