With New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton making his debut on Sunday, we were able to see some of the new things the team has added to the offense, in an effort to play to Newton’s strengths.
The running game was a big component of what New England did on Sunday. Newton led all rushers with 75 yards on 15 carries and two touchdowns. The Patriots, as a whole, finished with 42 carries for 217 yards and three touchdowns, with running back Sony Michel being the second-leader in every rushing category: 10 carries, 37 yards and a touchdown.
With Newton’s performance, he made a little bit of history. He had the most rushing attempts by a quarterback in team history, and the sixth-most rushing yards by a Patriots quarterback. Here’s what Belichick told WEEI
“We always try to do what’s best for the team to win. Everything we’ve done for the last 20 years, and rightfully so, was for Tom Brady,” Belichick explained. “Everything was dedicated to him, other than the games that he didn’t play in like when [Matt] Cassel played or Jimmy [Garoppolo] and then Jacoby [Brissett] when Brady was suspended. There were times when we had to plan differently.
“But, when your starting quarterback has things that he’s good at or things that you can take advantage of then I think you try to take advantage of them.”
Over the years, Newton has established himself as a running quarterback. The Patriots certainly took advantage of his skillset on the ground against Miami. It will be interesting to see what he does next week against Seattle, and if the Patriots continue to run the ball with Newton throughout the course of the game.
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