Getty Cam Newton
Cam Newton has broken his silence in a major way. Aside from a few Instagram posts, Newton hadn’t spoken much since signing with the New England Patriots.
But his latest comments come thanks to a new video posted on Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr’s YouTube channel. It shows a one-hour conversation/roundtable between former New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz, Beckham, Atlanta Falcons running back Todd Gurley, and Newton. The new Patriots quarterback discussed several issues, including replacing Tom Brady, and what he will bring to his new team’s offense.
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Clearly, Newton has every intention of winning the starting quarterback job. That appears to be a mere formality in his mind.
Cam Newton on Replacing Tom Brady
When the segment related to Brady comes up, which happens around the 38-minute mark, Newton is respectful to the man many regard as the greatest quarterback of all time. “What he is…is great. It needs no even…talking about it. One thing about it though, Coach [Josh] McDaniels, you’re getting to call some stuff you ain’t never been able to call before. You’re getting a dog now, an angry, pissed-off dog.”
Newton is obviously pointing at his superior athleticism and Brady’s lack of mobility.
Brady has never been the greatest athlete, so any sort of play calls that require a quarterback to have mobility was almost entirely out of the window. Brady’s greatness has been based on pre-snap reads, preparation, accuracy, and limiting damage by declining to take tons of chances. Who can knock a guy who has played an instrumental role in six Super Bowl championships and a dynasty that probably won’t ever be duplicated in the NFL?
Newton knows that, but he also seems to understand that while different, what he brings to the table is valuable as well.
Get Ready for RPO & Designed QB Runs
Because of these conversations, Newton seems to have had with Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and head coach Bill Belichick, it would appear the team is ready to change the way it has approached the quarterback position.
The Patriots are recognizing the trend in the NFL with mobile quarterbacks like the last two league MVPs Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson. They know that to be their best, it would behoove them to have someone at QB who is capable of being a dual-threat.
That likely means the Patriots’ offense, even if Jarrett Stidham somehow beats out Newton for the starting job, will feature some run-pass-options and perhaps even designed quarterback runs. If there is one change Newton probably needs to make, it’s making the decision to slide to avoid some of the big hits he’s taken in the past. He needs to do that for himself and the team.
Throughout the roundtable, without even specifically mentioning his haters, Newton dismisses a common negative narrative about him. He isn’t a selfish, me-first player. He understands that without his teammates, he can’t do anything. He says as much in the video on more than one occasion.
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