DENVER | Jarrett Stidham obviously doesn’t have any star quarterback status in the NFL with so little experience. But that didn’t stop Broncos fans from rallying behind him with a wave of support that went viral on social media.
• Also read: Deprived of their quarterback, the Broncos in search of a miracle against the Patriots
During the NBA Finals in 2016, an image of LeBron James with his sunglasses and headphones went around the world. His Cleveland Cavaliers were trailing 3-1 against the Golden State Warriors and a headline under the photo mentioned that no team in history had managed such a comeback in the Finals.
The Cavaliers had finally achieved the impossible, and James’ stoic image became legendary.
Imagine that Broncos supporters have taken the same image, with Stidham in place of James, and that they are using it as their profile photo on social networks. It all spread like wildfire.
“I’m not on social media at the moment, but several friends have sent me these images. It’s quite funny! It shows that we have the best fans in the world of sport, in my opinion. I’m excited to play in front of them. It’s been a long time [janvier 2016] that a conference final took place here and I know they are going to rock,” said the quarterback.
A rare opportunity
Even though he’s the hot topic in Denver in a Broncos-obsessed market, Stidham says he was able to shop peacefully at Target this week.
“I went completely incognito. Nobody noticed me,” he said, smiling.
Stidham refuses to look too far ahead, but he welcomes a rare opportunity to shine in the spotlight.
“Any quarterback would feel like me. We are all competitors and when you have the chance to jump on the field, you want to be at your best for your teammates and coaches,” he said.
Aged 29, Stidham could still attract the attention of another team if he has a magical run like Nick Foles with the Eagles during the playoffs in 2017. He will of course have to start by resisting the attacks of the Patriots.
“This match is not about me,” the pivot was quick to correct.
IN DENVER… IN BRIEF
Really good? No idea!
DENVER | Players and coaches can say whatever they want about Jarrett Stidham to spread a positive message. For a more objective opinion, we asked veteran reporter Mike Klis, who has covered the Broncos for years for 9News, Denver’s NBC-affiliated station. After greeting us and extolling the charms of Montreal, from the days when he covered major baseball, he burst out laughing when we approached him about the potential of the Broncos quarterback. “It’s such a big story here! All I can tell you is that no one here [dans la salle des médias des Broncos] no longer knows him except me. And I have no idea how it’s going to go on Sunday!”, he said.
An old mentor
DENVER | In another life, Sean Payton cut his teeth as a coach under the legendary Bill Parcells. The two have always remained on good terms and this week, Payton chatted with his old mentor. You should know that in 1990, Parcells won the Super Bowl with his backup quarterback, Jeff Hostetler. A similar story to Stidham, except that Hostetler had played during the season and therefore came less out of nowhere. “We had a few conversations. The topics may vary, but obviously we talked about that,” Payton simply said.
