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Sunday was a rough day for Cam Newton and the New England Patriots. They took a damaging 27-20 loss to the Houston Texans and afterward, the oft-targeted quarterback was pelted with insults. One particular attacker, Barstool Sports’ Kevin Clancy, didn’t hold back.
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KFC’s Attack
Newton’s outfits have long been a discussed, mocked, and an admired aspect of his being. The response you get depends on who you talk to about the subject.
Quite honestly, when his team wins, less hate can be heard about what he wears before and after the game. Well, the Patriots lost Sunday, and Newton wore this before the game. I don’t think I have to tell you what followed the disappointing defeat.
Clancy, another of Barstool Sports’ outspoken and edgy affiliates took to Twitter after the Patriots’ loss and he unloaded on Newton’s attire and the team’s defeat at the hands of a 2-7 team.
And we wonder why athletes are often reluctant to speak candidly to the media.
Others Are Criticizing Newton Too
Clancy’s misapplied connection between Newton’s attire and his team’s result isn’t the first time someone has tried to draw parallels between the two things.
Earlier this year, former NFL quarterback and current San Francisco 49ers star Jeff Garcia took aim at Newton’s attire and suggested it had something to do with subpar play–nevermind the fact Newton was less than two weeks removed from testing positive for COVID-19.
After Sunday’s loss, Newton was asked about the Texans’ JJ Watt batting down four of his passes. USA Today’s Henry McKenna didn’t think Newton’s answer to the question (in which he replied, “he’s JJ Watt) was satisfactory. McKenna subsequently wrote this in criticism of Newton’s approach.
Newton’s follow-up response paints a better light on his thought process. Watt, a potential future Hall of Famer, had two tackles on the day. The fact that he logged four pass deflections is a case of winning some and losing some against a really good player. But perhaps that win-some-lose-some mentality is a bit too prevalent in New England’s locker room as the Patriots fall to 4-6, a record that likely puts them out of the playoff hunt when considering their tough schedule ahead.
It’s not easy being Cam.
The Truth About Newton’s Play on Sunday
Overall, Newton played well on Sunday, but there are still a few problem areas. He is still skipping too many passes to open receivers. His mechanics leave him at times, and it leads to passes delivered near his receiver’s feet. That happened three times yesterday but wasn’t the ultimate cause of the loss.
The other major issue Newton seems to be having with his play–which is not entirely on him each time it occurs–is the inability to acknowledge and account for blitzing safeties off the edge. This has been more prevalent in the last three games. Newton and the Patriots appear to be struggling to get a handle on this tendency from their opponents. Again, this wasn’t the primary reason for the defeat. You’d have to ask the Patriots’ secondary and the team’s defensive masterminds why they couldn’t cover Will Fuller and Brandin Cooks, or contain quarterback Deshaun Watson to really get down to the bottom of the problem.
Overall, with Newton passing for 345 yards, a touchdown, and no interceptions, I’d still give him a B for his performance on Sunday. I wouldn’t rock the outfit he wore on Sunday prior to the game, but I also wouldn’t bring it up during my post-game analysis.
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