Cam Newton is settling in with his new team. The former Carolina Panthers franchise quarterback just wrapped up his first virtual press conference as a member of the New England Patriots.
After getting released by Carolina in March, Newton languished on the open market for several months. New England signed him to a steal of a one-year, incentive-heavy deal at the end of June, finally finding their replacement for long-time QB Tom Brady, now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
It’s a tough act to follow, as the success of Brady’s 20-year run with the Patriots may never be repeated in the NFL. Newton says he wakes up pinching himself every day to be part of such a prestigious organization and called it a surreal moment.
Cam Newton on the Patriots: "Nobody really knows just how excited I am to be part of this organization. … a powerful dynasty with so much prestige and success. … I wake up pinching myself every day, it's just so surreal."
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) August 7, 2020
"It's a surreal moment. Nobody really knows how excited I am to be apart of this organization. I think this opportunity is something that I wake up pinching myself every day" – Cam Newton on becoming a Patriot
— Megan O'Brien (@MeganOBsports) August 7, 2020
As for that awkward exit with his previous employer, Newton was asked about it during his presser today. Newton admitted that he “wakes up mad” every day.
"I wake up mad. I'm a person that is a self motivator. For me its turn the page and move forward" -Cam Newton when asked if he's motivated by how things ended in Carolina
— Megan O'Brien (@MeganOBsports) August 7, 2020
Newton also said that he wishes the Panthers nothing but the best, but this has to sting just a little bit for Carolina fans who were sad to see Newton leave, to say nothing of the way it was handled by the front office.
Newton certainly has more than enough personal motivation to have the best season of his career in 2020. There are other reasons to believe he will prove his critics wrong, as well.
For one thing, the fit in New England always made a lot of sense. Coach Bill Belichick has never been shy about his admiration for Newton’s skillset and the verbiage they use is similar to what Cam has his entire career to date.
While Newton won’t have many weapons to work with (Julian Edelman and Mohamed Sanu will be his best wide receivers), that’s hardly a new challenge. The team that Newton carried to the Super Bowl in 2015 consisted mostly of a strong defense, Greg Olsen and a bunch of scrubs.
The biggest reason to believe Newton will be vindicated by a strong performance in 2020 is his coaching staff.
There are levels to coaching in the NFL, just as in quarterbacking and Belichick happens to be in a league of his own. The entire football-watching world is about to be reminded just what Cam Newton is capable of.
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