Getty Cam Newton
The New England Patriots have an interesting quarterback situation in front of them, and there is no shortage of suggestions being offered on how the team should handle Cam Newton and Mac Jones.
That said, the one that came from Michael DeVito of Chowder and Champions should be ignored, at least as a staple of the team’s offense in 2021.
DeVito believes the veteran and former league MVP Newton should function in a role similar to the New Orleans Saints’ Taysom Hill, while Jones should be the Drew Brees of the Patriots’ situation.
DeVito writes:
There may just be a way to utilize two top assets, Cam Newton and Mac Jones of the New England Patriots in a way that maybe hasn’t yet been discussed. Why not use them both on the field at once? Similar to the Drew Brees/Taysom Hill combination employed by the New Orleans Saints.
It would be dismissive and foolish to compare the Patriots’ situation to the Saints’ dynamic before Brees called it a career. Still, DeVito persists:
Now many observers think that Newton’s arm was not up to snuff in 2020. This writer has disputed that citing his completion percentage as the most concrete argument against that theory. But for the sake of argument, let’s say that Cam has not really fully recovered from his shoulder injury. So maybe he isn’t quite as effective in throwing the long ball. Coincidentally, that’s an asset that Jones seems to possess in abundance. Or at least did when he had Alabama’s receiving corps at his disposal. Now, let’s just point out the obvious and say that Cam’s clear strengths over Mac are his speed, athleticism, and amazing running ability. Cam can also catch the football. After all, he did have a touchdown catch last season. Does anyone doubt he has that ability? Cam can do anything on a football field. So then, why not utilize all of these assets at once at times in the same backfield? You’d have Newton and his mobility as the swingman in a wildcat-type formation and Jones as another passing threat. Cam could be a runner at times. He could be a passer via a direct snap or lateral, and he could be an RPO threat to pass, run, or pitch to a back. Or he could pitch back to Mac and be a receiver. Nice. Now, all this is admittedly outside-the-box thinking, but, with the multidimensional capability of Newton, it may work.
Let’s take apart this suggestion that wreaks of a Madden 21 hack rather than something that would be feasible in an NFL offense.
A Disrespectful Concept
Newton is a 32-year-old veteran and former NFL MVP. Is it realistic, or even advisable, to ask him to share time in the backfield with a rookie quarterback in a gadget player role similar to Hill?
What kind of message would you be sending to the rest of your locker room and your veterans?
It took a lot of humbling for Brees to give up snaps to Hill, but as the veteran, it was likely easier for him to consent to the idea because he still handled most of the snaps. In DeVito’s concept, the rookie quarterback plays the position more traditionally, and the veteran is reduced to the lesser role.
When does that ever fly?
Who Says Jones is Even Ready for the Field?
The assumption that the fifth quarterback selected in the 2021 NFL Draft will show up in Foxboro and instantly be ready to take significant snaps away from Newton is one of the more optimistic concepts to flow out of the mouths of sports analysts in months.
There is no guarantee Jones will be ready to play at a high level this year or even in 2022. Thus constructing an offensive concept that has him playing quarterback with an option to hand it off or throw it to Newton is about as egregious as they come.
New England would be better off releasing him rather than offering him a secondary role in a gimmicky offense if Newton doesn’t prove to be better than Jones and worthy of starting outright.