#Bill Belichick never had to worry about this with Tom Brady around

Bill Belichick is evidently missing the days when there wasn’t a question who the Patriots’ starting quarterback was.

After having Tom Brady as the de facto starting QB for 20 seasons, Belichick is still adjusting to constant scrutiny about his decisions at quarterback. Asked again Wednesday if the team was going to stick with Cam Newton at quarterback ahead of Monday’s game against the Bills, the longtime Patriots coach wasn’t having it anymore.

“We’re not answering that question every day,” Belichick told reporters, per NESN. “We’ve been through this for a month.”

Newton, who signed a one-year deal in New England in July, has started every game for the Patriots this season except for when he missed Week 4 after testing positive for COVID-19. While Newton was on the reserve/COVID-19 list, Brian Hoyer started in his place with Jarrett Stidham taking over at halftime.

The calls for Stidham have grown louder this week with the Patriots being eliminated from playoff contention with Sunday’s loss to the Dolphins. Newton, 31, has struggled for most of the season and it seems unlikely he would start in New England next season.

Stidham, 24, was a fourth-round pick out of Auburn in 2019 and his growth could play a major role in how the Patriots approach the quarterback position this offseason.