Cam Newton hasn’t shied away from expressing his frustration with the Carolina Panthers — both when they employed him and after they released him. He spent a lot of time on social media venting.
Now that Newton has an opportunity for a comeback with the Patriots — and, in turn, has a small amount of distance from his breakup with Carolina — the quarterback shared some of his thoughts on the Panthers. It sounds like Newton is motivated every day, not just in the wake of the Panthers kicking him to the curb.
“Look, I wake up mad,” Newton told reporters in a videoconference call on Friday. “The fact that I’m not able to see my kids on a regular basis, that’s what makes me mad. At the end of the day, for me, I’m not going to dwell on the past. I think I’m a person that’s a self-motivator. Even though the past is the past, I’m not going to keep looking back. For me, it’s just turn the page and move forward. I wish those guys nothing but the best and I hope that this feeling is mutual and moving on.”
Newton is on to New England, which is surely something his new coach, Bill Belichick, can get behind. It sounds like the two are off to a terrific start, with Newton in awe of the Patriots’ methodology.
“I think this is opportunity is something that I wake up pinching myself each and every day. It’s so surreal coming down One Patriot Place every single day and seeing the whole ambiance. Not only that, but seeing so much support around the city of Boston and Foxborough. It’s just such a great environment for not only myself, but players included. It is crazy. I just found myself putting on shirts and say, ‘Oh, my God.'”
This is what is sounds like for free -agent signings that enjoy the honeymoon phase un Belichick. New England is teaching its offense to Newton, who is in competition with Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer for the team’s starting quarterback job. But it will get harder for Newton, who is likely to win that position battle. His mindset — and ability to take stern coaching — will be worth monitoring after a former teammate have expressed concerns about how the quarterback will fit with the Patriots.
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