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Cam Newton took to Instagram on Friday and posted a cryptic message that sent several people scrambling to find the meaning and to attach it to something relevant to his perceived New England Patriots quarterback battle with rookie Mac Jones.
In Newton’s signature style, he posted an image of himself with the caption, “I’m far from perfect, but loyalty, I deserve it.
Take a look at the image:
Is He Talking About Bill Belichick and the Patriots Organization?
As you might expect, several members of the media immediately attributed the comments to his current stance on the Patriots depth chart. To some, Newton’s comments seemed to be taken as a sense of entitlement.
Andy Hart of WEEI tweeted:
The Patriot Way, or at least the way the mythical approach to professional football is perceived, is about putting the team above yourself, doing your job, and being a star in your role. However you see it, the Patriot Way has led to an unprecedented level of success for the organization over the past 20 years.
Newton’s way, or at least how some perceive it, flies in the face of that concept. That might be, on one level the reason it has been tough for some Patriots fans to embrace him.
There are other factors too, but even those have some connection to the differences, or perceived contradictions between organization and player. Some didn’t take Newton’s IG message as anything more than athlete speak.
Chris Burns of Rollins College tweeted:
Could Newton have been referring to something different altogether?
Is He Referring to Something Personal?
Instagram is a place where people often vent about things happening in their personal or professional life. Newton, like everyone else, has things going on in both areas.
To assume he is referring to the Patriots, and more specifically the quarterback situation is probably a little too presumptive. Quite honestly, those who are quick to hop on the “who does he think he is” train were probably people who were never a fan of the 2015 NFL MVP.
On the other hand, Newton isn’t an idiot. He knows as well as anyone that everything he says is going to be taken, run with and applied to the Patriots situation.
That’s especially the case now when there is so much being discussed about his future as an NFL player–let alone as the Patriots’ quarterback. Because of that, Newton had to know how people–especially his critics–would take his social media post.
This does sound like a post from a guy who is still very prideful and confident. He takes a ton of criticism from everywhere on a daily basis.
Throughout his time in New England, he’s been nothing but accountable and humble. He’s cheered on teammates–even the ones who have been portrayed as his inevitable replacement.
So, if he was in his feelings on Friday when he posted this image and caption on Instagram, while it’s probably not the most advisable move, it would still be understandable.
Newton is a human being, hence the “I’m not perfect,” portion of his post. Every day there is someone questioning Bill Belichick’s sanity for sticking with Newton as a his starting quarterback.
Perhaps this is Newton’s way of saying, “hey, I know I’ve had some ups and downs on the football field, but let’s not act like I’m the lowest man on the list.”
Then again, maybe he’s not even talking about football at all. The Patriots play the Philadelphia Eagles in their second preseason game on August 19.
Somehow I’m confident that’ll be the most important thing in Patriots land by Monday.
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