There are times when one man’s nightmare is another man’s dream and one example of that is playing out in Las Vegas this week.
Derek Carr has been benched as the Raiders quarterback after spending nine seasons in the job and he’s away from the team while he tries to figure out what’s next for him in the NFL. That means he won’t be around to see Jarrett Stidham make his first NFL start against the 49ers this Sunday.
Stidham has appeared in 11 games as a reserve and the door closing on Carr opened one that he’s been waiting to walk through for many years.
“Obviously, you dream of playing in the NFL as a kid, and to start a game in the NFL is a dream come true,” Stidham said, via Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “But at the same time, I’ve been preparing since my rookie year, and I’ve tried to prepare every single week whether I was the backup or the starter. Obviously, I’ve gotten to learn under a bunch of really good guys. Players, coaches. I’ve always tried to treat the weeks the same, and this is no different.”
The 49ers defense is a tough one to face for any quarterback and it should be particularly tough for a first-time starter on a 6-9 team, but it’s still an opportunity to be an NFL starter and Stidham is understandably excited to finally get it.