Monday night we caught a glimpse of what life would look like without Cam Newton and it wasn’t pretty.

All off season we foolishly believed that the Patriots could compete with either Brian Hoyer or Jarrett Stidham as their starting quarterback. That notion has been put to bed.

We trusted in Bill and the system. As good as Bill and the system are however, you cannot overcoming bad quarterback play.

The Patriots would legitimately struggle to win five games if either Hoyer or Stidham were there. That’s coming from me, someone who actually believes in Stidham and his physical tools.

After last night, I was left asking myself two questions. 1. How has Brian Hoyer played in the NFL for 12 years? 2. Why did I think Jarrett Stidham could step in and replace Tom Brady this season?

It is hard to believe that we were foolish enough to think that either guy was worthy of being Tom Brady’s heir apparent because they are not.

In fairness to both Hoyer and Stidham, they were thrown into the fire on Monday night but that doesn’t take away from their performance, especially Hoyer. When your number is called as a back up, you have to answer the call and perform. He did not.

The Patriots will get Cam Newton back either this week or after the bye. Regardless of when it is, it cannot be soon enough. He is the Patriots best quarterback and he gives them a legitimate chance to win games unlike Hoyer or Stidham.