Since the news broke that the New England Patriots signed Cam Newton on a one-year free agency contract, the former Carolina Panthers quarterback has been the subject of intense debate, whether on social media , on the sports talk radio or on this website. Along the way, there have been speculation and questions about what he can or cannot do and what the 31-year-old could bring to the table as the most decorated member of the Patriots quarterback’s current depth chart.
In order to shed a clearer light on the former NFL MVP, let’s take a look at some common misconceptions that have been raised since Newton arrived in New England on Sunday.
Newton’s skill set will not fit the Patriots scheme
For the past two decades, the Patriots had the best quarterback in league history at the center, one who brought a different set of skills than Newton, and thus had an offense built around his strengths and to cover their weaknesses in the athletics department. However, even when Tom Brady was still in New England, the team showed that it could adapt to the needs of the staff. That included the quarterback position, as evidenced by Brady’s four-game suspension in 2016.
While Jimmy Garoppolo offered a skill set similar to Brady’s, quarterback number three and then rookie Jacoby Brissett was and remains a different type of player. Therefore, when the Patriots were forced to start it after a shoulder injury sustained by Garoppolo, they changed their offense accordingly to include more misdirectional plays around Brissett’s mobility. It would be naive to believe that the coaching staff and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels in particular will not approach Newton in the same way.
Film analyst Brett Kollmann’s view of the Newton-Patriots collaboration sums up the scheme quite well, with a focus on the quarterback’s ability in the fast-pass game:
Only from a pure football perspective does Newton fit in perfectly with this Patriots system. Traditionally, New England has been one of the few offenses in the league that not only thrives on fast-passing play, but also builds its entire identity around it. Newton himself is far from his best quarterback when he is operating one of those fast-paced, open, fast-paced attacks.
McDaniels will adjust his offense to suit Newton’s skills as a fast passer, and also as a player capable of making the correct readings on the line of scrimmage at a constant rate. Make no mistake, the Auburn product is one of the smartest quarterbacks in the NFL and is capable of doing some of the things that Brady did in New England too: reading the defenses and adjusting to the looks, and making decisive decisions from quick hit with football in your hands.
If you think the Patriots and Newton are not a game based on preconceived notions about their skill set combined with what the team liked to do while Brady was still around, plus what McDaniels did with Brissett, think again. If the ex-Panther is able to quickly adapt to the terminology and complexities of the New England interpretation of the Erhardt-Perkins system, and there is no doubt that he will, the game could be one made in football heaven.
Newton is a great move waiting to happen
When Newton came to the league in 2011 and was quickly named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, his potential for big plays was immediately showcased. This was especially true in the running game: Newton, the ball carrier, averaged 5.6 yards on 126 career attempts and scored 14 touchdowns on the ground (he broke a position record set by the former Patriots quarterback en route. Steve Grogan when he found the end zone 12 times as a runner in 1976).
However, as a pure passer, Newton has not been in the same category lately as that is not his skill set. As noted earlier, he’s at his best when he makes a quick attack based on his pace and decision-making, something former Panthers offensive coordinator Norv Turner recognized when he arrived in Carolina in 2018. Turner adapted the Offensive team to take advantage of his quarterback. strengths, and that meant fewer attempts at deep passes and a focus on short and intermediate parts of the field. Sounds familiar?
The numbers speak for themselves. With Turner running the show on the sidelines, Newton produced his best season as a passer since his 2015 MVP year. He became more efficient and, despite a shoulder injury that limited him during the second half of the season, ended the year. among the best quarterbacks in the league. . This was largely due to the offense’s new focus on systematically working soccer on the field, and resulted in Newton ending his 2018 campaign with an adjusted completion percentage of 78%.
The number ranked him not only the seventh most accurate passer in soccer that year, it also placed him a) above the league average of 75.3% and b) above the man he helped replace: the adjusted completion rate. Brady’s in 2018, that is, not counting receiver wide drops and discards – was 75.6%. Even though Newton struggled to complete deep passes and ended the season with a completion rate of just 37.5% on attempts over 20 yards, he was still an accurate QB.
Newton is not a leader …
Cam Newton is certainly a unique character in the NFL, but elegant post-game outfits and vibrant personality on the field often distract from the fact that the veteran has also been the emotional leader of the Panthers for quite some time. However, his leadership has been repeatedly questioned by people outside the organization, from Skip Bayless to Booger McFarland, Colin Cowherd and Michael Vick.
That said, tight end Greg Olsen, who spent his entire nine years in Carolina alongside Newton, has a different opinion.
“This has been a story that has been going around since he entered the league. It really has become an exhausting story. Guys like to say it nationally because it’s a hot shot. Something that generates a lot of headlines and reactions. But there is not much substance behind this. I don’t even know if it deserves any attention. Because of what Cam has accomplished, where we’ve come as an organization since we drafted it, I think everything speaks for itself, “Olsen told Steven Ruiz of USA Today in 2017.” In the locker room, it’s a story that doesn’t even give much credibility. “
Newton will have to prove himself a leader in his new environment, but he’s stepping into a locker room full of veterans who have established status within the organization and the league, from Matthew Slater, David Andrews, and Julian Edelman, to Dont’a Hightower. and Devin McCourty, and they will certainly help you adjust. The quarterback’s leadership style in Carolina may or may not have been different from what the Patriots have in this group of veterans, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t led.
… and Bill Belichick will ask you to completely change your character
Just two days after the signing was first reported, Boston’s famous sports talk radio hosts Michael Felger and Tony Massarotti criticized Newton on-air for his celebrations and wondered if Bill Belichick would ask him or not that it changed. Like a counter to the segment, a clip from the 2009 NFL Films documentary A football life: Bill Belichick He scoured Twitter showing the Patriots head coach encouraging his players to play with excitement.
So what will it be for Newton?
The answer, as always with Belichick (and life in general) will probably not be as black and white as shown on social media. Newton will not be asked to completely change his character to play a role that he is not comfortable playing both on and off the field. However, he will have to lead by example and will therefore be tasked with setting a positive example for his teammates whether or not he wins the starting quarterback job this summer.
Newton is prone to injury
We have already discussed this in considerable detail after the deal was first reported. There’s no denying that Newton has built up a fairly long injury history over the course of his career, but despite all the medical issues, he only missed seven of the 119 possible games before a broken foot forced the Panthers to close it two weeks later. The 2019 regular season. The former first overall pick in the draft has struggled to stay completely healthy since coming to the NFL, yes, but has repeatedly struggled through numerous injuries to hit the field despite them.
Therefore, Newton’s injury history should be viewed in a more nuanced way than simply sticking the “injury-prone” label. His physical readiness after a nearly a year season in the injured reserve and a lingering shoulder problem before it’s one of the biggest issues in training camp and preseason, but the situation as a whole is not a Accurate representation when it comes to Newton’s time in the league up to this point.
