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The New England Patriots‘ Cam Newton has always been most dangerous when using his unique combination of size, athleticism and quarterback instincts. While this mix has mostly worked for him during his NFL career, he recently hinted at changing a signature aspect of his game.
Cam Newton recently spoke with David Savona of Aficionado magazine, a publication dedicated to cigar culture, and he discussed several topics including his mental and physical state at this point in his career.
Newton Says He Won’t Be a “Battering Ram” Anymore
One of the things that has separated Newton from almost every other quarterback who has ever played in the NFL, besides maybe Daunte Culpepper and Bobby Douglass, is his ability to dip a shoulder and plow through defenders for extra yards.
Oftentimes, Newton has employed this tactic to secure the tough yards near the goal line. Newton used a combination of his size, power and agility to rush for 12 touchdowns in 2020. It was one of the lone bright spots of what was otherwise the worst full year of his professional career–at least from a statistical standpoint.
According to Newton, that power aspect of his game is going to change moving forward. Savona wrote this in the article along with a quote from Newton who says, he won’t be “a battering ram like I once was.”
You won’t see me being a battering ram like I once was,” he says. But that doesn’t mean Newton plans on ramping it back entirely. You’ll still see him leaving the pocket, still see him running, looking to get back into the end zone one way or another. “You try to domesticate a lion and it loses its impact,” he says. “It’s meant to roar.”
Newton’s 70 career rushing touchdowns are the most in NFL history, and second place isn’t even close.
The next closest player in the category is San Francisco 49ers Hall-of-Famer Steve Young with 43. Unfortunately, Newton’s power style has come with some consequences, which aren’t necessarily connected to (to use a Madden term) truck sticking opponents.
Newton Revealed How His Shoulder Injury Occurred
Most know Newton struggled with a shoulder injury from 2018-20. He recently revealed, he hurt it during a game late in 2018 after throwing an interception. Newton tried to make the tackle downfield, fell awkwardly and injured his shoulder.
The injury led to him missing almost the entire 2019 season while still with the Carolina Panthers, and it is likely a big reason the team chose to move on from the man who had been the face of their franchise after winning MVP in 2015, and leading the team to the Super Bowl.
Newton talked about the injury in a recent video on his YouTube channel.
There is a ton of pressure on Newton to perform well in 2021. The Patriots brought him back despite a subpar season in 2020. Head coach Bill Belichick called Newton his starter back in April, and hasn’t really come off that stance, though he did recently say every player has a “clean slate” heading into training camp.
As much as Newton has accomplished during his career, he is still in a spot where he has to prove himself again. With or without the battering-ram style, Newton has to find a way to get his team to paydirt in 2021 more than they got there in 2020.
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Cam Newton Hints at Changing Signature Aspect of His Game in 2021