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How did Cam Newton feel when the New England Patriots drafted Mac Jones in the first round? That was a question Newton was asked during his first meeting with the media this offseason.
Predictably, Newton remained positive and team-first in his response. Newton said:
“It didn’t make me feel any type of way because he was the right pick in my opinion. He was the best player available and that’s what the NFL Draft is for. I support the pick 110%.”
Newton understands everyone’s mentality, and the competitive environment that will dominate the quarterback dynamic throughout camp and the preseason.
Newton added:
“I’d be a fool if I didn’t think Brian Hoyer wants to be a starter. I’d be a fool not to think Mac & Cheese (Jones) wanted to be a starter. I’d be a fool if Jarrett Stidham didn’t want to be a starter. You’d be a fool to think that I don’t want to be a starter.”
Newton drew a reaction on social media when he was asked if he had a chip on his shoulder after a tough 2020. His response was, “double duh…yeah.”
Stidham’s Mind is On Becoming the Starter
In the eyes of some, Jarrett Stidham has been impressive in OTAs and the early stages of mini-camp. Others have pointed out his inconsistencies. To put it plainly, the answer or take you get on all four of the quarterbacks depends on who you ask.
Stidham told the media in his own session earlier in the week, his objective is to become the starter.
My goal is to be the quarterback here and to start football games for a really long time in this league. The mindset of that has never changed. It never will change. Like I said, I’m going to continue to work as hard as I possibly can to really improve and continue to do what I need to do in order to get better and help this team.
Stidham went even further and said the Patriots drafting Jones and even signing Newton “fired” him up.
Yeah, absolutely. It definitely fires me up. Last year, bringing in Cam before training camp, that fired me up to continue to get better, continue to grow as a player. Definitely fired up to be competing against Mac, Hoy and Cam. It’s a great room. it’s a lot of fun to be in there, but definitely fired up to compete against those guys every day.
Everyone has a chip on their shoulder, which is ultimately good for the Patriots roster.
Bill Belichick Says Newton is Further Along This Year Than He Was in 2020
The Patriots’ head coach met with the media on Tuesday, and he continued to show support for Newton, whom he named the starter just hours after the team chose Jones with the No. 15 pick overall.
Belichick said:
Cam [Newton]’s way ahead of where he was last year at this time. There’s no question about that. I mean, as you would expect, he has a good year of experience under his belt and he’s able to start the process at the beginning and not be in a catch-up mode like he was last year. I mean, he was really just starting at this point last season, but he’s well ahead of that just from the year of experience and from the succession of building blocks that he’s been able to stack up, like all the players have that have been here since the start of the OTA and the offseason program back in April, that they’ve been able to stack those days and those learning experiences together, ask questions on things that they need clarification on and build to the next level when they’re ready to put another brick on the pile. So, that’s good for all of us. It’s good for Cam. It’s good for all of the players who can go through that process.
The key for Newton will be to continue to improve and show strides. If he does that, the QB battle with Jones and everyone else will take care of itself.
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Cam Newton Opens Up About Patriots Drafting Mac Jones